Annie's Diary 1906 August 30th

August 30 – Thursday

Cousin John and Cousin Belle expected to leave on the morning train for Atlanta, but by many persuasions, they decided to remain over in New York until Friday morning.

After lunch we three ladies went to “The Museum of Natural History” where we certainly spent a most pleasant afternoon. It is a five-story structure, and is one of the most elegant I ever saw. The grounds are also perfectly beautiful. The first floor is filled with Indian relics and costumes, bead-work, Siberian costumes, and different scenes representing these ountries. The entrance is filled with meteors, which are supposed to have fallen in Greenland, and Iowa. Second floor: Stuffed birds and animals of all sizes and descriptions. (Elephants, sloths, buffaloes and little horses, etc.) Third floor: Other kinds of animals – some skeletons, and some stuffed. One noted animal. “Tip” – the large elephant which was killed in the Zoological Gardens in Central Park, on account of its fierceness. Had already killed several men. Employees gave Tip enough poison to kill 1000 men or more. Other end of hall filled with mummies and statues of wood and stone. Fourth floor: both large and small rocks in their unpolished states. Precious jewels both in polished and unpolished states. A few precious stones from North Carolina, near Birmingham, Ala., and a very large valuable stone from Lumpkin county, Georgia. Fifth floor: the most beautiful shells of all sizes and kinds, and also very beautiful specimen of coral, in single pieces, and also as a reef. A large case filled with soil about in which could be easily seen legs, feet and skulls of animals brought to The Museum as it was really found. Also large bowls or glass boxes filled with gold-fish.

Historical Notes and Photographs

Tip the Elephant:

From the New York Times: May 8, 1894 The fate of Tip, the "rogue" elephant, who on April 30 tried to kill his keeper, William Snyder, in the elephant house in Central Park, will not be decided until tomorrow, when the attention of the Park Commissioners will be drawn to Tip's murderous propensity.

From the New York Times: May 12, 1894 BIG ELEPHANT TIP DEAD; KILLED WITH POISON. Terrible in His Death Agony, He Burst His Chains, and Was on the Point of Breaking from the Building When He Succumbed -- Took Cyanide of Potassium in Wet Bran -- Had Rejected Poisoned Apples and Carrots –

The big elephant that had been for years the playmate of the children in Central Park, and the terror of Snyder, who was his keeper, was put to death yesterday.

Enthralled monarch of the jungle, largest and most powerful of his herd, an elephantine colossus, he ingloriously died because he trustingly ate a pan of poisoned bran. Behind this bran was the record of having murdered several keepers, the fear and hatred of Snyder, who had had charge of him since first he came to New-York and the death sentence from the Board of Park Commissioners.
Even when Tip’s execution day had dawned there were questions raised whether his life might not be spared; whether so valuable an animal under another keeper might not be made more maneageable.

Tip’s hide and skeleton will be sent to the American Museum of Natural History.