The Portland daily press., 1880-03-05
Old Jerry Greenlng's Big Bear.
Philadelphia Times.1

lIulltuelpnll luneS.l
Ever heard bout the scrimmage me and
Case had with bar over long the Rattlesnake
Creek?" asked old Jerry Greenng, as he piled
the logs on the fire in his cosy little cabin near
this village. Jerry is one of the best hunters
in Pike County, and his "reminiscences are
peculiarly interesting.
'I'll 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 yeller hound of mine
he's seventeen year old this comm spring
we started out after bee tree. Wall, we was
walkin' long kinder quiet like, when all to a
suddent that cussed hound of mine give the
all-hredest yell L ever hear, an outer the
brush an scrub oaks there comes tremengus
black bar. I'll be gosh hanged if that bar
wasn't ten foot long. Wall, the bar stood still
an looked at me an Cas,, an Case an me
stood still an looked at the bar, an I'll be
gosh hanged if twasn't conn., cal. Just sot
down on the groun' an laffed. Then Case he
got up on his ear COS we didn't have no gun
nor nothin' with us 'ceptin' make, and so he
yells to me Reckon we'd better get up tree,
nless ye want ter git chawed into mince meat
sez he. jest about that time Mr.. Bar made
fur Case an Skinned up a tree.
Wall, Case he went for the bar with the ak,
and all OF suddent the OIL concern flew often
the handle; so Case he started fur ter climb
a tree as the bar came fur him. Wall, sir, to
see Case climin' that ar tree with that bar
after i'm was more'n Icould STAN, so iist bust
out a lstfin agin. Then Case he got red-hot
mad, en- the way he slung the profanity roun'
were caution. Jest about the time he begin
calm me all sorts of names, that bar
REACHED re one OF his paws up an pulled off 2 one
| the butte, an when he teched the groun' he
streck that butte jest like that seventeen-year
ole dog of mine wud rat. But the butte
didn't seem to satisfy him. so he clim' the tree
agin Case saw him comm, so he yells out,
Pm goner, dad sez, Hold the fort an
give him t'other butte Jist then Case sez,
ri fix the OF cuss.'
Wall, SIR that bar clim' almost to where
Case were settih' when all to once't see
| Case maxim some motions with his fingers.
| Sez i, BE you a fixin' him.? Sez he, Il be-
| Jest then the OF devil gave ter BILE roar an
| let go the tree. s'pose you'll hardly b'lieve
| it, but gosh hang me, # that bar didn't turn a
| sommerset in tn air an light on his head
Yes, sir. it's solemn fac tibet thet bar fell on
hiz head so hard that he broke hiz neck.
| The whole thing was so cussed com'cal thet /
| got latfin' an fell clean off the linn was
| straddlin' an nearly broke my neck. When
| Case COM down outen the tree, sez /, What
| made the bar tumble? He looks at me min
nit an then pulls out pepper box. Wall, sir,
that ar boy-I alters calls him boy, though
he's thirty year of comm hayin' time-had
| stole the OF woman's pepper box, just to tant'-
| lize her, an thet's what saved his life. He
sprinked the pepper in the bars eyes an nearly
| drove him frantic, so he dropped. But the
strangest part of the story is the dog. When
| me an Case went back after the bar with a
hoss an wagon, I'll be blasted if we didn't
thu that OF yeller houn' up mother tree
yellin like sin. Truth, sir, truth. Yes, SIR
that ar dog he'd been so scarf that he just
clim that tree 'thout thinkin'. Mebbe you
think Pm lyin' when say that bar weighed
| five hundred an fifty poun' But it's the
truth, sir. 1 never lied yet, an. I'm gettin'
too oil to learn, fur In nigh seventy year