An abandoned church in near the area of where the Bear Man incident occurred
The late 1800s into the mid-1900s was an era when traveling salesmen and others roamed the railroads and back roads of America making a living off their wits or sometimes by the generosity of others.
Old historic accounts tell of traveling salesmen coming from Pensacola by railroad to Pollard, Alabama. The men would take the dirt roads and streets plying their wares to any who were interested in the transaction. Some would go door to door asking if they could sharpen a house-wife's scissors, knives or other items.
Vagabonds also made their way through the back-country. During these times, especially during the Great Depression, men known as "hobos" rode the railways. They would often slip onto railroad cars or position themselves along cables that ran under the rail cars. The railroad police would often catch them and give them a good thumbing about the ears with their nightsticks. Many slept in the Canoe area at night and residents would often provide them with blankets on cold nights.
Yet the traveling salesman and hobos weren't the only wanderers in those days. Entertainers also made their way along Alabama's rural roads as well. Some would sing at churches on Sundays or perform various tricks with their animal companions.
One account exists of a man traveling with a bear who stopped at Canoe, Alabama at a store whose existence is now lost to the ages. The store was owned by a Mr. Brown and a grainy photo of the performance still exists to this day.
Bears have been a source of entertainment for humans for thousands of years. The Romans would release them into the coliseum to devour unfortunate victims and during the Middle Ages they were chained to stakes and packs of dogs were released on them and observers would bet on the winner. The term "bear baiting" was used to describe the fights and certain breeds of dogs were originally bred and improved for the sport.
At some point people began to train the bears to do tricks and to perform in circus acts, hence the show put on at the Canoe store. Yet in other parts of the area bear performances were put on as well in that a "bear show," maybe even the same bear, traveled to Monroe County.
A local story from Monroe County recounts the horrible events of a bear show which went terribly bad for the bear's owner.
According to local residents, during the school year of 1891-92, the school in Buena Vista was visited by a one man travelling bear show. The man asked the teacher if he would like to have a bear performance for the tiny school house. The teacher paid the man his fee and he thereafter put a little boy's hat on the head of the bear. The seemingly good natured animal thereafter stood on his hind legs and danced a short jig and then climbed a tree.
Following the performance, the man and bear started walking toward the Natchez community which was approximately six miles from Buena Vista. When the man-bear duo arrived, both were tired and hungry. As if a violent primordial switch was flipped, the bear turned on his owner in a rage of ravenous and gory destruction as the bear began to eat his master alive.
The bear fought off all who came to aid the poor man as the shocked crowd was forced to endure the screams of the victim as he yelled, 'Stop, Jimbo, please stop Jimbo.' According to the story, a Mr. William Reaves, a resident of the area came with his rifle and dispatched the bear. The 'Bear Man,' is said to be buried in the Natchez Cemetery." For more on this story please visit ancestry.com yet many locals from Buena Vista are familiar with this story as well.
We most likely will never know if this was the same bear show that entertained patrons in Canoe during the same era.
