Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-03-07
A Very Bloodthirsty Bear.

been priding itself because it has bear.
Now there is a growing conviction it is
the other way and that the bear has
Glen Cove. The bear has had a great
deal the best of the fun so far The
number Of those who have seen, heard,
or been chased by the bloodthirsty ami
NAL is growing with such rapidity that
if the population increased half as fast
Glen Cove would be city next week.
Some recent acts of lawlessness laid at
the bears door are the killing of Benz.
Patrick 5 calf, the eating of John Nc
Alooas pigs. the destruction of Pat
Hurley's bulldog. the remains of which,
consisting of its tail and collar, were
found Saturday in Dosoris lane. and the
pursuit of Thomas Dunlop.
Dunlop, who lays claim to being the
champion runner Of Queens county,
met the bear on Friday night in Dosoris
lane. Bruin became demonstrative
and Dunlop ran for six minutes, when
he reached Foss's saloon. As for
Hurley, the owner of the dog, he left
town the next day and said that the
town wasn't big enough for him and
the bear both, and that he wouldn't
come back until the bear was killed.
4 council was held on Friday even
ing, and it was decided that the bear
must be hunted Immediately a party
of sixteen started out armed with all
kinds of weapons, from barrel slaves to
blunderbusses. The party beat the
woods about East Island, q swampy
district thickly wooded, and started up
two red foxes and a coon, whereupon
they climbed trees, all but Griffin Scott,
a colored man, and Derby Hall, who
weighs 24O pounds. When the coon
started Scott dropped his gun and both
barrels were discharged, the shot sitting
through the luXuriant whiskers of Will
liam Bonar, who hadn't got very far up
his tree. With a frightful yell BoDar
dropped. Scott then fell down in
snow bank and Hall came down and fell
over him. Supposing that he was in the
clutches of bruin, Scott gave vent to
such ear-splitting howls that two more
of the party got scared and fell out of
their trees. This history is gathered
from yeracious Glen Covers. Finally,
having discovered that Hall and Scott
were not eaten up, and that Bonar
hadn't been injured by the shot, the
party proceeded, dividing up into
threes, but taking good care not to sep
arate very widely.
Presently they saw ahead of them a
dark object in the snow. Scott and
Hall this time selected the same tree
as basis of operation, and fought for
its possession The others scattered
in all directions, except Dave Burns,
who, after careful inspection of the
dark object, advanced, amid the awe
struck silence of the tree climbers, and
discovered the tattered remnants of
calf Here was evidence that bruin
had been doing his murderous work,
for the remains were those of newly
killed animal. The party collected
some bones and skin and proceeded
homeward, having added one more
charge to the indictment against the
bear.
The most serious charge yet made
against the animal, however, is that
made by Robert Hyde, who on Satur-
day night walked home from choir
practice at the Catholic Church with
Annie Murray the pretty organist.
Robert had been singing his favorite
air, The Pardon Came Too Late, +"
when the bear made his appearance.
Robert and Annie did not stop until
the reached home.
Bruin, after following them short
distance, turned about and met Gilda
Fo,s and John Murray, also coming
home from church. People who lived
half q mile distant heard Sc
ries of soprano and baritone yells
ringing through the air, and about two
minutes later Gilda and John arrived
frightened and spccchless. The next
| person to see the bear was Griffin Scott's
father, an old colored man. ''Scottv"
was travelling along Dosoris lane, with
q knife in one hand and a club in the
other, when he saw the bear approach
ing. Scotty had just time to throw his
club at the bear and flourish his knife
when the animal was almost upon him.
He gave ole howl, dropped the knife.
and never stopped running until he
reached Foss's saloon.
The last act of bruin on Saturday
night was to eat q dozen chickens on
Mr.. Tappen's farm. Sunday morning
a reporter from q New York morning
newspaper arrived at Glen Cove and
went to Dosoris lane with Dave Burns
to see if there really was Il bear there.
Burns went into house to get light
for his pipe, and when he came back
the reporter was up tree. from which
ne was with difficulty persuaded TO de-
scend.
He explained that he had seen what
looked like bear up the road and had
climbed the tree TO get better view.
Several others saw the bear Sunday.
The Glen Covers say that they are go
ing to kill the bear if they have to get
the Governor to call out the militia.
For Ovor Eiffy ya,rs