Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-09
A Great Bird Gone.
From the New York Sun.

rom tue New Iork Sun.
Capt. Caleb Cronkman, an old and
highly respected resident Of the Twenty
second Ward, owned, until lately. a gi-
gantic ostrich, that was as neutrality-suspicious.
in the REGION as himself. The great bird
disappeared about three weeks ago, and
yesterday a San reporter asked the Cap
tain where it was. The Captain said that
he received on Friday the following dis
patch from his trainer in Hoboken:
The ostrich is dead.
"One morning in June" the Captain
continued, II was aroused by a peculiar
cracking sound at my door, and I dis
covered in the hall gigantic ostrich
which had just bitten off my door knob
and was at that moment devouriDg it.
With the aid of some of the gentlemen in
the house secured the bird and turned
it into the back yard. The next morning
an advertisement appeared offering re-
ward for the ostrich, which had escaped
from a menagerie: I was so charmed
with the birds unique endeavor to satisfy
its appetite that I bought it, and got it
cheap by turning over the reward in part
payment.
II occupied the real.room on the Sec
ond floor, with window opening on the
roof of the extension. put up fence
around the roof, and thus made nice pen
for the ostrich, and for some days I gave
glazier constant employment in restor-
ing the window glass that the ostrich
had eaten out. Finally I settled this both
er by planking up the windows and there.
after the only trouble the ostrich gave
me was when he took advantage of the
carelessness of some gentlemen who had
left the bathroom window open. On
such occasions the ostrich would slip
down into the room and eat few plates
and tumblers; but, as rule, he got
enough from the fragments of broken
crockery and glassware which the house
afforded, with now and then junk X bot
tie SALAD, or dish of crooked nails as
delicacy.
But one day, about three weeks ago, he
crept down into the dining room, and
remained there undisturbed for longer
time than usual, and before it was dis
covered he had cleared one table of
crockery, glassware, knives and forks,
spoons, .castors and all, and finished up
by swallowing the tablecloth. Notwith-
standing the great quantity and the
nourishing quality of the food taken, be
seemed to pine away from that meal for
wald, and about two weeks ago 1 had
him taken over to my Hob oxen farm,
thinking that change Of air ans scene
might be beneficial. Still he grew worse,
and finally about week ago, I bought
out hardware store on Union Hill and
turned the bird into it, hoping that the
sight of all the hardware on the shelves,
with the privilege of eating whatever
pleased his fancy, might brace him up.
But, in spite of all these efforts, he faded
and died, as set forth in tine brief tele-
gram which I read to you.
''We ran him through a stone crusher,
and found in him about two barrels OF
iron, stone and glass, and, last of all, that
table-cloth which was the real cause of
his death. The wonderful machinery
which could crush a stone jug like an
egg-sEell was overcome by that paltry
table-cloth, which had got SO twisted and
wedged among the cogs and bearings
that the apparatus could work no longer
and doubtless life was burden until he
died."