Caged bear kills girl on Kinney Pier

Nov. 3, 1918: “Tragedy at Venice” read the headline in The Times after a caged bear fatally injured a 2-year-old girl on Kinney Pier.

Titiana Corine was visiting the pier with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. D.M. Williard, “when she went too near to the bear’s cage” at the north end, the newspaper said.

A bear reached a paw through a gap in the cage and began mauling the child’s leg.

One man unsuccessfully tried to pull Titiana from the bear. An officer shot the bear and the one next to it, The Times said. The child was rushed to a hospital, but she died within an hour.

The Williards had rented a home in Venice the week before to recuperate from influenza. After their child’s death, the couple returned to Los Angeles, the newspaper noted.