Ernest Hemingway (From Bob Cline)

hemingway_elephant, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles, I recieved this email from Illinois State University today. The primary question is can this elephant be identified? The other question seems to be did Manula die during the actual performance? Would you have any ideas? Thanks, Bob > Hilary Justice wrote: >> Dear Bob, >> >> I really appreciate your offer to help - this is a fun research problem >> with a lot of different angles; Maureen has been helping me with the >> circus angle, and I'm fascinated by what I'm learning. I teach in the >> English department at ISU and have worked with Maureen on a couple of >> exhibits and several research questions; I also teach the course on book >> history and she's generously shared her expertise with my students >> regarding the care and handling of priceless, irreplacable artifacts and >> books. >> >> I saw your answer to Mike about Manula and Lelabardi on the Circus >> History boards; I understand that Manula died suddenly in Havana in >> (January?) 1951 and that Lelabardi was sold soon afterwards. >> >> I'm hoping to find out whether or not Manula died during a show. Mike >> apparently heard from a gentleman who attended one of the Ringling Bros. >> and Barnum & Bailey circuses in Havana as a very, very young child who >> remembers his mother pointing Hemingway out to him in the audience - and >> who remembers his mother grabbing his arm as everyone rushed out. He >> has no idea what happened to cause the rush for the exit, I understand. >> >> Hemingway supposedly once heard a story about a circus elephant >> (probably in Canada pre-1925) breaking away from his trainers and >> running straight to an unmarked elephant grave in a field. That's the >> way Hemingway remembered the story; it could be that he combined his >> memories of reading about Jumbo as a boy with memories of reading other >> elephant stories. (He may have heard of Tusko, but I'm not 100% sure.) >> >> Hemingway had a soft spot for elephants, and they recur as hugely >> important images in many of his stories - often heart-breaking ones. (He >> would never allow an elephant to be harmed on either of his safaris >> because he was profoundly moved by the bonds they form with each other.) >> >> Manula's death, with which I'm pretty sure Hemingway would be familiar, >> having been friendly with both John and Henry Ringling North, probably >> triggered Hemingway's memories of those earlier stories (Jumbo, maybe >> Tusko, and perhaps the unnamed mourning elephant), with interesting >> results in three stories Hemingway was working on in the early 1950s. >> >> I'd be truly grateful for anything you can tell me about Manula and >> Lelabardi, or any direction you can point me to learn more. Maureen is, >> at Fred's advice, checking Billboard for the 1950s; I have a colleague >> who does a lot of work in Havana and she's checking on the existence of >> newspaper archives from the pre-Communist era. >> >> This is a long-shot - if you have any idea how I might go about finding >> the now-unknown person Mike was corresponding with about the Havana show >> (I believe that person contacted Mike through one of the message boards, >> but I'm not sure which). (Mike has graduated and his student email >> account is no longer active, so I've apparently lost that lead.) >> >> Also, if you've ever heard a "mourning elephant" story, I'd be truly >> appreciative. I understand such stories circulate in the elephant world >> every so often? One of the novels Hemingway left unfinished has an >> incredibly powerful "mourning elephant" scene, and I'm hoping to uncover >> the real story he based it on. Do you suppose the story could refer to >> a circus elephant going to visit the place Jumbo died? Hemingway would >> have heard the story in 1922/23 when he was working in Toronto; I know >> Jumbo died in St. Thomas, Ontario, so the geography's right. >> >> My apologies for the length of this email - and thank you for any >> assistance or leads you can offer. >> >> Cheers, >> >> Hilary >>