Thursday, March 1, 2012

Unknown Barnum Elephant--1885


This male has an upturned left tusk. Is it "Fritz?" Or is "Fritz" the mounted specimen with straight tusks below?

I suggest that back in the 1900's an animal had "human rights" and somehow lost them, which has all the animal activist's whining and trying to get them reinstated. Remember this was back when an animal was actually guilty of an intended crime, over a century before "accidents" with no intent or fault(with the exception of a guilty as hell fence post) started occurring.

While I am not suggesting that "technically" they were judged by a jury of their peer's, that is unless Gyp, Babe, Columbia, Pilate, Chief, Queen, Juno, Coco, Bessie, Mary or Ruth passed judgment, we have to suppose that the folks who were members of the jury were "from all socioeconomic classes of the general population", considering the policemen, show owners, trainers, and grooms. A jury of your peers means anyone in your peer group. Back when this was created it meant that if you were a farmer your jury would be filled with farmers. If you were a peasant, your jury would be full of peasants. Your peers can also mean people of your skin color, such as: An African American defendant means his peers are fellow African Americans, etc..

Today, it is a jury of your fellow citizens. Unless the names listed above were on that jury, it may seem like "Fritz" got railroaded unless you consider that he was a "performing elephant" and he was found guilty by other "performers" as well as management of said performance. In that case he got a fair trial and was found guilty of murder, a menace to society and was given the death penalty(let's hope the death penalty was legal in France at that time. If not, we are in another pickle. and possibly he should have been extradited to stand trial in the United States. The crime occurred in France, but was he not an American citizen? Oh shit, was he maybe an Indian citizen? Maybe a Siamese citizen? Possibly a Burmese citizen? Was he in the circus of his own free will, and got an American citizenship? If he was a citizen of India, Siam, or Burma did he have "free will" if governed by a monarchy? While it may look like "Fritz" had human rights and was found guilty by a jury of his peers, I think there are way too many "if's and buts" to come to a solid conclusion. But I suggest he had more human rights in the 1900's then he would have had today. Today they would have only made excuses for him and blamed everything from the wall to the moat to his social upbringing.

Understand now why the animal rights activist's suddenly went, "whoops, asking for human right's isn't going to work. The world is not as ignorant as we once assumed and they are not the lemmings we thought they were, who are going to blindly follow each other off the cliff, like they did when they banned tobacco(cell phones are reported to possibly cause cancer. Not many folk's on that bandwagon. You gotta wonder why?) greasing the skids for a bull hook ban, eventually elephant ban, eventually travel of circus animals ban, eventually this, eventually that. Better we demand "non-human animal rights. Yeah, that will work." Welcome to none compromising Private Idaho, the world of the bleeding, whining liberal. If the first mix you whip up and bake doesn't taste like chocolate cake, whip up another mix and bake it. Whip up enough different mixes and bake them, law of averages say's eventually one will taste like chocolate cake.

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wade,
this photo is of Mabel hall and Charlie from the early 1900's
Cheers
Glenn

Wade G. Burck said...

Glenn,
That can't be right. We are reviewing "Fritz's" trial and rights at the moment. That dog won't hunt if it is Charlie. You probably intended to say it is Mable Hall and Fritz, and typed Charlie by mistake, right mate?

I was starting to get worried and am glad to know all is well, and you have had no accidents with walls, moats, trees, fences, etc. etc.

Wade

Bob Cline said...

Tis true Wade. This is "Charlie Lockhart" and Mabel Hall. There were several photos taken of the two of them together and three were on eBay at the same time.

"Charlie Lockhart" was one of the five Lockhart elephants on the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows. The act was sold to the Ringlings, and Charlie was sold to George Hall in 1902.

Hall changed his moniker to COLUMBUS for a while, He is referred to as RAJAH in the Billboard in 1903 and called Charlie again later on.

Bob

Wade G. Burck said...

Bobby,
Talk about an identity crisis!!! No wonder the males were so tough back in the day. I almost want to say they were justified and they were merely "accident's waiting to happen, almost."

