Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-12-08
A Ferocious Bear Fight.

panlOn or cOnnuentlal friend.
A Ferocious Bear Fight.
In the western pit great, savage,
old cinnamon bear was in company
with five black bears, all about the
same age-two-thirds grown-twen-
ty months old. Uncle John Robin
son presented this bear to the Garden
and he says it is cinnamon bear,
one of the most ferocious species
next to the grizzly. When with the
show he was troublesome, and it was
always found necessary to keep him
chained in the cage. Be it said to
the big cinnamon's credit that he
lived for year with the five little
bears on terms of intimacy and good
fellowship. But the little ones were
grown into almost full-sized bears,
rivals of old Cinnamon, as we shall
call him. It's SUI posed that visitors
threw food into the pit, and that the
little ones being nimbler than old
Cinnamon, got more than he did, and
this excited his jealousy. Be this SO
or otherwise, at five O'Clock yester-
day afternoon old Cinnamon mount
ed the most active Of the little bears
and then commenced a fight such as
human eyes seldom look upon.
Two Of the four other bears climed
the snag OF tree set up in the pit, a
third climed up the iron gate, and
the fourth paced around the pit in a
tremor of terror. The noise of the
conflict drew crowd to the scene,
many of whom were ladies. The lat
ter frequently turned away from the
scene, but, drawn by some overpow-
ering force, returned to it again.
Cinnamon's style of fighting was to
seize his adversary by the throat, just
back of the ear and quartering under
the jaw, close upon him like a steel
trap and hold him down, shaking
him occasionally with short shakes,
but always bearing down and hold
ing fast. The little one, which was
only half or two-thirds the weight of
his assailant, shrieked human-like.
At first his cries were appalling, like
the words "Take care take care -
but they soon faded into succession
of hoarse, gurgling sounds, half sigh
and half shrek. At first the keeper,
Mr.. John Nordheim, tried the effect
of punching with a pole to make
bruin quit his hold, but it was no 90.
He next threw a lot of fresh fish
right under his nose, but the bait did
not take; then the water was thrown
on him-a big stream from a hose.
The little, lacerated black got up and
made circles around the cage, shrek
ing and crying at a terrible rate,
while the bear on the cage bars and
the two perched on the tree, shook
like blown leaves, as if fearing their
turn would come next. The little
one, though, that had stood on the
floor a looker-on all the while, crouch.
ed in the corner, half in defiance and
half in fear. Old Cinnamon eat his
fish, and then returned to the little
bear. The little fellow jumped into
the pool, and old Cinnamon pounced
on him to drown him, as the spccta-
tors feared. Again the hose was ap-
piled. Old Cinnamon did not seem
to mind it. He tugged little blacky
out of the pool and commenced
chewing him up.
At this moment John Nordheim
bolted into the den, armed with a
long-handled, heavy spade. "Oh
don't 60 in," shouted men, and
, shrieked women, but he had passed
the portals. Thud, thud, thud- three
thuds of the shovel on bruins head
released little blacky, but turned
Cinnamon on brave John Nordheim
who had nothing but spade
Thud, thud-down went Cinnamon
and up he got again and staggered
close to little blacky, and opened the
fight again. Thud, thud, thud
thick and heavy tell the blows on
old Cinnamon's skull. The old
beast loosened his hold and ran into
the dungeon next to the pit. "Un
lock that gate,'' shouted Nordheim
to Mr.. Tenner, "and will lock ur
for good now" Mr.. Tenner obeyed
and Nordheim shut the door.
Once the door was securely shut
it was amusing to see the four fright
ened, but unhurt bears leave theil
posts and strut up to that door, then
stride around the cage after the style
of Nose, as much as to say, "Won''
some body please knock chip off my
shoulder?" Around and around
they marched, returning to the door
smelling it, feeling it cautiously, and
rearing up against it, as if to make
sure that all was safe, then strutting
off Falstaff:likc, when the danger
was gone Cincinnati Enquirer.
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