The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-06-09
Veteran Bear Hunter.

oao hunters, 10 Inc
numerous order OF '!has bcers," wero
recently exchanging truthful tales Of
their early lives in the back-woods, both,
unknown" to each other, modestly In
clined to let the other know that he was
q trifie the smartest. h""'l ,1'1H 74i :.
Colonel Crock opened by remarking
che had once killed three bears at one
shot with an old army horse-pistol."
Captain Ben thought ''that was lucky.
How did you do it?"
Crock replied: Easy enough. You
sec, IN old she bar and two cubs came
night after night and deprecated my
corn-cfib. / built it higher; still they
came. / built il sixteen feet high; corn
disappeared all the same, so l just made
up my mind to stop it. / loaded up nv
old fint-lock hoss-pistol with two balls,
I'M lay for the old bar behind the
smoke-house close by the crib. Pretty
soon the old bar and two cubs came.
1t was too dark to see 'em. Bimeby
the old bar clum On top of the sixteen
foot crib and begun to throw down corn
to the cubs, and she, bein' up high, and
it bein' starlight, I saw her pretty plain,
so L just pointed old 1872 at her head
and fired, and down she come kerwhack.
My wife come whewing out with a Ian
tern. 1 told her to 90 back, the cubs
might tear her to pieces. Wall, that
woman went back quick. / went and
loaded up the old war-pistol agin, and
took the lantern from her hands all
atremble, and vent up to the crib pref
ty cautious like. There she lay, dead
as n door nail" .t
Here Crock paused. Captain Ben,
thinking his story done, and believing
he chad him." sarcastically inquired,
81 thought you said you killed three
bears to one shotg"
$50 l did," quickly responded Crock;
skilled the old she bar, and she fell on
to them two cubs and killed 'em both;
she weighed five hundred pounds"
"Wall, that was lucky, and it reminds
me of q bar l once killed with a hoe"
said Captain Ben, as if talking to him
self. e.rri I.,a-, ..ls as
KILLED a bar with q hoe, did you
sayP How youtalkl How did you do it?n
"Wall, you see, L war on mylast corn
hoein'; corn was pretty stout, and l
s'pose the bars thought it was big
enough to eat; ut any rate, as l was
hoein' along, I hoed right up to ab'ar,
comm so close we was both a little
skurt-the bar most, for he run. SEEM
he want going to tackle me, l thought
l would tackle him; so 1 took arter him
lick-it-a-split tight rs 1 could run, and
before he got out of that cornfield l kill
ed him with my hoe. He weighed six
hundred pounds"
''Wall, / don't dispute you killing the
bar, but what worries me is how you
could outrun him and get neal enough
to kin him with q hoe"
easy enough" said Captain Ben;
''you see, the snow was about three feet
deep, with a pretty stiff crust on; the
bar slumped in while / couldrun on the
crust; seeP No trouble to overtake
him."
Eyes, / see; with snowthree feet deep,
and 6 crust to bear a man and slump a
bear, you might do it.; but l can't X
actly see how snow could be so deep and
crusted in hoein' time"
Eyes; wall, hat would look n little
strange" said Captain Ben, with head
hung down q little, 'but the fact is
(brightening up), it's true, only l have
made a little mistake, and told a part of
two stories"
Crock was satisfied, and gave up beat
en.-F0reSt and Stream.