Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-09-16

HE following which We copy from the
Boston Globe is interesting reading and it
may be all true. but if it is. we feel like say
ing with Burns:
q wad some power the gifte gle IL,
To sec oursels a. iihers see us.
ELLSWORTH, Ne, August ll.-The gay
tourist, passing To Bar Harbor, in the flying
palaces Of the Name Central railroad. looks
out the window for moment as the brake
man shouts Ellsworth" and then settle.
himself back in his seat and waits for the
next station, not knowing that be is passing
through the best bear hunting region in the
| niied States. II not the best in the world.
The Rocky mountains may have grizzly
here and there among the inaccessible can
,ons and rugged defles. where none but the
hardest hunters dare go, but all the griz-
zl!es Of the West put together would not
equal the number OF bears in Hancock
county alone. Every town in the county
has It's famous bear hunter, who can count
his ,ictime by the score, and many is the
man who s,irs the smouldering ashes Of his
#. d." pipe with the stub Of finger which
was los. IN bear fight. Last year two
children were out at play by the roadside in
Amherst. when bear came out and carried
one of them of, after manner related in
the Bible. Early this spring Mr.. Coombs
Of Dedham was in his pasture building
fences when he was attacked by mother
bear, and lef, for dead. Some neighbors
found him with his leg broken and his ribs
crushed in, and took him home, where he is
now recovering by using bears grease from
the very bear that hurt him, she having been
oyertaken and shot that very day Cattle.
sheep and horses are killed By bears in the
pastures nearly every day, while the number
Of hives of bees and fat geese that are car
RED of Is too large 10 count.
The woods of Hancock county are full of
bears. The, are seen in the fields and pas
tures by passing farmers They lie in wait
By roAdsIdes TO ffighten seheOl children, and
at night when the farmer is sleeping they
enter his dooryard and faiten on his choicest
poultry. Tie amount Of stock destroyed by
bears in some of the towns would pay oil
the taxes Of the place. if sold at marke,
rates, and there would still be a handsome
surplus.
Ellsworth is the center Of Hancock coun-
", and is therefore good place TO star,
from on bear hunt, Between here and
Orland, little blueberry village on the sea
shore, are some 10000 acres of rough wood
land. and old residents estimate that there is
bear 10 every acre.
One of the oldest aud most experienced
bear hunters in the State lives in Orland on
little farm that was selected because II was
an excellent bear pasture. This man i.
Simeon b. Higgins. better known to resi-
dents as Uncle Sim" Though over 1s
/ years Of age he is still active, and not a yeal
passes that he does not kill from one tc
twenty bears. He has kept no account o!
the number OF bears he has slain in his life
time, bu, says it must be more'n thous
and" "Uncle Sim" has unquestionably The
best bear record of any man living.
The personal appearance of "Uncle Sim
| is quite striking. He is rugged. looking
man, somewhat above the medium height
thick set and very straight for one Of hi
age. He has long, snow-white hair anC
white, flowing beard. His features are vel
marked, large and prominent, and his fac'
/ has firm bat kind expression.
! Mr. Higgins was born in the town of Lin
coin. Me, October 10, 1910. He moved
wheA quite young, with his parents. tt
| Mount Desert Island, and has since lived il
different towns, but always in eastern
Maine. He has been hunter ever sinct
boyhood. The island was quite place fo
game years ago and gave MIN good hunting
ground in his younger days. Of late year
be has hunted only occasionally and princi
pally for bears. A number of years ago
when in the prime Of life, he used to sue
cessfully hunt moose, wolves. bears, deer
caribou and all kinds of game which tn
Maine forests have sheltered. He is
bachelor and has lived for some time on
farm in East Orland with his youngest sis
ter, pleasant-looking maiden lady.
His home is little one-story house
which is provided with the ancient and tra
ditionsl trap door. such as the first settler
used to have, but which are now so scare
that they are considered quite curiosity 4
the younger generation, even in this par
of New England. He has q large bari
and some good looking stock. The neigh
boring woods are all alive with bears.
His house is situated near where fou
roads meet, at place called "Higgin'
Corner" When neighbors round about O.
those roads see signs of bears, lose sheep, o
meet with any loss from wild animals, the
always send for "Uncle Sim" to ferret ou
and destroy the intruder.
The statement of his killing bear thi
last spring weighing 1877 pounds has bee
going the rounds of the press lately. Th
following is the substance Of an account
given by himself, of the capture of that ani
NAL:
Saturday afternoon" said he, II disccv
cred his work, where he had been gnawin
the trees, and Monday afternoon got tn
trap ready and set it in hole cut in tn
| al .s L. 81
surface. For bait had piece of IN ol
| hose. T,,.sdev vuopu;n~ I ~nnt - vss;f III