The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-10-02
AN ALLIGATOR HUNT.

Few people who have visited Zoo
have ever been fortunate enough to wit
ness an alligator hunt. A STAR report
er was among the chosen few to partake
of this grand sport, the other day, At a
z 90, not q thousand miles distant from
Cincinnati. Alligators are not hunted
like buffaloes, nor like prairie chic kens
but when one happens to get loose in the
lake Of q Zoo Zoo, or duck pond, the
keeper, some renowned Egyptian or
other, who has spent lifetime In hunt
ing alligators in the desert of Sahara,
sent out by some alligator boot and shoe
house, gets a rope, ties good nine
pound roast to one end, amt one of his
assistants to the other. The reporters,
III any happen to be present, possess
themselves Of long sticks. and wade
around up to their shoe tops In water,
flUurishing the stick ever now and then
and haliooing, ''hl lniW
But to the present ins tance the crowd,
|oonsisting Of the keeper, board of direc-
tors, beast tanners and several small
boys, who had crawled under the fence,
with the reporter bringing up in the rear,
marched single file through the gateway
In the wicker fence and down to the
margin OF The lake. The crowd was sew
orally stationed around the banks Of the
pond, and directed to toss In gravel
stones. The meat was then thrown In.
Spl ash, splash, as the gravels struck
+ he water, but no alligator. Somebody
suggested that he must have heard of II
some how. We replied that we thought
lit very likely he had.
A shout came from the other side OF
the pond; some one had discovered him
lying near a clump of logs, his nose just
Visible above, the water. Ali parties
hastened on tip-tue in breathless silence
rhe Keeper dahgled the juicy roast oven
his nose; she couldn't see it," He then
rubbed ii geutly over his-what
FLOP, splash, it was not his nose, but his
Jam So much for the keeper of the ALI
gators. Probably he might know
Tie difference between a hawk and {
nand saw.
| The course taken by the monster was
markell by the ripples in the water; W.
lollo wed 10 the other side OF the pond
Again the meat was offered; it Was ac
cepted, snap, jerk, and over goes th,
keeper sprawiing In the waLer. Al
thouXuts OF the alligator vanished
| hcbCuCI paw his GSy pLldh
All hands grabbed at MIN, and the re
porter hallooed, "hiI nj" Never mine
the wet clothes, Nomad from the
Sahara should be used 10 wet. ''Pui
in on the lineP' We pulled. SLOWLY
a snout appears above The water. W.
lnaYe him. No! He opens his mouth
iets 70 the meat, and slides back gs,.ce
iulIy into the water. Even the monkey
keeper said d--n 1t. Again he grabs th,
meat, a lasso is thrown over his head, al
jerk ut the rope, and he comes in an ALI
gator trot, tuli breasted, at the crow d
The crowd dispersed, The reporter es
peciaIly, in several directions, and hi
shouts VI "hil bill r. were noticeably trem
uIous. AS he clambered UP the bank
that 10 the alligator, some one shouted
now you've gOt1im, put salt on his tail
A premium was offered for the detection
of that man. Then U voice came from
over the fence, ''lf one ass can whip
honess, how naay will it lake to catci
an alligatorp Another voice, ave Civ
it upl" The mention OF the noble litLl
donkey, whose image had sat In th
FOurth-street windows, Wreathed will
laurels, inspired the crowd. The rop
was grasped, all started on u run, jump
bounce and away, tearing up grass an,
weeds in the flight, scattering gravel ol
the new made roads, never pausing til
the doors ol the buffalo house were bolte
and barred upon his beastship. Thei
the reporter wiped his brow, fainJl
lmurmured "hl hip and thanked hi
stars that it was SO.