The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-23
MIR. wILLIAMs's BEAR FIGHT.
Pennsylvania Farmers Encounter with
Bear in His Sheep-F0Id.


Bear in His Sheep-FoId.
Scranton (Pa.) Special to New York Sun.
I've had some purity handsome tussels with
bears In my time, but never had bear tackle
me with so little provocation an so near at home
as one did last week, said Farmer Elias Will
ians OF Spring Brook, the other day. Il was
going out to the barn about o'clock in the
evening to milk the cows. Back of the barn
halt dozen Of my sheep were chawin their
cnds, the most of EN- layin' down, kinder inner
cent IKE. Just as | was turnin the corner see
big black bear sneakn up toward the sheep l
dropped my milk-pail and ran to the house after
my gum little thinkin' the beard get away fore
got back. didn't s'pose he'd NEEDLE with the
sheep, but that shows how little knew bout
bears decency. While l was gone after the
gun. the black rascal grabbed one o the latest
sheep in his arms, and when / got out o the
house he was waddlin off with it as fast as his
big body would let him. The sheep bleated an
cried for his life, but tina didn't scare him at
all. he kept waddlln toward the woods, and
when had got within shootin' distance, pulled
the gun on him. The consumed thing wasn't
loaded, an there l was in purity scrape.
couldn't let the mutton be carried off without an
effort to rescue it, an so l rushed for the cussed
animal with the butt end of my gun raised. 1
intended to whack him the head an surprise
him so he'd let up on the sheep. Jest as l was
going to maui him over the pate, he seemed to
smell rat, fur he turned around all of a sudden
an looked at me as much as to say, What you
lively, and was goin to cuff him gently to see
what he'd do, when he bounced round again an
faced me. Then | bobbed back the other way,
intending to tap him the nozzle to see how
he'd like it. l didn't look fur what followed
though. He seemed to tumble to my game, an
the thought that he'd have to drop that mutton
in order to attend to me made him mad. The
sheep was kickin' an squallin' pitifully. | made
lunge forward, an brought the stock of the
gun down on the bears bang. He kinder
grunted AS if the blow unsettled his stomick, an
then he dropped the sheep an plunged at me- i
jumped to one side. an hit him by the side of his
head. Mr.. Bear showed fight, his aim bein' to
git his great hooks on me. | had no weapon ex-
cept the gum an that was no good without
charge in it. He pranced round on his hing legs.
an tried to coax me to come to his bosom, an
ev'ry time whacked him on the snoOt with the
butt of my gun he muttered somethn' that
sounded like an oath. Once in while he got
close enough to me to tear my clothes, an then
punched him in the chest with the end o the
bar'l an made him back up few steps He had
Rugged the sheep so hard that it was almost
dead, an was bound to have his life. gave
him one swat on the ear that staggered him an
broke the gun sot no more use to me- The
bear noticed that I'd lost my only weapon an
that peared to cheer him up. He pitched at me
as | stopped to pick up stun, an got his paws
partly round me- hustled myself to loosen his
grip, an we both rolled over two or three times
an come up standing again. | wanted to tucker
him out if | could, but his wind was fine Then
ne maze nutner lunge az me an tore one sue OIL
my coat off. / scampered away for a couple of
rods to get a round stun. an he was on top of
me fore l knew it. He spilled all the clothes
had my back an bursted my suspenders, but
got the stun and crawled from under him. an
then / turned an thumped him the nose
till tears rolled down his cheeks He got dis
couraged for minute on two, but he rallied
agin, an tried to put bold front onto the af-
fair by maxim faces at me. While he was
dom this was surveyin' the lot to sec where
stun lay that could handle. / spied one few
yards away an scooted for it. He made fur me
once more as fast as ever he could, but [ was
too quick fur him, an by the time he got there
I'd grabbed up stun that weighed four or five
pounds. had scarcely thread of clothing on
my body from the waist up, an the scratches
that Mr.. Bear had made on me don't feel fust
rate. The next done was to give him whack
on the cocoanut with the stun He staggered,
an | followed it up with another thump. Fin
ally | got him down, an then | hammered his
tough pate till he stopped breathin. 1t was a
desperate tug, an was all but used up, but |
had downed the sheep thief. 1t was purity dark
when finished the bear, and when l went over
to where the sheep was l found it was dead.
don't want to tackle another bear unless have
a loaded gun or big knife.