The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-05-08

very much If anything could friehten
her proud spirit. Two seasons apo
We we're making Sunday run from
Reno, New, to Marysville, Cal.
When in the very heart Of the snow
sheds In the high Sierras and about q
mile from summit, a cage projecting
over the ends Of the car caught In The
beam Of the tunnel and before the
train could be stopped an entire fiat
car containing dens and cages, we're
swept from the train, still the Jar
was not sufficient to awaken undue
alarm, it was thought that Just the
step Of the car had been swept away.
ARRIVING at the Summit, c. /.
Norris ran up ahead to see the extent
Of the damage and discovered what
serious wreck we had. The dens con-
tanning "Bake," three big Siberian
bears, den of snakes, pythons, bulls,
ETC., cage Of monkeys, etc, were miss
ing. We Immediately made up 9
wreeking crew and with our engine
started down the mountain side. We
soon came across evidence of the
wrecked cages. The three bears we're
practically devoured and they bore the
marks of the tigress. The snakes
were all dead from the cold and the
monkeys chartered to US from the
rafters of the snow sheds. We knew
Babe could not be very far away.
Herbert Rumley advanced through an
opening in tie snow sheds and came
directly upon Babe sitting upon her
launches In the snow. He contin-
ued to advance, firing his pistol, but
instead of retreating, Babe came for
ward to meet him and Rumley
promptly tore for a tree. We dis.
cussed the situation and decided to
bring the shifting den to the foot Of
the tree, pass rope through the den
and place the other end of the rope
in the hands of Rumley, stationed in
the tree top. Animals are curious
and will often initiate mems actions.
Babe calmly surveyed us at our prep
aratiOns and when we began march-
ing around the foot Of the tree, she
followed. AS said, lost all fear
of the brute, thinking she was merely
playful and would harm no one. IL
she thought they we're not afraid.
She followed me sinRly with her eyes,
as she always did in the menagerie.
ITO the others she appeared in
different and l, thinking she was still
playful and knowing she was surfeit-
ed with bear meat and did not like
the0cold under her feet, started to
walk nearer the tree, l had my back
to her for a minute and carried my
repeating rife in my left hand, when
the boy told me afterward there was
streak of tawDy yellow and black
fash through the air and the next
moment Babe had me pinioned under
her. My arm containing the gun was
forced under my body and useless.
felt her hot breath on my face and
AOE Tue uTSb tlhc AuAb CuuPACtS AGAA
of the brute. Joe Geisler was near
est to Babe and though hated to sac
rifice her life, the frightful sense of
fear just left me breath enough to
call to Joe to shoot and kill. l felt
that the next instant would see me
dead, when a sound like a cannon
burst into my ears and the weight
from the body was removed. Mr..
Geisler put two bullets Mot the body
of Babe She scampered down the
mountain side. They captured heI
by eDticing her to the door Of the
shifting den with big piece Of raw
meat ana Rumley threw the noos'
over her head and shoulders and Il
was the work of a second to pull bel
into the cage. She moped around
week or ten day, evidently digestinI
the bullet from Joe's gun, but q
show the Wonderful istrengthi and vi
tality ofithe beast, you can Lsees AhoV
Il Il