New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-24
BEAR SCARES CHURCH
GOERS At CONEY ISLAND
BedeIia, a Theatrical Female,
Gives a Performance Not
on the Programme.
PATROL MAN LASSOES HER
Manager of the Troupe We'll
comes Her Back in Time to
Avoid Disappointing Audi
ence, and Church Pa
rade Is Resumed.

The usual sunday quiet OF COneN Island
was broken yesterday morning Just as the
church bells were calling worshippers 70
service by the appearance upon the Ocean
boulevard and the Boardwalk Of a great
big bear.
Pretty soon everybody on the island ex-
ccpt a few policemen and other brave souls
were running about. thinking OF the fate
that overlook tho little children who
Knocked the gravheard-uerhlps you Will
remember that two she bears had a rather
full meal 10y eating forty little children
And this was a she bear. Bed"lla 10y name,
a member ~ troupe u performing ami
mails that last night closed an engagement
az IN" New Brighton Theatre. Consequent
~. this IS not a press agent story, but a
chronicle of facts
Thomas Apdalo. owner Of the troupe, was
I'm his dressing room getting into those
tight hitting soldierly looking clothes that
all animal trainers wear In public. and
Miss R,dclia was up ON the stage await
Ing her turn. She Was fastened to 4 hit
~ scenery Dos % rope, and not having a
bit 10 champ IN her impotence, spent her
time gnawing at the fastening Pretty
soon sh" was free TO 90 her way, and
saunter.d 10 the stage door 10 see II there
were any Johnnies out there. There was
no one 10 offer a MONDAY lunch so Bedelia
grew more brave. and stepped out INTO
the broad daylight She struck Ocean
Boulevard when the tide Of the ohuro hgoing
throng was at its height. and soon the
boulevard as far as the eye could reach
was deserted Prayer books We're dropped
into the street as the worshippers flew TO
places 81 safety. whore they could md
something tall with a collar Of suds on top
or something warm that was made in
Eentucky or Scotland, or Ireland.
Automobiles turned in their fright and
went the other way. but there was one
brave man In a blue uniform, sitting astride
a horse-non other than Edward Cody
mounted patrolmau. one-time cowboy. big
game hunter and soldier OF fortune cody
is related To that other former plainsman
and scout Colonel William cody. other
wise known 10 small bows. their fathers
and the crowned heads Of Europe as Buff
falo Bill" both being descended from a
common ancestor, one Adam Cody, who was
an apple gathorer in the Garden OF Eden
cody set out after Bedclia-not on horse
back but afoot Bcdelia. just 20 show she
could run. picked up her heels and gall
Ioped up the boulevard II is a fact well
known to hunters Of big game that bears
tire out their prey by running away from
II until the quarry is exhausted. and then
swooping down upon 1t while in an ex-
hausted condition. Nevertheless. Cody did
not quail
The chase led some four blocks. all Of
which Bcdclia and the patrolman had 10
themselves as fast AZ the previous Cccu-
pants Of sidewalk space could vacato the
premises Then Bedeha led the way toward
the surf. where fathers and mothers and
little children wero bathing I'm tho sun
while others sported in the breakers that
tumbled upon the sands. The bathers felt
fairly secure IN tho water. but those ashore
aid not.
Women In their Sunday-go- to- G. oney- best
forgot that salt water spoils the appear
ance OF anything but bathing suit, and
plunged waist deep into the water without
stopping for the preliminary lifting OF pam
ninr skirts. and men with manly padded
shoulders gavo exhibitions that would have
done credit TO America at the Olympic
games
H,dclia had the beach She shifted at
some scawecd lying idle on the shore and
III out toward the boardwalk that leads TO
the Brighton Beach Hotel Cody was not
far behind.
The bear got on the boardwalk and
cleared II, hait way up toward the hotel.
and, seeing that there was nothing TO do
there 80 early I'm the day started back
toward the island. where "A few moments
before she had heard the deep diapason OF
the merry-go-round and the laughter OF the
care free.
In the meantime cody remembered that
out on the plains cowboys in moving pict-
ures are wont TO lasso anything that Is
Wild. so he went about looking for "A rope.
There was a handy spar, washed ashore
from some mid-Atlantic wreck, and trailing
from II Cody found the signal halyards.
which he quickly fashioned into a lariat
The bear was getting tired, and was easily
overtakcn. with unerring aim Cody tossed
tho loop about Bedelia's shapely head, drew
II down. so that her well turned ankles
were entangled, and then, with an almost
superhuman effort, drew taut the moose.
The she bear was captive of the cop
Inside the theatre the time had come for
the Apdale troupe to go on the stage and
Mr.. Apdale missed Bedelia as soon as he
emerged from his dressing room AZ he
was wondering what under the sun had
become OF that member OF the combination
Cody showed up at the stage door with the
crestfallen actress Bedeia went on and
did her stunt and all was forgotten, but
Coney Island will longer recall the day the
bear ran wild. and 1t will go down in his
tory like the night before tho big wind.
SUNDAYS NETWORK TRIBUNE