Escaped steer causes York turmoil
Can you imagine droves of cattle on Market Street? That was evidently a fairly common sight a hundred years ago. According to the June 18, 1907 York Dispatch article below, excitement ensued when one steer cut loose:
STEER ON RAMPAGE ENTERS BARBER SHOP
West End Tonsorial Artist Interrupted While Shaving a Patron–Animal Tied Up Street Car Traffic.A steer, belonging to a herd that was being driven to the slaughter house of a local dealer, got away from its driver yesterday shortly before the noon house and started to make things lively in the West End. The animal escaped from the drove in the vicinity of West Market and Penn streets. In wild bounds he dashed down North Penn street frightening children and pedestrians.
In the vicinity of West York [Roosevelt] Avenue and Philadelphia Street the greatest excitement prevailed while the animal was running about. First on one side of the street and then on the other, the steer gave an exhibition of how he sported when at his home in the west. Tiring of this sport, he dashed down West York Avenue tying up street car traffic and scaring horses. Turning in Gay alley, he again made his appearance on North Penn Street. By this time the driver appeared and tried to capture the steer. With eyes glistening and foaming at the mouth, his majesty made for the driver and soon put him to flight.
Then to create more excitement, the beast dashed into the barber shop of Abe Trattner, located in the building in the angle of Philadelphia and Penn streets and West York Avenue. The barber employed at the shop was in the act of shaving a man when the animal thrust his head through the door. Both the barber and the half-shaved man made a dive for a place of safety while the steer went through the shop. After viewing the place and finding nothing doing, he went out out the opposite door and continue his flight east on West Philadelphia street. He was finally captured in the lumber yard of Lewis Smyser, after having terrorized the people of the neighborhood for nearly half an hour.
