Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-11-23
A BICYCLE BUG.
Wonderful Yarns Told About This YsSU-
sious Little Animal.

Here's the latest chronological won
der which threatens TO Guido the kiss
ing bugs career or crime. 1t is told
by a Brooklyn man. Ii IL the bicycle
bug. II furiously attacks wheslmen as
they speed along, even though In 10
doing 1t sacrifices itself, which is evil
dence OF It's diabolical spirit. Three
specimens turned up yesterday on the
Coney Island cycle path, and one OF
them caused the liveliest kind OF q
mixup. The original victim was a man
named Jackson, who wore a black
and white sweater. He was pedaling
along In front OF group of wheelmen,
travelling in a pretty solid phalanx
down the south-bound path, and just
after passing Minden's he gave yell,
let go his handle-bars, clapped his
hands over his eye, and sprawled up
on the path. OF course a dozen other
wheelmen precipitated themselves
over him in a combination cataract
When the mass disentangled itself and
the white sweater again
came to view it's owner was PROSTATE
and still clinging to his eye.
I'm shot" he moaned. Call a doc
tor. Get a policeman"
A hundred other bicyclists dismount
ed and crowded around and III any
one had happened to select man who
looked as If he might have fired the
supposed shot there was material for
a mighty lively chase. But the shoot
Ing theory was spoiled by negro who
had been sitting on a bench nearby.
Dat want no bullet" he explained.
going up to the injured man. 1T was
bug. seen him come droppin' out
o. dat tree an fly right into yo' face.
| think he dropped close to, some
where's"
Immediately an eager search was
begun for the assailant. 1t was found
under Jackson's bicycle, considerably
knocked out of shape, but still wig
Cling. II looked like a June bug, but
was something larger, and had very
hard carapace. Jackson whose eye
was swollen completely closed. wrap
ped the bug up in a piece OF paper and
took II away with him. He declined
to give his address to the mounted po-
hceman who came up to see what the
trouble was about. The attack might
be regarded as blunder on the part
OF the bug rather than a case OF ma
llcious persecution of bicyclists, but a
little later in the afternoon another
insect answering 30 the description OF
this one assaulted q wheelman near
the end of the path, causing him to
fall from his wheel and bark his shin.
lie captured the bug and took it to
Bicycle Joe's, suppostng 1t to be dead.
There he presented II TO the young
lady at the desk. She put II In the
money drawer, and then something
occurred which goes to show that the
insect Is not only murderous, but
thievish as well. The young lady de-
clares that when she next opened the
drawer the supposed deceased emerg-
ed, bearing 81 bill in his powerful
jaws, and that when she snatched the
bill away, ii tiercely battered her face
until she fell to the floor. whereupon
1t flew out of the door and disappear
ed.
The third specimen was captured by
colored instructor connected with
one OF the bicycle academies while lie
was riding through Prospect Park. He
saw 1t making Decline for him, and
attempted to dodge, but 1t caught him
between the eyes and he dropped. On
coming TO himself he looked for the in
sect and found 1t trying to gnaw hole
In his rear tire. 1t is now located in
the immediate vicinity of and surround
Ing pin, and its proprietor says he
VIII send 1t to the museum of Natural
History.-New York Sun.