Thursday, October 06, 2005

Adam Forepaugh & Sells Brops. Circus 1900


This is the 1900 4-Paw-Sells menagerie with the elephants picketed between the center poles. The show was owned by James A. Bailey, W.W. Cole and Lewis Sells and served to protect the Barnum & Bailey territory from the Ringlings while on the European tour.
Bill Emory was in charge of the elephants including the Africans "Mike" and "Topsy" seen in the foreground along with four other Sells elephants "Sid", "Queen", "Babe" and "Dutch"
Among the 4-Paw elephants on the show was a "4-Paw Babe" and a "4-Paw Topsy" meaning they had two sets of elephants with the same name. The latter was called "Crooked-tail Topsy" an Asian with a bad reputation. Early in 1902 she killed a man visiting the show in Brooklyn and was immediately given to Luna Park where she was eventually executed by electrocution in public (1/4/03). This was captured on an early Edison film.

Posted by Buckles at 10/06/2005 07:32:00 AM

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wasnt"Mighty" of the Barnum&Bailey herd also a elephant from the Sells Bros herd?

08 October, 2005 13:20
Buckles said...

In 1903, the first year back from Europe, Bailey imported 11 young elephants. Seven went to Barnum & Bailey and "Mighty" was among the four that went to 4-Paw-Sells.

08 October, 2005 14:58
Anonymous said...

Would you have a list that names the Seven Elephants of the Sells Bros.in 1878?
I think there actually may have been 8 elephants.
I read where they were trained by George Arstingstall.

08 October, 2005 15:29
Anonymous said...

Here is a list of the 1896
Forepaugh-Sells herd
Sid
Queen
Dutch
Babe
Rubber
Betts
Romeo
Vic
Dick
John(John L.Sullivan)
Mike
Topsy

William Chambers was the menagerie superintendent
and Joseph Beatty the elephant superindent(since 1891)

There may have been other elephants with the show that did not travel.

13 October, 2005 18:05

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