The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1877-12-26
Wrestling With a Bear.

4 Il
Athletic Hall, TOP Prince Street, was
crowded to its utmost limits last night,
the attraction being a wrestling match
by Wilhelm Heygster and the two train
ed bears belong to the London Circus.
Prior to the event of the evening there
was a Graco-Roman wrestling match be-
tween Murant and Jonaris, two powerful
athletes, who wriggled and squirmed
about the stage for nearly twenty min
uies. Jonaris, who seemed to- have great
er strength than his opponent, won two
falls out of three.
Then Emil Reignier showed his strength
by putting up weights, lifting men, and
catching cannon balls weighing fifty-s
pounds that were thrown to him from
distance of seven or eight feet. After
four trials he raised, or "put up 900
pounds. His great feat was supporting
800 pounds of iron on his extended arm.
To place the weight in position required
the assistance Of four men. The bung-
ling Of one Of these caused two failures
and the weights fell to the stage, smash
ing chair as they fell. Losing ali pa
tience, Reigner darted at his clumsy as
sistant and dealt him blow straight
from the shoulder, which sent the man
spinning across the stage. This delighted
the audience, and the pugilistic Profess
or was loudly cheered. At the fourth at
tempt the weights were successfully
lifted.
While the cannon balls were rolling and
the heavy weights crashing on the stage,
the arrival of the bears was announced.
The stage Of Athletic Hall is small, and
the entrance from the rear is strictly pro-
portioned to it. Thus when some one
called out in French, "Open the door
for the BEARS" there was no little COM
motion among the employees. Before the
bears could be admitted It was necessary
to tear down some Of the side scenery. Il.
The bears are brown and gray, the
former being the stronger and heavier
As they reached the stage the band "a
harp and two tiddles, oxecrably out
tune) struck up lively waltz, and the
brown bear began clumsy Edance. The
gray sat quietly on his launches aud
licked his chops. Both were muzzled
After short time Heygster. whose sport
ing little is & tIifc Oak of tho, Rhine,
jumped upon the stage in full wrestling
costume. He is q large, heavy man
with arms as big as an ordinary mans
leg.
He was backed to wrestle the brown
bear, but the latter seemed rather inclin
ed to dance than to wrcstle, and kept thu
| house in roar with his antics. Finally
| however, he stood upon his hind legs, anc
| cautiously guarded against the efforts Of
| HeYgster&to get an under hold, Heygstel
| got his arms around Bruins neck, bu1
| the latter with one paw over the mans
shoulder and The other pressed around
| his waist, had by far the best of the grip
AS Heygster exerted his immense strength
in the effort to gain fall, Bruin warily
placed himself on his hind legs, watching
1 every movement intently, and thus fol
two or three minutes the WrestIars moved
from side to side Of the stage. Heygste1
tried to change his grip, but as he did So
the bear got both paws around him an6
4 gave him hug such as none but strong
man could have endured. At length
4 Heygster released himself and retired t,
/ the other side Of the stage, putting ane
blowing like q porpoise After this Ii
Iclinched the bear a second and a thirt
4 time, narrowly escaping fall on eacl
occasion; but when time was called for
i fourth round he declined to toe th
i mark. He was little scratched, but no
/ otherwise injured. III 4 !.
Reignier, the strong man then clinche,
i with the gray bear the brown bear mean
time dancing a clumsy war dance in th
corner. The first bout between Reignie