The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-29
KENTUCKY BnAR STORIES.
No Bears Now Lefl Except Those That Run
Wild in stories.

, Wrtlng from Canton, KY, furnishes TIL
E following interesting stories Of bea
hunting, which were related in the hote
sitting room at that place by some of th,
, old veteran sporssmen, who spent tn,
greater part of their early life in gaming
speaking of bears." said Uncle San
Sheerer, veteran who looked as If b,
+ might have fought 6y the side of Gen
Leslie Coombs at the battle OF the Rive
Raisin, "!har's powerful sight of Gems,
In mule, though that's nothin' ne,,
Some folks say that nobody but niege
understands a mule, but it's my notion
that nobody understands mule but him
self. You aay think you know as mucl
about mules as anybody, but did you ever
see mule fight bear? Mop Well, j
have, and owued the mule that did it
Way back in--I recken we needn't mind
the year-I was ridin' through n match
OF canebIake on big black mule, when
made for me. ] didn't have my rife
along, and SO I whipped up the mule G
get cut of the way. THAT mule made IL
good time out of the canebrake, but when
we got into the timber, he stopped In the
middle of glade, and nothing could
make the cussed critter stir an inch. As
the bear was comm on at O right peart
pace, / slipped off the dunn FOOLS back,
and Skinned 1t up tree. When.I was
well fixed in the branches, I looked down
into the glade, and saw leetle the queer.
est sight that my eyes had ever been
treated to. The mule faced the bear. and
the bear came head on ut the mule. Just
as old Brownie was ready TO fight, the
mule gathered his heels together. and
flew over his head like shot out of O
shovel. That bear was astonished nearly
out OF his senses; but rs soon as he could
get his wits he turned square around and
made for the mule. Again the mule
gathered himself up and gave q flyin'
leap over the bears head, Iightin' clear
on tother side. If that game wasn't
kept up for full half an hour, then nv
name amt Sam Sheerer, and I didn't sit
up in that tree wetchin' the whole per-
formance. The mule was in the highest
kind of spirits, and enjoyed his fun up
to tho top notch, to Judge By the way he
snorted and snickered whenever he went
over old Brownie. But the bear was the
maddest critter, recken, that ever stood
on four legs. He wheeled and turned,
and growled and roared, and snapped
and slapped, until ne wasn't able to do
Justice to the subject any longer; then
ne sat up on his haunches and painted,
with his big red tongue loliing out. Then
was the time for the mule to show fight,
and he backed up his battery. The first
time he let his heels fly he took the bear
square on the side of the head, and sent
him sprawling. Then he examined his
work, and enickered when he saw that
the job was done, and I slipped down the
tree and went and cut the bears throat.
Now, gentlemen, it ia fact that before
that time the mule would never allow
me to carry rs much as sheepskin on
his back; but he stood still and let me
load the bear on to the saddle, and a
mighty tough job had of it. Perhaps
you would like to know how much that
bear weighedY' fi.f2
II reckon we may as we'll let that part
OF the story go, Uncle Sammy" said
Judge Greenwayy; another grizzled vete-
ran. "You have been 80 careful to stick
to the plain facts SO far that / am afraid
you might be tempted to stretch it in the
matter Of weight. There's more things
than mules that can kill bears, and more
things than guns and traps. When I
lived in the Green River country, before
most of you we're born, I had O. queer ex-
perience with bear. I had been to the
nearest store, q matter OF dozen miles
or so, on foot, as my only horse was dead
lame, to get some groceries, and was
bringing home two quart bottles of whis-
key and ball Of cord. Going through
the woods I reused up big bear that
came for me full'tilt. gave him a shot
from my rife, aud the bullet struck him
in the left foreleg and hurt him pretty
badly: but that only made hir, mad, and
he pushed for me OF threa legs faster than
before. There was nothing to do but 20
run for it, and go pulled foot for a tall
Young hickory, and scrambled UP as Quick
as I could, dropping my rifle at the foot
Of the tree. The bear couldn't climb
with three legs, but il was plain to be
seen that he wanted me, and meant to
have me il he could get me. So he
smelt around awhile, and then sat down
and waited. In the course of time this
sort of thing began to grow mighty tire.
some. and / saw that had 10 do some.
thing. had bottle of whiskey in each
pocket" R ba alll
"Wait minute, Judge" interposed g
young lawyer from Hopkinsyilfe, who
prided himself on his cross-examination
9! would like to know how You could
climb that tree In hurry, with hottie
of whiskey in each pocket, and not break
one of them ?"
"Young man." sternly replied the
Judge, you were born te0 late if you
don't know that no true Kentuckian evel
breaks q bottle of whiskey under any
circumstances. As said, had bottle
Of whiSkey in each pocket, and knew
what sn initiative creature :. bear ;s.ndl
hated to lose the whiskey, butt felt thai
must give up that or my life. I TIED
the end of my cord around the neck O.
one Of the bottles, held it up TO my mouth
! as if was taking big drink, and thef
let it down to the bear, who had beer
watching me "a If he wanted :;o.rie. u,
took hold Of it as carefully as any of III
could do, stuffed it into his jaw, and
didn't take it away until he had drained
the last drop. Itastonished him little
at first, for that liquor was far above
!. proof. and then he got 70 feeling gnnd
/ and you may be sure he showed It. Ht
. began by patting aud rubbing himself
and then he rolled over and tumbiet
about for while, and finally he sat uI
on his launches, svaying about anc
winking at me, fairly begging for more
whiskey. I saw that he would have e
: get it so banled up my cord and made
1t fast to the bottle. put that bottle e
my mouth, and must confess that al
loved few drops to slip through rny
! gullet before / let it down 10 the bear
He disposed Of it in short order, anC
then began the queerest cutting up.
reckon, that whiskey ever canse6. Tha
bear was drunk in proportion to his size
He played with the bottle, and he played