Thursday, January 03, 2008

Barnum & Bailey in Europe #9


Scan000010668 - Copy, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the mounted Fritz after he was ordered shot by Bailey in 1902. He still resides in the local museum. Of all the postcards in this set, this is probably the hardest to find.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

Anonymous said...

For those who might not read the French, I neglected to note that Fritz was shot on the date noted on the card and still resides in the French city of his death, Tours. Perhaps we have a French viewer who might supply a photo of Fritz today.
Dick Flint

Anonymous said...

what was the actual reaon they had to pull the plug on Fritz cleanraul

Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds says - - -

I believe Bailey just decided to get rid of all his big males while in Europe.

Mandarin (who was tuskless male from Ceylon) was in musth when the boat arrived in NY Harbor and could not be unloaded anyway. He was strangled in his crate aboard the ship. There is a set of photos about that.

Buckles said...

I believe Bates claimed to have argued in favor of having "Mandarin", crate and all, placed on a flat car and transported to Bridgeport but was told that the crate was too tall to clear the overpasses.

FRED NEILL said...

Bates & Conklin were in favour of not hanging the elephants. Apparently, Fritz had gone for Bates on the way to the station & 'Babe' had intervened to help Bates. The NEW YORK TIMES noted that "He suddenly went made and broke his chains" - this strongly suggess musth. It took 100 to pull the rope or, 200 according to the NYT...

FRED NEILL said...

Of the Europe hangings what is interesting was at 1st (Don's in Liverpool) Bailey was considered the 'expert' by 3 vets, a SPCA inspector, and a University professor - not the elephants usual handlers. Mandarin & Nick have to be 100% publicity acts - Nick was due to go into winter quarters the day after his 12th November 1898 hanging - why didn't they wait a day?...