DEFENDING A CATHEDRAL.

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 20, 18 December 1906, Page 2

DEFENDING A CATHEDRAL.

FRENCH SOLDIERS ROUTED BY THREE HUNGRY BEARS. + Of all the strange stories that have come from France in connection with the taking of official inventories by order of the Government in the various cathedrals and churches, the one given below is undoubtedly the strangest. 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 hungry black bears from a travelling showman and these were made still more hungry before being installed in the cathedral. For two days they were deprived of all food and kept locked up in a dark coal cellar, which naturally increased their ferocity. As the inspector unexpectedly, delayed his visit a day, they were ravenously'hungry, as well as 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 later 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 newcomers. The inspector and the soldiers made frantic efforts.to reopen the door. This caused derisive laughter on the outside. Then the frightened official vaulted over some chairs and climbed on top of a confessional, while his terrorstricken 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 boars, opened negotiations with the inspector. “Will you go away if we open tlje door ?” he called. “At once,’’ replie,d the inspector. The door was opened a little way, and the inspector, sliding down from his confessional, made a dash and squeezed through just in time. A second later one of the bearjs was clawing the closed door. Then of course, came the question of securing the bears and reopening the cathedral for the usual, services. None of the vigilant townspeople who had so thoroughly ejijoyed the discomforture of the Government official and his military, /escort feflt inclined to take the risk

Something, however, n/ust be done. The cathedral could no longer be left to the undisputed possession of three savage bears. Then someone suggested that the ghowman might be willing to recapture the animals for a reasonable/ consideration. Search was made for him, and when he was found he was induced, not without a good deal of solid persuasion, to recapture the boars. They were then brought out, fed, and once more consigned to the coalcellar to await j further official developments.