I have heard that he was called "Fritz" for a while, which would be a good alibi for this thread. That is correct, right?

Wade

Anonymous said...

Wade,
you worry about yourself and those beasts in the steel arena.I've learnt to watch my own back after some interesting turn of events. As always it is worth poking my nose in to look and read from the fountain sometimes.
Cheers
Glenn

Wade G. Burck said...

Glenn,
I can relate to watching your own back. The stage flooring of the arena is elevated 2 1/2 feet off the floor and is wood with a rubber surface put together with pie shaped pieces. Each step I or the cat's take make a muffled "bump". Yesterday, I was practicing the roll over and one of the tigers was "objecting." As I stepped further to her right, I realized I was in a tough spot, put sometimes to have to do what you have to do to get the message across. As I leaned forward to bring her to me, I suddenly heard a muffled "bump" directly behind me. I instantly wheeled around and slung my hand, and backed Gala across the side of the head. She had jumped 6 feet off of her seat as I leaned forward for the roll over tigers, and landed smack one foot behind me. She wheeled and jumped back on her seat when I made contact with her, and both of us were startled and scared, what's the right word, shitless. Yes, that's an appropriate word. Gala and I stood there staring at each other, and not a word had been spoken but in our heads doing one of those Deniro/Crystal deal's from Analyze This. You. No, you. You. No, no you. No really, you. No, you. That's as close as I ever want to be to being bushwhacked from behind.
I looked to the back of the arena to "speak in thunder" to my two "assistant's" and only one was there, and he had turned his back to the cage so he could read the text message from his girlfriend without the glare of the lights, and the other one was gone. He went to take a shit, and rather then bothering me when I started the roll over, assumed he would go quick and and be back before I noticed!!!!!
I have been accused of making it look to easy, and people wrongly assume there is no danger. Maybe I need to adapt some of the old Dave McMillian/Pat Anthony theatrics and stumble out of the cage dripping sweat, with terror filled eyes to be taken serious.....

Wade

Dianne Olds Rossi said...

Watch your back and be safe dear friend.

Wade G. Burck said...

Madame Col.
This is going to end up one of the most difficult gigs I have ever done(next to volunteer work for Dana), and a major problem has been the language barrier. Normally you bring at least one assistant/groom with you for help. Financial restraint's didn't allow that in this case. It usually take 3 day's for the "Apaches" as they are referred to here to understand exactly where and when I want a stick placed. Many time's after the animals are sufficiently confused, I have to just ask them not to help, and stand back. I asked one to go get a "seat" yesterday, 5 times, and he stared at me blankly until I walked over and pointed to it. I asked him, "how is it you have been watching me put 16 tigers on "seats" for 8 months and you don't know what one is? Yet the tigers learned what one was in 15 minutes? In one day not only did they know what a seat was, but they knew which one was theirs and which one was someone elses." :)

What about this grey Fresian I have been hearing about?

You be safe also,
Wade

Dianne Olds Rossi said...

The grey Friesian arrived two weeks ago, he will reach my barn the middle of March. He was orginally broke for a driving horse and I understand he is brilliant but of course that opens up lots of problems for rating his speed as he has been going full bore in the carriage. I also am anxious to see him. I talked to the breeder in Holland, he is over 95% full Friesian and could give me his breeding until way back where a Friesian was bred to a grey mare. Do I care if he is 100% Friesian? Not a bit, he looks & moves like a Friesian and has all the hair.

Wade G. Burck said...

Madame Col.
I don't want to be pushy, realizing you will be busy when he arrives, but I should rightfully assume pictures will be forthcoming pronto once he is unloaded, watered, and bedded down. Am I right is assuming that? :)

Putting a jake brake on a carriage horse!!! Be safe, but by all mean's have fun. Maybe you will be lucky and he will have a Knighty personality and kindness. Then you will just have to sit still while he shows you how it's done. If not shut the barn door in his face once or twice.
I agree with you about Fresians. I feel the same way about Arabs. As long as the other half is Saddlebred, that's fine with me.

Wade