DEFENDING A CATHEDRAL.

Lake County Press, Issue 2136, 20 September 1906, Page 7

DEFENDING A CATHEDRAL.

FRENCH SOLDIERS ROUTED BV THREE HUNGRY BEARS. Of all the strange stories that have come from Prance in connection with the taking of ollicial invent iries by order of the Government in the various cathedrals .and churches, the one given below is undoubtedly the st ranges!. The townspeople of Commac, in the Department of. Ariege, hearing that the Government officials were on hand and would shortly seek to take an inventory in the cathedral, devised an original method of staving off the evil moment. They purchased three hungry black bears from a travelling showman and these were made still nioro""hungry before being installed in the cathedral, l-'nr two days they were deprived of all food and kept locked up in it dark coal cellar, which naturally increased their ferocity. As the inspector unexpectedly delayed his visil a day, they were ravenously hungry, its well its angry, when he finally arrived before the west door of the cathedral with his papers and a military escort. To the surprise of the official his demand for admittance to the cathedral was instantly complied with. But no sooner had he stepped inside with his escort than the great door was shut and bolted. SOLDIERS' HASTY RETREAT. A moment litter the startled inspector discovered the bears. They had been sniffing hungrily around the choir, but the noise of the closing door attracted their attention, and they trotted down the central aisle of the nave to investigate the new-

The inspector and Ihe soldiers made frunl ic efforts to reopen the door. This caused derisive laughter on the outside. Then the frightened ollicial vaulted over some chairs and climbed on top of it confessional, while his lerrorstrickon companions ran down the side aisles shrieking wildly for help.

The soldiers finally managed to secrete themselves in a side chapel. Then a townsman, representing the bears, opened negotiations with the ins) lector. "Will yon go tnvaj if we open the door 7" he called. "At once," replied the inspector.

The door was opened a little way, and the inspector, sliding down from his confessional, made u dash and stpieezed through just in time. A second later one of the bears was claw ing the closed door. Then of course, came the question of securing the bears and re-opening the cathedral for the usual services. None of the vigilant townspeople who had so thoroughly enjoyed the discomforture of the Government ollicial and his military, escort, fdlt inclined to take the risk. Something, however, must be done. The cathedral could no longer be 1,-ft to th idispiiled possession of three savage bears. Then someone suggested that the showman might be willing to recapture the animals for a reasonable consideration. Search was made for him, and when be was found he was induced, not without a good deal of solid persuasion, to recapture the bears. They were then brought out, fed, and once more consigned to Ihe coalcellar to await further official de- \ eh ipmculs.