#glocester

Every May 25th the village of Chepachet observes Elephant Day. It is a day of remembrance for Betty the Learned Elephant, also known as ‘Little Bet’, who was shot to death by a group of Masons while crossing the bridge over the Chepachet River.

Sadly, Little Bet was not the first elephant murdered in the village. Her predecessor was Old Bet, one of the first elephants brought to the United States by  Hakaliah Bailey, a distant relative of the James Bailey, one of the founders of the famous Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Old Bet was imported during the early 1800s, when exotic animals began to be a popular attraction in the country. As a big draw, Old Bet’s presence angered religious zealots of the time, who felt the elephant distracted citizens from their prayers and service to the church. In 1816 one of those zealots shot and killed Old Bet while the elephant was allegedly crossing his property.

Little Bet replaced Old Bet, and traveled from the Carolinas to Maine performing as Betty the Learned Elephant. In 1826, on her second trip to Chepachet, she was killed by a group of men from the local order of Masons, presumably for the same reason as her predecessor.

If You Endanger Children, We Respond

27 August 2021 Honorable Glocester Town Clerk Jean M. Fecteau Office of the Glocester Town Clerk Glocester Town Hall PO Box B Chepachet, RI  02814 Honorable Clerk Fecteau: Under the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act, §38-2-1 et seq., I am requesting an opportunity to inspect or obtain copies of public records that deal with grant applications. I would like a copy, electronic is…

We Got Your Back

23 August 2021 Commissioner Angelica M. Infante-Green Rhode Island Department of Education 255 Westminster Street Providence, RI  02903 Dear Commissioner Infante-Green: I hope this message finds you well.  After some early mulligans, you have shown true leadership throughout the hardest parts of the pandemic.  History will look upon you favorably. One of the things history will like is you…