Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-17
BEAR HUNT IN BRONX PARK
DIR. HoRxADAY AND d LABoRER
HURT IN THE CHASE.
Bruin Helps Himself TO Lunch Room
stock, Take. IA s%%im and
Die. FightMas.
The New York Tribune DIT today

The New York Tribune Of today says:
A bear hunt furnished excitement enough
for hot day at the Bronx Park Zoo yes
| terday big black bear, Just purchased,
| was being led into his new prison cage when
he escaped. made a fine fight against the
great odds of hundred park laborers, a
score of policemen and a lot Of other men,
all armed with shotguns. pistols. lassos and
clubs: bit and scratched two men, swan
100 yards up the river in his attempt to
eIude his hunters and finally was strangled
to death before he would give in to 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, park employee
Their injuries. bites and scratches, not seri-
Gus, were dressed, and they went home.
Fine Specimen of Bear Kind.
The bear. an unusually good specimen. val
ued a about $780, was taken from the rail-
road to the park In cage on truck. The
truck was backed IN to the big bear in
closure, where there We're ten other BEARS
and planks were placed from the end of the
wagon to the entrance to the cage. A collar
and heavy chain had been placed around
the bears neck. and Murte;. a keeper. held
the chain while the bear was forced to
walk the planks. One of the boards slipped
slipping off He made a dash at Murtel
who got out of the way and blew his whis-
tie.
The blowing of a whistle in Bronx Park Is
signal of danger and a call for immediate
aid. and the park employees at once pass the
signal on and rush to the scene of danger
In few minutes employees of the Zoo and
park were running toward the main road
OF the Zoo, and the word was quickly
spread that 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 revolvers.
Stops for Luncheon ON the wax
The bear made down the road, shifting
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, and was soon out of sight
Half a mile Gown the road bruin came to
old Pop CAMS lunch cabin. 1t was filed
with pies, cookies and candies and the bear
melled the provender. He ran into the
cabin, while the old proprietor hastily
climbed to the roof and shouted for help
The bear devoured pies and candies almost
as if he knew he had little time before his
hunters would be near. and then the cabin
wreck, made off once more Just as the
big crowd with lassos and other appurte-
nances for capturing him, arrived
The Bronx was within "a few feet and the
bear took to the water. In Il few strokes
he showed his swimming. qualities and he
turned up the river. padding easily. but
pushing himself along at d remarkably
rapid rate. Some of tho ulen got into
CAMS boats, which lay ashore, and rowed
after him. but with two, men and four oars
they could not come anywhere near bruin
who seemed to swim even lazily. The resi-
OF the crowd ran along the river bank wait
ing tor chance to throw their lassos DR.
Hornaday had effectually put a stop to the
IN NOR h,,. Oh, /.
crder when one man raised his gun to kill
the bear. "a
Don't shoot. We want that bear alive
not dead
People from all about the. ncighborhood
had heard OF the escaped bear and the
crowd had been greatly augmented There
were many women and children in the
park, ana they became greatly excited. One
woman mad gone down to the river thinking
she was safe there. and when she saw the
bear IN the water swimming toward her
VIII crowd chasing him, she fell in. This
raised the excitement many degrees. but
Policemen Seebeck and Brown of the Bronx
fark station were near her and pulled her
out
The bear gave a mile exhibition of his
splendid swimming powers before he came
70 the upper dam. where he had to leave
tie water and take to the woods MurteI
YVES near him as he climbed the bank and
ne swung a lasso around the bears neck
The bear slung 1t off with ease and logged
Comes to an IgnOminious End
DR. Hornaday got lasso around bruins
neck also. and in trying to put another on
him he was 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
mad not got far away from it when Hamil-
ton threw lasso around ihis neck As he
Ielt the tug the bear turned on Hamilton
so suddenly that In trying to hack away
Hamilton tripped over tree trunk Bruin
dashed at him and gave him a vicious bite
in the right leg just above the shoetop
Ihen he tried to be off again, but the
l lasso was dragging and a crowd of at
least fifty men had seized the long rope and
heid on The bear tugged as hard as he
could and though the fifty men dug their
heels in the earth they could not get foot
ing enough for a time to prevent the bear
dragging them a short distance It was
superb effort. but it was bruins last The
men got the purchase they wanted. the
moose became tighter and suddenly the bear
rolled over strangled to death.
Ihis was a surprise to the men and not
at all what the keepers and DR.. Hornaday
wanted 1t 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 bear was skinned by an old guide and
his meat cut up and given to the other
animals in the Zoo.
KILLED AT GAITHERsBURG.