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The conductor of Miscellany spent a few minutes Wednesday afternoon in a dark truck with three elephants, a panda and two big snakes.These animals, en route from New York to Emporia, Kans., were quartered here while Mac MacDonald and Matt Laurish, the men in charge, visited Mrs. Bernice Silverlake with whom they were associated last summer as fellow-members of the Bud E. Anderson circus.Returning to Emporia, winter headquarters of the circus, the men routed their truck by way of Rushville in order to call on Mrs. Silverlake, who formerly was Miss Bernice Pea of this city. They stored their animal-laden vehicle in the Auto Service company’s garage on South Morgan street (free ad) and several local persons availed themselves of the opportunity to see the small menagerie.The animals, shipped from Rangoon, India, docked Monday at New York city and were immediately placed on the truck which the circus had dispatched for them. The cargo for the Anderson outfit consisted of a cute lesser panda, one of the few animals of this kind in the United States; three baby elephants, claimed to be the smallest in this country; and two pythons, which were neither cute nor small.All of the animals ride in the same truck with the elephants,of course, taking up most of the space. The lovable little pandarides in a special cage at the rear of the truck while the snakes, each about 14 feet long, remain in a flat, wooden box where they are coiled up in a long winter’s sleep.Although the elephants were youngsters they didn’t appear small when Ol’ Miss, piloted by MacDonald, shoved throughthe herd in order to get a glimpse of the panda in the rear of the truck. This rare little animal, which looked something like a raccoon, appealed to us. MacDonald said that the pandas, which have been brought into this country only in the past few years, are very tame and clean. They eat bananas and all kinds of vegetables and only when frightened do they make any noise. This panda’s mate died on shipboard as did one of the four young elephants which were originally purchased, but the circus men hoped that it would survive with proper care and food. The panda, doubtless the first one to visit Rushville, is fed once
Newspaper Details
Rushville Evening Daily Republican
Rushville, Indiana, US
Thu, Jan 18, 1940
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Carmel C.
IN, DZ 12 Dec 2018
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