Harris Nickel Plate Shows in United States

Harris Nickel Plate Shows

Type	circus

Owner	1887-1902: William Harris
Founded	1887
Closed down	1902
Country	United States

Directors

Key People	-1896: Frank Scott (animal trainer)

Veterinarians

Elephant department

Head keepers of elephants	-1895: Bernard Shea (elephant trainer) -1902: Bernard Shea (elephant trainer) -1902: Bernard Shea (elephant trainer) -1902: James "Whiskey Red" O'Rourke (elephant trainer)

Elephant keepers
Record history
History of updates	2025-03-23: poster, news article

Latest document update	2025-03-23 13:11:11

Description

Harris Nickel Plate Shows, United States , was founded in 1887. Harris Nickel Plate Shows closed down in 1902.

Casualties

3 casualties

1885: elephant trainer Bernard Shea attacked by Empress (Gypsy). Shea rode Gypsy to a stream so she could cool herself. There, Gypsy’s Trunk grabbed Shea and shoved him underwater. Bernard Shea Survived. Wriggling free, Shea subdued Gypsy in a “brutal” manner, which Johnston does not detail. “Shea quit the show after this incident, knowing it was only a matter of time before (Gypsy) would kill him.”
1896: animal trainer Frank Scott fatal attack by Empress (Gypsy). Bernard Shea was away and animal handler Frank Scott ignored warnings to leave Gypsy alone. He exercised her. Scott climbed onto Gypsy’s back and sat on her head, the usual custom for riding an elephant. Riding down an alley, “Gypsy caught (Scott) with her Trunk and hurled him to the ground,” according to the Johnston article. “Using her front Feet, she stomped the life out of him. † Frank Scott Died 1896, Harris Nickel Plate Shows Circus winter quarters, Chicago. Shea was contacted at once. He hurried back to the show to be greeted by Gypsy with happy snorting and trumpeting. But Gypsy’s love for trainer Bernard Shea was a temperamental one.
1902-11-22: elephant trainer James "Whiskey Red" O'Rourke fatal attack by Empress (Gypsy). Gypsy abruptly stopped and O’Rourke fell to the cobble-stoned street. “For a long while, O’Rourke lay on the street under the huge elephant’s Trunk. He failed to get up. (Gypsy) hesitated to lift him back to her head,” according to The Times. “Then, slowly, deliberately, the mammoth beast kneeled down over O’Rourke and crushed his body. She then rolled the limp body along with her Trunk and Tusks for some 50 yards. † James "Whiskey Red" O'Rourke Died 1902-11-22, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia. Police Chief Dampier went home to fetch his Krag-Jorgensen rifle, which he had carried in the Spanish-American War, according to most accounts, and shot her dead at Cherry Creek.

Comments / picturesFounded by William Harris of Cooksville, Canada.

References for records about Harris Nickel Plate Shows

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan (2025). Harris Nickel Plate Shows, Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=798. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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