Sergeant Jenks and The Bear

In 1877, St. Louis was the largest city west of the Mississippi.  St. Louis Police dealt with the typical problems of a major city.  St. Louis Police Officers responded to reports of murder, rape and robbery.  On the morning of December 12, 1877, St. Louis Police Officer Daily responded to the report of a bear on the Downtown St. Louis streets.

Daily probably responded in a humorous mood, thinking someone was playing a trick on him, when he did indeed see a bear at the corner of Chestnut and Fourth Streets.  Some local boys decided it would be fun to tease the bear, who did not see the humor and was intent on expressing his displeasure.

Daily quickly procured a rope and lassoed the bear, who tried to bat the officer around.  Officer Daily showed excellent dexterity in alluding the powerful blows of the bear, who momentarily tired and quit trying to hit the officer.

A young boy told Daily he knew the owner and the bear would go with him.  Daily turned the bear over the boy.  However, the bear walked with the boy only a short distance before he threw him in the air.  Daily enraged over the bear’s actions began to drag him to the Chestnut Street Police Station.  The bear tried to attack Daily but Daily avoided injury.

When Officer Daily drug the bear into the Chestnut Street Police Station, several officers scattered.  Daily tried to turn the bear over to the normally fearless Sergeant Peletiah Jenks.  Jenks expressed reluctance to tangle with the bear.

As Daily continued to control the bear with the rope, Sergeant Jenks procured a 30-foot ladder.  Daily worked the rope as Jenks guided the bear into a cell.  The men slammed the cell door and wiped the sweat from their brows.

The bear’s owner arrived two hours later to bail out the bear.  After receiving a strong lecture from Sergeant Jenks, the bear’s owner was allowed to take him from the station.

Sergeant Jenks would take part in many dangerous assignments as a St. Louis Police Officer.  However, few cases would match the unusual circumstances of the Downtown bear.  Officer Daily and Sergeant Jenks would seldom face such a formidable challenge.

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Source: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 1877 edition, p. 1

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