Alderson Lion WV
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Description: On October 4, 1890, the French & Company's Great Railroad Show, a traveling circus, made its way to Alderson. During their stay in town, an event unfolded as the show's lioness gave birth to three cubs. Faced with a lack of space and time to care for the cubs, Mr. French, the circus proprietor, instructed one of his employees to take the cubs to the river and end their lives. At the river, Susan Bebout, the wife of a local blacksmith, happened to be collecting water and offered to take in the cubs. She decided to keep one of them, naming him French after the circus owner. Mrs. Bebout wrapped him in a red flannel and placed him in a soapbox along with her house cat. While the other lion cubs unfortunately did not survive, French thrived, and by the summer, he weighed over 150 pounds. French, the lion, had a peculiar habit of frequently escaping the Bebout's backyard and wandering the streets of Alderson. Although he approached people silently and unobtrusively, leaning against their thighs and playfully butting them with his head, he did not harm anyone. However, due to complaints from residents, the city council decided to pass an ordinance requiring all lions in town to be kept on a leash. This law remains in effect to this day. Eventually, the Bebout family sold French for $300 to the newly established National Zoological Park in Washington. On September 12, 1891, he became the zoo's first African lion. French quickly became a favorite among the zoo's visitors. In May 1894, he was traded to the Barnum and Bailey Circus, where he likely spent the remainder of his life as one of the captivating attractions of "The Greatest Show on Earth."