Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-06-22
Three Bear Hunts.

AAICC oOitI
"You see, boys, this is how it all hap
pened. went down to press hay in
Mauricetown, over in Jersey, few
years ago. They told me that the place
was overrun with bears, and that the
governor offered a reward of S25 for
every bears hide brought in to him. I
borrowed a gun and filled it to t he muz-
zle with bullets, because wasn't goin'
to take no chances, dye see? 1t was q
dark night when half q dozen of us set
out. III never forget that night. You
couldn't see your nose afore ye. First
of all we got into big swamp, and got
plastered with mud from head to heels,
and one man Rueben Smith, said he
wouldn't 60 no further with us on sich
dangerous expedition, because he had q
large family to home to support. l said
that thought Reub had more heart in
him than to leave us like that. Not far
from Mauricetown we were passin' some
bushes, when all of sudden there was
the most awful yells set up that
same time there was a fearful
growing coming out Of the bushes. I
made bee-line for home. ran for
full mile, and fell down at the door,
done up, and was taken in most dead,
l had to get somethin' strong to revive
me, and then one of the fellows came
in gaspin.' and with his boots torn, and
said that the bear had bitten him, and
ho'd just escaped with his bare life. No
that amt no joke.
"Well,' continued Dick, ST was de-
termined not to be beat, SO we made an
n f0 {la oh
and have that bear. If it was dark the
first night it was like mixed pitch and
colored man this night. We went first
into the meadows, where the fields
We're laid out in squares and separated
by deep bitches. l couldn't have seen a
darned bear if he was standin' under
my nose. All at c nee one fellow let out
the awfullest yell ye ever heard. 1t
made my flesh creep all over. One fell
low ran up agin' me and / thought he
was the bear, and hollered too like
good, 'un. | made tracks across the
meadow and fell into ditch. where
there was three foot of water. NV gun
was at the bottom of the ditch and we
fished it out. was no sooner on the
When When sees SEQ aomethfng big eossered sos {fn Wisa
fur, and the dogs commenced to growl
and the other fellows shouted that the
bear was there. bolted for home, one
of the dogs followin' me all the way, and
/ thought his breathin' was the breathin,
OF the bear, and l thought it was all
over with me this time. could see tho
red light of the Mauricetown draw
bridge ahead, and I made for that,
tumbling into bitches, trippin' UP in
holes and generally coverin' myself with
mud and bruises. l got over the draw
bridge, leaped over the barnyard fence
and making for in doors when saw an
internal elder bush movin' and thought
that was the bear again, and hollered
for assistance. The folks came out and
helped me in. The old farmer said I'd
had narrow escape, but not to lose
| heart, because would soon get used to
| the Jersey bear huntin'. l went to bed
sore and mad and determined that cart
| horses wouldn't get me out to another
| bear hunt.
When next day came, Renb Smith
/ came to me and said he heerd I had
| shown frst-rate grit at bear hunting, and
that if it wasn't for his family he would
| join the boys again that night, for they
had located darned big bear near by.
To make long story short, went out
again that night with four other fellows.
We took the swamp road, as we did on
the first night. suddenly saw two OBJ
| jects movin'. They were covered with
hair and looked to me as big as elephants.
l shouted out: Here they are! Two of
theml Look out!' Ike White shouted:
Give them both barrelsp blazed away
One of the big objects tumbled down
and felt kinder proud and said: That's
one hide, anyhow The other, howev-
er. came right on, and as | knew l had
nothin' in my gun | did the streak-of-
hghtning-act and made for the barn-yard,
where I dropped down exhausted. The
old farmer gave me big glass of whisky
to pull me round, and then told him T
had been chased by one monstrous bear,
but that had killed! the other. He
shook hands and said he was proud of
me. Next mornin' all Mauricetown was
| GRIMM at me. Would you believe it?
These Mauricetown boys had put up q
JOB on me. They had covered them
selves with buffalo robes. they had made
the dogs ,yowi by. nippin' them. Reub
Smith had played bear in the bushes,
and they had carefully drawn my car
tridges on the lest night before set
out.
"That was my first and last bear hunt
you bet. Them Mauricetown fellows
played the second game on Philadel-
| phian. He was an old man and cripple,
and do you know they scared him 80 bad
and made him jump so many bitches
and run so fast that they cured him,
and he is able to walk just as well as I
t-n now."-Philadelphia Times.
"N1an- Carrying Pig"
| When King Pomare of Tahiti became