Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-06-06
A SAVAGE ENCOUNTER.



ssI've had some purity Handsome tbs
seIs With bears IN my time, but / neveE
had bear tackle me with 90 little provo
cation en- 90 near home as one did last
week, " aaid Farmer Elias Williams, Of
Spring Brock, the other day. 81 was
goin' out 70 the barn about 2 O'Clock IN
the evening TO milk the COWS. Back d
the barn half dozen Of my sheep was
chawin' their cuds, the most II 'em lay
in' down kinder innercent like. Just as
4 was turnin' the corner Isee o big black
bear nneakin' up toward the sheep. /
dropped my milk pail an ran to the
house after my gun. little thinkin' the
beard git away 'foreI got back. I didn't
s'pose he'd NEEDLE with the sheep, bat
that shows how little / knew bout
bears decency. While I was gone after
the gum, the black rascal grabbed one o.
the latest sheep In his arms, and when
i got ont o. the house he was waddlin'
on with Il as fast as his big body would
let him. The sheep blaated en- cried
for his Life, but that didn't scare che
bear ct ell. He kept waddIin' toward
the woods, an when / had got within
ahootin' distance I pulled the gun on
him. The consumed thing wasn't
loaded, an there / was In @ purity
aorape I couldnT Let that mutton be
carried of without an effort 10 rescue
Il. an so rushed for the cuased ami
NAL with the butt end Of my gun raised.
I intended to whack him on the head an
surprise him sohe'd let up on the sheep.
Jest as I was goin' TO maui him over the
pate he seemed to smell rat, fur he
turned round al Of q sudden an looked
ct me Is much as TO say, What you
want round here 2 I hoped to one
aide kinder lively an was goin' TO cuff
him gently TO see what he'd do, when
he bounced round agin an faced me.
Then I bodied back the other way, IN
tendin' to tap him on the nozzle to see
how he'd Like il. didn't look fur what
follered, though. He seemed TO tumble
20 my game, en- the thought that he'd
have to drop that mutton Ia order TO ct
tend 70 me made him mad. The sheep
was Ackin' an squalIin' pitifully. /
made lunge forward an brought the
stock OF the gum down on the bears
bang. He kinder grunted, az II the blow
unsettled his stomick, an then he
dropped the sheep an plunged ct me. /
jumped to one side an hit him By the
side Of the head.
''Mr. Bear showed fight, his aim bein'
70 git his grab hooks on me. had no
weapon except the gun, en- that was no
good without . charge in IL. He pranced
round on his hind legs an tried to coax
me 10 come to bis bosom, an ev'ry time
I whacked him on the snoot with the
butt end Of my gun he muttered some
thin that sounded Bsse an oath. Once
In q while he got close enough to me to
tear my clothes, IN then I'd punch him
In the chest with the end o. the bar'l an
make him back up few steps. BE had
Rugged Che sheep so hard that It was
almost dead, an was bound TO have
his Life. / give him one swat on the ear
that staggered him an broke the gun
so't was no more use to me. The bear
saw that lost my only weapon, al that
'peared 20 cheer him up. He pitched &c
me Is I stopped to pick up stun, an
got bis paws partly round me. Ihustled
myself to loosen his grip, an We both
rolled over two or three times en- come
np atandin' agin. / wanted 70 tucker
him ont II I could. but his wind was fine.
Then he made 'nuther lunge &c me an
tore one side ofmy cost OF. I scampored
away for . couple o rods 20 git : round
stun, an he was on cop Of me fore /
knew IL He spilled ell the clothes /
had on my back an busted my suspend
.ers. but got the stun and crawled from
under him, an' then. I turned an
dumped him On the nose, till tears
rolled down his cheeks. he cot dis
couraged for ! minute or two, but be
rallied agin, "a tried to put . bold front
onto the affair BY maxim faces ct ne.
While be was dom this was surveyin'
The lot to see where = stun lay that ]
could handle. spied one few yards
away al aOooted fur IL he made lur
me once more Is fast os ever be could
but was TOO quick fur him, ~ b the
time he got there grabbed up stun.
that weighed Iour q Eve pounds. ! bad
scarcely tbxea1 Of clothing on my body
from the waist m. an tl,a scratches that