Year: 1876

Cincinnati Geological Garden.


In the western pit at the Geological
Garden great, savage. old cinnamon
bear was in company with five small
black bears, all about the same age -
two-thirds grown-twenty months old.
Uncle John Robinson presented this big
bear to the Garden and he says it is a
cinnamon bear-one of the most fero-
cious species next to the grizzly. When
with the show he was troublesome, and
it was always found necessary to keep
him chained in his cage. Be it said to
Big Cinnamon's credit that he has lived
in the Garden for year with the five
little bears on terms of intimacy and
good-fellowship. But the little ones
were grown into almost full-sized bears,
rivals of Old Cinnamon, as we shall call
him. tits supposed visitors threw food in
to the pit, and that the little ones, being
nimbler than Old Cinnamon, got more
than he did, and this excited his jeal-
ousy. Be this so or otherwise, at five
o'clock yesterday afternoon Old CHINA
mon mounted the most active of the lit
tie bears, and then commenced fight
such as human eyes seldom look upon


Two of the four other bears climbed
the snag of tree set up in pit; third
clambered up the iron gate, ,and the fourth
paced around the pit in tremor of ter
ror. The noise of the conflict drew a
crowd to the scene, many of whom were
ladies. The latter frequently turned
away from the scene, but, drawn by
some overpowering force, returned to it
again. Cinnamon's style of fighting
was to seize his adversary by the throat,
just back of the ear and quartering
under the jaw, close upon him like a
steel trap, and hold him down, shaking
occasionally with short shakes, but al
ways bearing down and holding fast.
| The little one, which was only half or
two-thirds the weight of his assailant,
shrieked most human-like. At first his
cries were appalling, like the words,
"Take care take care ~ but they soon
faded into a succession of hoarse, gurg
ling sounds, half sigh and half Shrek.
At first the keeper, Mr.. John Nordheim.
as brave as an old tiger-hunter, tried
the effect of punching with a pole to
make bruin quit his hold, but it was
no go. He next threw lot of fresh fish
right under his nose, but the bait did not
take; then water was thrown on him-a
big stream from the hose. This made
him let go. The little lacerated blacky
got upand made circles around the cage,
shrieking and crying at a terrible rate,
while the bear on the gate bars and the
two perched in the tree shook like
blown leaves, as if fearing their turn
would come next. The little one,
| khnnnh That ho1 aNnAI &ha AOOr n
looker-on all the while, crouched in a.
corner half in defiance and half in fear.
Old Cinnamon ate his fish and then re-
turned to his mutton, the little bear.
The little fellow jumped into the pool,
and Old Cinnamon pounced on him to
drown him, as the spectators feared.
Again the hose was applied. Old Gin
namon did not seem to mind it. He tug
ged little blacky out of the pool and
commenced chewing him up.


At this moment John Nordheim bolt
ed right into the den, armed with a
long-handled heavy spade. "Oh, don't
go in" shouted men and shrieked wo-
men, but he had passed the portals and
walked right face to face with death.
Thud, thud, thud-three thuds of the
shovel on bruins head released little
blacky, but turned Cinnamon on brave
John Nordheim, who had nothing but a
spade and John Nordheim's muscle and
brain with which to make the fight.
Thud, thud-down went Cinnamon, and
up he got again and staggered close to
little blacky and opened the fight again.
Thud, thud, thud, thud-thick and
heavy fell the blows on Old Cinnamon's
skull. The old beast loosensd his hold
and ran into the dungeon next the pit.
Unlock that gate, shouted Nordheim
to Mr.. Tenner, and will lock him up
for good now" Mr.. Tenner obeyed,
and Nordheim shut the door.


Once the door was securely shut it
was amusing to see the four frightened
but unhurt bears leave their posts and
strut up to that door, then stride around
the cage after the style of Nose, as
much as to say: Z" Won't somebody
please knock chip off my shoulder
Around and around they marched, re-
turning to the door, smelling it, feeling
it cautiously and rearing up against it,
as if to make sure that all was safe, then
strutting off Falstaff-ike, when the dan-
ger was gone.-CincinRdt Enquirer.


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