The evening times., 1900-07-17
BEAR HUNT IN NEW YORK
A New Bronx Zoo Specimen Causes
Great Excitement.
Pursued by Park Laborers and Po-
RiVer-TVvO Men Bitten During the
ChHse-Bruin Wrecks Lunch
room and Finally Dies Fighting.

NEW YORK, July IA bear hunt fur
nished excitement enough for a hot day at
the Bronx Park Zoo yesterday. big
black bear, just purchased, was being led
into his new prison cage when he escaped
made fine fight against the great odds of
hundred park laborers, score Of police
men, and lot OF other men, all armed
with shotguns, pistols. lassos, and clubs;
bit and scratched two men, swan fifteen
hundred yards up the river in his attempt
TO elude his hunters and finally was stran-
gled TO death before he would give in 10
fifty men with two lassos around his neck.
The two men he placed out of the fray
were the director of the Zoo. Dr. W T
Hornaday, and William Hamilton, a park
employe. Their injuries, bites, and
scratches, not serious, were dressed Snd
they went home.
The bear, an unusually good specimen
valued at about $500. was taken from the
railroad to the park in a cage on a truck
The truck was backed up to the big bear
enclosure, where there were ten other
I bears, and planks were placed from the
end OF the wagon to the entrance to the
placed around the bears s neck. and Murtel
keeper, held the chain. while the bear
was forced to walk the planks One of
the boards slipped and the bear fell to the
ground, his collar slipping of He made a
cash at Murtel. who got out Of the way
and blew MS whistle
The blowing Of a whistle In Bronx Park
Is a signal Of danger and a call FOR i'm
mediate aid. and the park employees ar
ha
scene OF danger In few minutes en-
ployes OF the Zoo and park were running
toward the main road Of the Zoo and The
word was quickly spread that a bear was
loose. Some men got shotguns some
clubs and stones, and a squad OF a dozen
policemen sent by Captain Fitzpatrick. Of
the Bronx Park station, came up with re-
y0lvers.
The bear made down the road. snifHng
the air and increasing his pace as the fresh
air and the sense OF being free impressed
themselves upon him. He easily outpaced
his pUrsuers, snd was soon out Of sight
Half mile down the road Bruin came
70 old Pop CAMS lunch cabin. Il was
hlled with pies, cookies. and candies aud
the bear smelled the prCvender. ,ia ran
into the cabin, while the old proprietor
hastily climbed 20 the roof and shouted
Tor help. The bear deTOureG pies and can
dies almost as II he knew he had little
time before his hunters would be near. and
then, the cabin . wreck made or Cuce
more just as the big crowd with the lassos
and other appgrtenaEces for capturing him
arrived.
The Bronx was within a few feet and
the bear took 20 the water In a few
strokes he showed his swimming qualities
and he turned up the river, padding easily
but pushing himself along at a remarkably
rapid rate Some Of the men got into
CAMS boats. which lay ashore, and rowel
after him, but with two men and four
oars they could not come anywhere near
Bruin, who seemed 10 swim even lazily
The rest Of the crowd ran along the river
bank waiting for a chance TO throw their
lassos. DR.. Hornaday had enectually put
stop TO the use OF firearms on ;he bear
by shouting the order when one man rails
ed his gun TO kill the bear Don't shoot
We want that bear alive, not dead"
People from all about the neighborhood
had heard Of the escaped bear and the
crowd had been greatly augmented. There
were many women and children in the
park. and they became greatly excited One
woman had gone down 10 the river think
ing she was safe there and when she saw
the bear in the water swimming toward
her with a crowd chasing him, Sc FELL in
This increased the excitement hut Po-
hcemen Seebeck and Brown. Of the Bronx
pulled her out.
The bear gave a mile exhibition OF his
splendid swimming powers before he came
10 the Upper Dam. where he had 10 leave
the water and take to the woods Murtel
was near him as he climbed the bank and
he swung a lassO around the bears neck
The bear slung il on with ease and legged
on.
DR.. Hornaday got a lasso around Bruins
q q-rd in rn r,rr~ -lr.a--
him be vas clawed on the right wrist and
left forearm and put out Of the hunt. An
ambulance was sent for and his injuries
dressed The chase meantime was con-
tinued
Up through the woods went the bear,
feeling better for his bath and apparently
ready for long run. But men had sta
toned themselves along the river and he
had not got far away from il when Ham
ilton threw a lasso around his neck As
he felt the tug the bear turned or Hamil-
ton so suddenly that in trying TO back
away Hamilton tripped over a tree trunk
Bruin dashed al him and gave him a vi
cious bite in the right leg just above the
shoe top.
Then ne tried to be off again but The
lassO was dragging. and d crowd of at least
fifty men had seized the long rope and held
or The bear tugged as hard as he could
and though the fifty men dug their heels
in the earth. they could not ger footing
enough for a time TO prevent the bear
Dragging them a short distance. II was
superb effort, but il was bruins last The
men got the purchase they wanted the
moose became tighter. and suddenly the
bear rolled over strangled 70 death.
This was a surprise to the men, and no.
at all what the keepers and DIR. Hornaday
wanted. It had not been the intention to
strangle the bear, but he was dead and
without waiting for orders. two policemen
walked up to the dead animal and emptied
their revolver chambers into his body.
The boar was skinned by an old guide and
his meat cut up and given to the other
animals in the Zoo.
LAWYERS i'm an EncOuufer