Alligator Roams the Streets of Ottawa

A Man and a 'Gator had an Exciting Time at the corner

of Fourth and Main Last Night - It Almost Captured Him

First, But Finally he Carries Home the Prize.

["Ottawa Daily Herald," 22 Jun 1897, page 2, column 2]

Pedestrians along the half deserted street near by the corner of Fourth and Main about the hour of 11 o'clock last evening were startled by hearing an unearthly yell followed instantly by the swift pattering of foot-steps on the pavement, accompanied by a wheezy, swishing noise very much like that of a leaky bellows. Those who were curious to know what these strange sounds meant, made hasty steps to reach the spot and when they did so, were amazed to see on one side of the street an excited man and on the other side, gazing at him with firey eyes, open mouth and wiggling tail, a real live, half grown alligator. When the colored lad had sufficiently recovered his breath from the scare, he began to tell how it happened. It was Jim Todd who lives just around the corner of the lumber yard. He was walking along up street, close to the inside, not noticing particularly where his footsteps fell when suddenly he caught sight of a dark shadow just where he was about to plant his foot. It snorted and Jim gave a jump. It opened its mouth and Jim fled in terror. When he looked back it had chased him a few feet to the corner where it had evidently stopped a few minutes to size up its bait before pursuing it any farther. When several spectators had collected on Jim's side, he got a little bolder and ventured up to the animal. It gave a snort and started after him. And away they all flew. Finally the idea occurred to them that they would capture the thing. No one knew where it had come from. A box was hence procured and they set about the task of trapping it, and they succeeded but in doing so the vicious jaws of the brute came within a skin's glance of reaching a leg for Earl Davis. Jim boxed it up and carried home his prize, trembling occasionally when he thought how near he came of making an alligator's bait. He discovered this morning, however, that his prize was a pet belonging to W. O. Lenhart's drug store. It had escaped last night and they had not noticed it was missing when they closed up.