Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1902 — TRAMP IN A BEAR PIT. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRAMP IN A BEAR PIT.

H» Had *■ Bxeitln* Time Before BeIn* Rescued by a Keeper. Excitement reigned supreme qt the Philadelphia zoological gardens one night recently when one of the keepers was called upon at midnight to rescue a man from the clutches of the cinnamon bear, into whose cage he had accidentally fallen. There are two bear pits in the gardens. They are built of stone and sunk into the ground like huge cellars, upon whose foundations two houses are yet to be built. They stand side by side and are about 30 feet deep. The bottom is paved with cement, and there is an old dead tree standing upright in the center of each of them. Keeper Murray, hearing a cry for help, rushed to the railing and peered over the edge. The moon came out from behind a cloud for a moment and enabled him to make out a figure of a man in the pit ■which bad been set apart for 20 years as the private residence of the cinnamon bear. The man was in active motion, and so was the bear. The nlan was leading, and both were describing eccentric circles, using the dead tree as a center. Every now and then the man would get far enough ahead of the bear to pause in his career long enough to shout for help. There was light enough for the keeper to see that the fleeing man was a member of the fraternity who make their living by doing nothing all day and go to sleep every night tired. He was in reality a hobo, but whatever led him to mistake a bear pit for a lodging house was beyond conjecture and causes wonder among the keepers to this day. The only explanation that Keeper Murray could see was in that the hobo had gone to sleep on a long plank which was laid across the top of the cage by the workmen who were relaying the stones and one end of the plank bad slipped off and fallen down the pit, making a perfect "shoot the shoots” for the tramp, who found himself sliding and woke up at the bottom of the pit. The plank was found in the morning lying in the pit. Realizing the gravity of the situation and noticing that the hobo’s cries were growing less frequent as his need for help grew more urgent, the keeper slipped rapidly away. He came breathlessly back in a few minutes with a rope, with which he promptly lassoed the top of the dead tree, attaching the other end to the iron railings which surround the top of the pit. All this happened in less time than it tak?s to tell it. The go as you please race below continued. The only change was in the condition of the contestants. Both, the hobo and the bear were growing weaker. They seemed to have settled down to the pace with a grim determination to fight it out on those lines if it took all night. “Climb the tree!” shouted Murray a dozen times. The hobo watched his chance and swung himself into the branches. The bear made several laps alone before he discovered his mistake. Then he also climbed the tree. Murray, at the top, was watching the proceedings with au interest that was not feigned. The man ascended the tree slowly, but surely. The bear also ascended slowly

and surely, imitating the man us faithtu||y as migfct tie. The hobo saw the beur coming up after him. As yet he knew nothing about the rope. The higher he rose the lower his spirits sank at the sight, and the bear climbed on. Up. up they rose until both were near the top. Just then the hobo struck the rope. He grasped it immediately and swung clear of the tree. The bear reached for him and tagged him on the leg. His last remaining shoe surrendered to the touch and fell to the cement below. The bear nosed along the swinging rope. He began to gnaw at it, as if he really knew that his prey was escaping. The hobo reached the railing in safety. The gnawed off rope rattled down along the side of the atone prison. The almost fainting hobo, assisted by the friendly keeper, scaled the fence and fell into a heap on the grass. As lie struck ground the bear in the tree gave a loud growl of auger. He seemed to realize that his prey had escaped. Out of pure fright the hobo struggled to bis feet and continued the race into the darkness toward the fence over which he had undoubtedly entered the boo. The bear slowly and mournfully descended to his deserted couch.

A NARROW ESCAPE.