Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-01
MEAN sr0RY 4 nIG arAA e.
Butcher John Bierinan Killed Fine Calf
and a Morning Paper Would Have You
Believe it Was a Bear.


Butcher John BierInan Killed a Fine Calf
and Morning Paper Would Have You
Believe it Was Bear.
The story published in morning paper
to the effect that Otto Rct2. d butcher, en-
ployed by the Bierman brothers in South
Wilmington, killed huge bear in the
slaughter house yard Friday afternoon,
an account of which was also telegraphed
to many of the Philadelphia papers, is
about on par with the statement that the
moon is made of green cheese. The story
begins with the statement that "a fight,
the equal of which is not recorded IN the
history of Wilmington, took place yester-
day afternoon in South Wilmington. 1t
was battle between a bear ON one side,
and "a man and dog on the other'
The story then goes on to say how Retz
was terrified by seeing a bear walking de-
liDerately into the slaughter house yard,
sei2ing a dog and throwing it savagely
upon his back, and the next minute the
ferocious animal made leap for the man,
who brought a hammer down upon his
back, and in few minutes the bear lay
dead upon the ground. And this is the
story the author would have you believe is
an actual reality, and that bears can stalk
unmolested into a city slaughter house
unobseryed by any onein search of human
gore.
the grandest fakes recorded in the his
tory of fakedom.
Had not John Bierman killed huge
calf in his slaughter house in South Viii
mington, Friday, this bear story would
never have been written. But Mr.. Bierman
did kill calf, skinned it and placed the
hide i'll the sun to dry One of the work
men remarked that it greatly resembled q
bear skin, and then everybody gathered
around and acknowledged that the re.
semblance was striking indeed. 1t was
then that Butcher RetZ was seized with a
bright idea. 1t was to concoCt the story
that he had killed bear give the story to
morning paper and thereby make his
name immortal for all time to come. as the
man who kills a real live bear with q
wooden hammer can be looked upon in
the light of a hero.
so Retz took the calf hide to the saloon
of p. j. Diamond, at Fifth and Walnut
streets, and sent word to the reporter TO
come down and see the bear skin. He
came, examined the bear skin, listened to
the remarkable story told by Retz, and
proceeded to chronicle it verbatim The
result Is the bear story appeared Saturday
morning in cold type before the residents
OF South Wilmington realized what mar
row escape they had from being gulped
down by this monster of the forest. In
deed, some of the fond mothers began
to anxiously inquire for their little ones
and it was currently reported that more
than one South Wilmington urchin was
among the missing. Of course its disap-
pearance was laid at the door of the bear.
a reporter of The GAZETTE, in order to
ascertain the responsibility for the colossal
bear story made an investigation, next
morning, with view to assuring the public
that II section of Barnum's menagerie had
not been released in South Wilmington
nVNI IF oil III 1.
nocturnal visits from the ferocious wild
beasts
Joseph Bierman of Bierman &c Brother,
was seen at his stall in Second street
market, and with smile referred the re-
porter to the saloon of Patrick Diamond
at Fifth and Walnut streets, where the
alleged bear skin was on exhibition. 4
visit was made to the saloon and skin of
some big black animal was seen hanging
on clothes line i'll tine rear yard. Da-
mond took great pains TO show the re-
porter that the animal had only been
skinned Friday as the hide was fresh
and had just been coated with salt. The
skin was fresh, sure enough, but that did
not convince any one that the hide was
that of bear, although there was re-
semblance. Diamond tried to persuade
the reporter not to go to the slaughter
house under the pretext that Retz could
not talk English, but the reporter went
nevertheless.
Retz told story similar to that which
appeared in a morning paper, when the
reporter laughed and declared the story
was hoax. Retz who by the way, can
speak English said
well, if you don't believe me. you
ihoost go over nit Pat Diamond and he
tell you all about it,"
The next man visited was John Bier
man, one of the owners of the slaughter
house who stuck to the bear story at first
When the reporter told him that some
butcher had probably received dead bear
for the holiday skinned the animal and
sent the hide to Diamond, while he placed
the meat on sale Berman seeing that the
story was improbable, acknowledged that
he had killed i big calf and given the hide
to Diamond. 1t is said that the calf came
from Newport. was thoroughbred Hol-
stein. and that Levy Court Commissioner
Armstrong knows something about the
animal. This is the bear story in nut
she'll