The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1909-05-05
TRAPPING A GORILLA.
Story Of a Vicious Struggle h
the African Jungle.
AsNET THAT FAILED 70 HOLD.

ne SHARED Monster Broke through
III sMsshsa and Was tho Cause Of
ono Death Before He Was Himself
Killed BY the Attacking Party
Captain Fritz Duquesne, the Bcer
itot hunter, was commissioned by q
GettHan naturalist society to capture
ONE ~ each species Of African quadru.
maha He was entirely successful In
thes work, except that he could obtain
no gorilla Finally a pygmy pointed
OUT q portion Of the dank jungle In
whichsa gorilla had been seen.
The captain Immediately arranged
his camp and laid his plans and made
Preparations to trap the monster and
get him alive II possible, though he
fully realized the danger Of the under
taking.
.T'or four days. said the captain,
1--WE camped In this hotbed Of disease.
Beaters went out In all directions
searching for the gorilla. At last some
deep: wide scratches were found on a
cluster Of vines. On close examination
the unmistakable hair Of the gorilla
was found on broken twig.
After some hours we found the tree
where the gorilla lived We could tell
It by the greasy appearance OF the
bark, made so by the repeated rubbing
Of the gorilla's body. We could tell by
the fresh marks, with sap still wet,
that the animal had recently descended
the tree. The scratches were short
and deep, showing that Il had lifted
itself up and had not slid down. which
wouid have made a long. shallow
scratch.
we spread strong net around the
tree In q circle sloplng upward on the
outer side. Around the top of the net
there were drawn ropes from four di-
rections, held by half dozen natives
hidden In the bush. These were to
bring the top Of the net together ana
thus bag our game.
After waiting some hours the leaves
above rustled and then opened as a
six foot male gorilla descended I'M
suspectingly and entered the trap. !
asignaled, the four ropes were pulled
at once, and we hpd our animal-for
+ a moment. he roared in fury, twist
ing. Jumping and biting the rope into
pieces The natives were pulled about
ike dolls as he tried to reach first one
and then another. The professor jump
( ed about In excitement, trying TO TO-
Gus a camera on the Infatuated animal
.At last the mighty arms of the 60
! rilla broke q hole through the net, and
be tore the rest from him US though
1t were rotten rag. Most of the ra-
lives tied in dismay. The professor
dropped his camera and tried to es-
cape. In moment the gorilla grasp
ed him in its terrible hands.
Il seized my rifle and fired in the
air to frighten the animal. In my po-
sition / could not shoot ut him With
out hitting my friend. For u moment
the gorilla stood still, holding the now
unconscious man as though he were
baby, the brute's lips drawn back
from his glistening teeth.
81 thrust another cartridge In my
rifle. AS did so there was buzz in
the air, and an arrow. shot by a ma
tive, pierced the gorilla's side. A roar
burst from his red throat, and he drop
ped his victim. Like fash, before
II could shoot, native sprang from
the leaYes and, half throwing, half
thrusting, drove an assagai into the
gorillass heart. With a groan the
brute fell dead.
Examining the professor, found
thrk his right arm was broken and
that some of his ribs were crushed into
his lungs. We gave up the effort to
get a live gorilla and, placing the in
jured man in q hammock, carried him
back toward the east coast.
HE died on the road. Out on the
yeidt beside a native village lonely
little slab marked Carl Bloch sticks
up above the grass. 1t is the profess
or's grave. Hunting is not all excit-
ing adventure and laughing victory.
It has Its tears, like other things
Hampton's Magazine.