The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-06
4, allaorysos the Bears.
now THE REV. DIR. sIccoLLs KILLED Fout
BEARS AT one; III &C.. &


BEARS AT ONE TIN T..
correspondence q Che New York obserser.1
II 1T ia due 10 the Rev DR.. s. 81. Niccoils.
OF st. Louis, TO say that he Is iteraliy5
tlrasEed Into the statement or confession we
are about To publish. He Is one OIL our most ,,s
valued correspondents and frienas., - .nis
letters to the Observer from the Adlfoh-'
dacks, where he has spent many summers ::
he made no mention OF his interviews WIN VIII
the bears, and he did not desire or expect,
that Il would get ipto the papers. but Wnn
can kill four bears and not become non ):
We have seen the story going and growing.
II has crossed the ocean and come BACK 10
MS In the foreign journals. Under these
circumstances we wrote to our corresponds
emit, and urged upon him the duty, for the
satisfaction Of his anxious friends ana tne
public, OF stating the bare facts. Ut. MIC.
coils replies
ST.. LOUIS, October /, 1s7S.-My Dear
Brother: You ask me, :. What about tnose
bears Z y would not care again 10 tell tue
story so often told were it not that IL Sot
abroad in form which some have misun-
derstood and some perverted. One OF the
ubiduitious race Of reporters obtained pri-
yate letter of mine, made some extracts
from IL. and away the story few from Dan
TO Becrsheba. 1t has come back to me I'D
such a variety OF forms and statements that
T can scarcely recognize it. and now am
hali-inclined to believe that killed a score
OF s:grizZles " on that memorable OCCASION.
Irreyerent and unbelieving sous nave
also scoffed and sneered at the statements !, W
my letter as though they were un0edfaDle
and decidedly .. tishy." | cannot nope 20
cure their unbelief, for some love 10 douot'
but still persist in saying that was iortu-
nate enough to kill four bears ct the place
and In the manner specified. Twas going
70 cav. in view OF certain things, unfortu.
nate enough: but il royal David boosted
that he oslew bear" and Paul declared
that he thought with beasts at Epheslls."
pll not be ashamed of my company! But'
to avoid any ground for misappreienslenl;;
let me say that while all bears are bears, all
are not OF the same size. OF these four one
was quite large, and three were snaii,
not sucking cubs, but three young
bears-not fully grown-weighing about
6ity pounds euch, possibly more. G'he old
one weighed about $50 pounds. Ihe way
in which It all came to pass was this: Those
who are familiar with the Fulton Lakes, IN
Adirondacks, viii remember that IN Flrst
Lake there Is little dot OF an lSland not
over fifty feet in width and about elShty
or ninety in length. With It's Doroers
iringed with elders and its crown covered
with cluster Of young trees, it lies ike an
emerald on the bosom OF the sllyery lake,
and is worthy Of better name than tue one
by which it is commonly knoWn-nameiv'
Dog Island. It IS a favorite stand for
- Watchingo when the hounds are out
driving the deer, being near the centre OF
the lake, ard right in the line OF the "run-
Yays": even an ineXpert rover can over
take struggling deer before it reaches the
shore. This stand" was assigned to me
during a certain deer-hunt last summer.
Going to it with my wife and daugh-
ter. VIC listened to the baying OF The hounds
as they followed trail through the forests,
and eagerly watched the shores for the eX-
| pected deer to plunge into the water. After
while we relaxed our watching, as the
sound OF the barking died away IN the dis
lance. Then, looking out again, | saw
something swimming in the lake close by
point of land about half mile away. AT
first supposed it was doe followed by
her fawns. and said in a low tone to my
companions: 'keep quiet; the deer are
comiue." AS they were swimming in
direct line for the island, KNEW they would
be close by lis in short time, and we could
easily capture them. But when the sup
posed deer were about half way across the
channel I saw from the shape OF their heads
that they were bears, and that there were
four OF them, how large or small could not
tell.
My earliest impression Of hears had been
derived from the somewhat frightIul story
recorded in III. Kings, in which two OF them
avenge the insulted prophet. But the eX-
perience of later years had destroyed these
old terrors and convinced me that those de-
youring beasts were not at least CT the tribe
OF black bears in Northern New York.
They, as a rule, would run from child
faster than it could run from them. | am
very sorry to destroy romance ana
interfere with nursery tales, but truth COM
pels me to say that the black bear is very
timid animal, and will not fight unless at
tackled. When wounded, it is at times fe-
rocious. Our policy, then, in view OF the
approaching visitors, was to keep under
cover and make no sound or motion lest the
bears should discover us and refuse to land.
must, however, confess that the ladies'
held somewhat to the old Biblical idea OF
bears. and were little anxious to know
what we would do in case the more modern
theory should not prove true. But they
bravely kept quiet, as /, peering through
the bushes, reported progress and declared
the expected arrival close at hand. l can
only remark at this point that it is more eN-
citing than trout-ishing to sit under the
alders with ones family, watching some
wild bears swimming up to you.
When they were about twenty rods from
the island another coincidence took place
which helped us. My guide, Bert Holli-
dav, after starting the hounds, had returned
to his boat, and pulling out from the shore,
saw the bears and began to row towards
them at his utmost speed. This encouraged
me, for knew that if I missed my shot and
the game took to the water, he could drive
it back. SO waited until the bears landed,
and, as the large one rose out OF the water,
fired. She was hit with full charge OF
buck-shot behind the fore-shoulder, but did
not seem to mind it, aud rushed by me on
the island. As the others followed, tired
the second barrel and killed one OF them.
Hastily Shipping a cartridge into the breech-
loader, ran after the old one. AS came
within twenty feet OF her she rose up on her
hind legs and came walking towards me,
waving her forepaws, as thought, in q very
distracted manner. My guide, who was cir
cling round the island in his boat, seeing
this performance, shouted to me to "take
care ~: which did by shooting very care
fully at her head. After that shot she re.
sumed the proper attitude Of quadrupeds,
and. with the blood flowing from her mouth,
started to run where the ladies were stand
ing. i was out Of cartridges, but my daugh-
ter had three, and she was soon at my side.
Two more shots, delivered at close range,
finished the old bear; then | had but one
shot left, and two young bears to Kill.
These two ran to where the old one had
f,ll nd cfN ~csI la hu cir