Wichita eagle., 1889-05-02
TRAPPING A GORILLA.
The Ferocity and Strength Of
These Untamable Beasts.

Tho Astonishing Resemblance Of the Big
Apes to tho Natives-An Encounter with
Serious ResuIts-How the Captive Re-
sentsd His Captor's Advances.
About twenty days from the time we 10
Gated the gorillas, writes New York Sun
correspondent, we set our traps one in each
path. The one on the path leading to the
spring was within thirty feet OF the water,
and carefully concealed just below the
surface. A couple Of days later party Of
ten of US set out, and when within mile of
the spring we had reasons to believe that
one of the animals had put foot in the
trap. Yells, roars and screams reached our
ears, and at the distance of half a mile sew
eral small animals passed US in alright
"We have got the big fellow" whispered
my head hunter to me as we pressed for
ward. "We must be very careful now, for
the sight Of US will make him strong to
break away, and he will want all our lives
to pay for the insult"
The powwow grew louder as we neared
the spot, and the cries and walls OF tho
mother and offspring mingled with tho
snarls, growls, barks and roars OF the
father. When we finally crept forward to
spot whonce we could obtain view, we
found the ''old man. fast in the trap by
the right hind leg. The trap was tooth
less one, with the faces Of the jaws covered
with felt, but it was strong enough almost
to hold an elephant. We had to bend down
the springs with levers, and 1T was good
load for two men to carry. The chain at
tached could not have been broken by a
horse, and we had securely fastened it to a
tree. It was well we had, and it was lweli
that the beast had been caught by a hind
leg.
l do not think he had been in the trap
long when we first heard him, perhaps not
over five minutes He was doubtless sur
prised and frightened for time, but by the
time we had reached point where we
could see him his terrible anger was fully
aroused. His mate and offspring stood by,
wailing and growing, and just as we got
settled in our places the female lifted up
the trap and wrenched at it with all her
strength. Then both seized the chain, and
tugged, and pulled, and growled, and
roared but it was no use. What / feared
was that the old fellow might knaw his leg
of, as coons, or muskrats, or beavers will
do when trapped, but he showed no inten-
ton of the sort. Indeed it would have re-
!
ured. For long hour he refused to give in,
biting, leaping and tugging, and another
such picture of ferocity would be hard
to find. He frothed at the mouth exhibited
his great fangs, and his eyes glittered like
diamonds. 1 should have been willing for
the mate and her little one to go, but as
they refused to leave the spot, and as the
natives said that the mother would not hes
toto fn OF
pushed forward my rife and gave her a
bullet, which dropped her dead in her
tracks. The young one Immediately sprang
to the fathers shoulder, and was sitting
there when we advanced. The natives cried
out, as we went forward, to be cautious, but
in their enthusiasm they brought about a
tragedy.
The resemblance Of the big gorilla to a
native was so striking that l paused to
wonder if mistake had not been made.
When he saw US he stood upright, arms
hanging down by his sides, and he looked
far more like human being than some Of
! the negroes in my camp. He was 80 mad
that he did not know what move to make
! first, and as he stood there clots Of foam
| fell upon his breast and down to the earth.
| By and by he seized the young one and
! threw it away. Half a dozen of the men
rushed to seize it, and as it scrambled back
one of the natives pursued it too far. The
gorilla uttered terrible roar, made a saw
age spring, and the native was caught by
the hair. [ was not over twenty feet away,
and saw ali that happened. He was f1ung
down, and the gorilla stopped and gave him
! a blow on the chest which crushed it in. He
| then hit him right and left on the sides of
/ the head, and the man was dead. This did not
sstisfy the monster. He lifted the body up
and literally tore it to pieces, pulling off the
arms as you would pull stick of kindling
wood out of bundle. 1t then seized the
young one by hind leg, and slammed it on
the earth and flung the body away, and
then beat It's breast and roered defiance
at US.
By the advice of the natives decided to
let the old fellow alone for awhile and al
low hunger and thirst to work ON his tenn
per. We made, a temporary camp half q
mile away, and did not go near him again
for two days During the first day he
roared at intervals, but On the afternoon OF
the second he was very quiet. One of the
men went to take a look at him, and report
ed the captive as sitting down. on the trap
and crying with pain Next forenoon we
went out with nets, ropes, moses and
chains, and after long, hard fight
tangled hum up and secured him. When
we sprang the trap of his leg we had his
hind feet shackled together, his fore feet
or arms, secured with chain, two ropes
around his body, and a muzzle over his
jaws. We then bound him to litter, and
carried him to the main camp, where cage
had been made His leg was badly swollen
and he was pretty well beaten out, bu,
three days after we got him into the cage
he was all right, and as mad as ever
sent him down the river and around tc
Zanzibar, and, after months he brought up
in Constantinople, so ferocious and danger
ous that the utmost precaution had to be
taken by those vino came near him. He
was living during the Russo-Turkish war
and one who saw him informed me thai
there was no hope of sweetening his TEN
per or subduing his ferocity.
Pessimism and Optimism.
Pessimsm may be briefly defined as des
spair endowed with personality, says 6
clergyman in the New York Tribune. In
the soul of the pessimisr no sun OF gladnesi