Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-03-07
Jerry Greening's Big Bear.
Lackawaxen Pa.) Letter to the Philadelph
Times


Ever heerd bout the scrimage me and
Case had with bar over long the Rattle
snake creekW asked old Jerry G eening
as he piled the lo2s on the fire in his cosy
little cabin near this village Jerry is one
of the best hunters in Jike county
and "Reminiscences are peculiarly inter-
estiDg.
"I'il tell ye all bout it fore Case-ye
know my son Case, don't ye-comes in.
Wall me an Case an that ERE ole waller
houn' of mine-he's seventeen years old
this comm spring-we started out after a
bee tree. Well, we was a walkin' long
kinder quiet like, when all to student
that cussid houn' of mine give the all-frd-
est yell ever | hear, an outer the brush an
scrub oaks come a tremengus black b ar.
I'll be hanged if that bar wasn't ten foot
long Wall, the bar stood still in the psth
an looked at me an Case an Case an me
stood still an looked at the bar, an ILL
be gosh hanged if 'twasn't so m'caP l
just sot down on the groun' an LATED. Then
Case he got up on his ear, cos we did have
no gun nor nothin' with US, 'cepin' an axe,
an SO he yells to me: Reckon ye'd bet
tern get up q tree, Mess We want ter git
chawed in.into mince meat, SEE he. just
about that time Mr.. Bar ma 20 fur Case
an Skinned up q tree
''Wsll, Case he went fur the bar with
the q g and all of student the OF con-
Germ flew off the handle; so Case he start
ed fur to climb tree as the bar come fur
him. Wall, sir, to see Case climin' that
ar tree with that bar after i'm was more n
l could stan'n could STAN SO Jest bust
out latin agin. Then Case he got red hot
mad an the way he slunr the profan ty
roun' were caution. Jest about the time
he begin calm me all sorts er names
that bar reached one of his paws up an
pulled off one of Cases butes. He slid
down the tree with the butte, and when he
teched the gronn' he struck that ar butte
jest like that seventeen year-oP dog of
mine wud rat. But the butte didn't seem
to satisfy him so he clim' the tree again.
Case saw him a comin'. so he yells out. I'm
goner, ad.' seq, Hold the forts, an
give him tother butte jest then Case SEE,
'Pll fix the OF cuss,
wall, sir, that bar clim' Almost to
where Case were sittin, when all TO
oncet / see Gaze maxim some motions
with his fingers. Sez l. BE you fEin'
him2' SCI be- I be- Jest then the old
devil gave ter BILE roar, an let go the tree
l s'pose you hardly b'leve it, but gosh
hang me # that bar didn't turn a summer
set in tn air, an light on his head. Y es,
sir. it's solem' fac, tibet tibet bar fell on
hiz head SO hard tibet he broke hlz neck.
The whole thing were so cussed com cal
tibet got latin, an fell clean off the limb
l was straddling', and nearly broke my
neck. When Case com down outen the
tree, sez !: What made the bar tumbe2
He looks at me minnet, an then pulls out
pepper boz. WALL sir that ar boy-I
alters calls him boy, though he's thirty
eight years OF comm haydn time-had
stole the op womans pepper box, just to
tant' lze her, an that's what saved his life.
He sprinkled the pepper in the bars eyes
an nearly drove him frantic, SO he drop
ped. But the strangest part of the story is
the dog. When me an Case went back