The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-02
A Bear Looss In Chicago.

The Chicsgo papers describe the escape of a
bear from butchers stall in that city, in the fol-
lowing terms
At daylight yesterday the market was opened
BY the bury proprietor, who, after assuring him.
self that the bear was alive and doing well, pro.
ceeded to wait upon customers. While engaged
in cutting and slsshiDg, oblivious to ought else
but weights and measures, dollars and cents,
Wustum's attention was Suddenly attracted Oy
series of piercing shrieks and accompanying
growls proceeding from the rear oil the shop
To his horror he discovered that the pear nso
broken loose, and in smelling about Tor some
means of escape, had poked his nose into the
pretty face Of the servant girl who had been
selecting a cabbage from heap on the hoor, and
thinking Of anything else but bears when she felt
the elammy contact on her cheek succession
of terrified shrieks, and then genuine swoon,
and she passed out of the reach OF fright. Not
SO the other occupants Of the shop, who, men
and women alike. on discovering that the bear
had broken loose vanished as rapidly as the width
Of the door would permit
Bruin followed leisurely, his corpulent owner
too terrified himself TO attempt recapture, and,
passing along Eighteenth street, reached Wabash
avenue and turned bis steps Dortnward. 1t was
not until the bear had reached the avenue that he
created the greatest CONSERVATION. Here the tho
roue hfare was crowdad with teams and pedes-
tr;ans and tba scene was indaasribsbsy fudfcrous.
Ths sishs of pfg pack lear is at all times awe
inspiring but when one of these shaggy monsters
makes his unexpected appearance upon crowded
Bruin chose the center of the street, and without
deigning to deviate for anything, or notice the
sensation he was creating trotted straight ahead.
Horses took fright, became manageable and
fed with their load vehicles were overturned, men
TOOK to their heels, boys climbed trees and fences
foolishly forgetting the fact that "shinning up Is
q bears "best holt; +" women, unable to make
| good time at running or good appearance at
| climbing trees, fed into front yards indiscrimi-
nately, and rushed wildly into mansions imploring
| refuge and shelter.
| Ludicrous and laughable-to q person few
blocks distsnt-ss was all this by-play, Infinitely
| more ludcrous was the main performance, in
| which the bear and his master were the only
| actors. Upon recovering from the spasm of ter
ror into which the knight Of the cleayer had been
at first thrown, he at once set about the recovery
of his property, and with that intent gave such
rapid chase as bis elephantne proportions admit
| ted Of. The bear had lead Of about half a
bleck at the start, and the burly butcher went to
| work to overhaul him. Now, bears gait Is pro-
| verbally deceptive: you imagine, by the appear
| ance of his gait, that he is making no time at all
| when, in reality, that stumbling, sidelong swing
| is hard TO overcome. Down the avenue the5
came, both trotting squarely, the bear gaining
and the man beginning to exhibit signs OF ex
| hanstiun; but the latter made mp in pluck wha
| be lacked in muscle, and with food of perspra
ton coursing down his face. stuck to the unever
contest. Fortunately for Wustum, the bear wa
| also fat, and at Congress street had subsidized TO
| slow walk. He was soon overtaken and secured
| and, seemingly abandoning the idea of regsininl
| his native wilds, submitted to be led back to hi
| place Of confinement sadder and wiser, and NJ
doubt perfectly resigned to his gloomy fate sine
| be had achieved great success, which ought &
satisfy bear of moderate ambition, by creating
one Of the greatest furOres in the same space o
| time on record.