New-York tribune., 1901-12-17
BEAR TRACKS, BUT NO BEAR
HIS FOOTPRINTS INDELIBLY MARKED
ON THE SIDEWALK, BUT NO
ONE SEES HIM.
ONE SEES HIN

This is written, not to instill fear and distress
in the hearts of the people. but rather to place
them on their guard should they be suddenly
confronted with dire extremity such is here
related
There seems to be abroad, somewhere in the
streets and squares of the city, beast that IS
neither lion. wolf monkey nor rhinoceros. Nor
is 1t a tiger. Unless .he eye of the writer.
trained by days of pathfnding in Western
woods. fails him, there is or was not many
sunrises past. a bear stalking down. and around
the town The wanderer cid not come from
The Bronx Gardens. for there wild animals are
numbered and tagged. and no numbers or tags
gone He did not escape from penniless
itinerant who might have caused him to dance
to the tune of a frayed violin. for none such
have been about for a decade or more. The
last seen of light footed bears of this class were
those which frequented the southern end of
Central Park in the early nineties Of the century
which has just joined its forebears.
Where is the proof. the testimony, that such
beast is still abroad: Here IS the evidence
and who will gainsay that, a priori. at least. II
is irrefragable?
At Sixth-ave. and Forteth-st.-On the south
eastern corner. Just across from Bryant Park
the following facts may be collected: One hun
dred and twenty inches due west from the
eastern curb Of the avenue and III inches south
from the curb OF the street, not 50 close TO the
uoral's guard could march by fours between II
and the building. lies this proof. There In tne
sidewalk as plainly stamped. as lndeuD!
marked and affixed is 4 new struck doliar
with an eagle IS the footprint OF sturay'
round paunched bear. Lean over II, eye IL from
Tins side or that drop your knees to the stone
and the print yields up none OF It's assertlEe-
ness Rather It gains in diStlnctheSS oy thIS
process. -, IT,, po,,o1
Three years ago the flames of the Hotel Royal
c-ocI,Ied over the spot. So the print has peeh
slammed since then. Perhaps four months ago
the tall BRYANT Studio Building was nnlsheu
and a new sidewalk laid The print mas peeh
TJoce9 there since those walls were reared
So look well to the safety of friends ana al
who fear for the beasts of the dark canyons. a
,,ound of prevention is worth a ton or cure-ilI
a hosDital Should the bear be OF vicious Oh
even a loving temperament. and the readtr en-
counter him on a black night when the chIll ot
the wind forces the head low, hlSh DECREE ~
arc should be exercised by the reader S~houlu ~
he nv Good fortune survive the shock OF thal
nraseine hour he would have redress Inc ldM
fsI,Cnrat tbfzes with those who meet bears LOT u
IeIa said in respect to injuries by beasts tISI Ii
- ..tbe owner have notice of the qualty OF ms
aniroaI and il doth anybody hurt, he Is cnarge-
able with action on IL -, t+ common
But what is even more to the point S0Ill'nol I'm non
sanee rather than common law should pe ap
1Iiad in this emergency. Who has seen n'1 tiT
feor9 No one perhaps. Maybe no one W. NJ
80 eee tnis particular Bruin. And yet MS
track lies deep and distinct in the concrete dS
Safora faithfuily and accurately described.