Page 11 - 14 Wabash County Visitors Guide

A posse made up of circus
officials, Wabash Police, and
the sheriff’s departments from
Wabash and Huntington counties
hunted for Modoc over those five
days. Meanwhile, the adventure
attracted headlines in not only the
local newspaper, the Wabash Plain
Dealer, but in newspapers far and
wide across the country. It even
drew the attention of Indiana Gov.
Henry F. Shricker, who joined the
posse and tried to capture Modoc as
she rambled across the countryside.

Modoc was eventually captured
thanks to the services of “Corona”
Ezra Smith, a circus trainer from the
Carolinas.

According to the Modoc’s Market
webpage, “Smith finally lured
Modoc onto her trailer chanting
his elephant ‘mumbo jumbo’ and
dispensing twenty-six loaves of
bread like doggie treats.”

Jacobs reportedly treated the
elephant’s nerves and a cold it had
caught during her adventure with
six quarts of whiskey. It also drank
about thirty gallons of water and ate
continuously throughout the night
in an effort to gain back the 800-plus
pounds it lost on its journey.

Known as “The Lion King,”
Jacobs was born in Grant County
and worked for 16 different circuses
over his 40-year career, including
the Ringing Brothers – Barnum
and Bailey Circus. He also owned
his own circus for a point. Jacobs
died on Dec. 24, 1958, at his home
in Twelve Mile, Ind. He is buried in
Wabash’s Falls Cemetery.

Travel Tip

In the market for some

freshly ground coffee?

Modoc’s Market grinds locally

roasted coffee for FREE!

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