The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-19
A BEAR DROPPED IN.
The Circus that Organized Itself in
Mr.. Frisbie's Barnyard.
New York sun


While Farmer Reuben Frisbee, of Lehigh
township, Pa, was doing chores in his barn
about dusk recently, he heard a commotion
among his sheep in the barnyard, and ran
out to see what the trouble was. He found
that a good-sized black bear with young
sheep in his grasp had frightened all the
other sheep but one from the yard. The re-
naming sheep was large, long-WOoled ram,
and he was butting the bear with all his
might in order to make him drop the young
sheep that was bleating piteously from the
bears tight embrace. Frisbie ran to the
gate through which the bear had entered and
closed it. When he got back the bear had
dropped the sheep and was paying his entire
attention to the ram. but the ram did not
fear him at all; on the contrary, he seemed
to grow Drawer and angrier every moment.
Before the bear released the sheep the ram
backed away number of times and then ran
up with his head lowered and thumped the
bear in the back and sides with so much force
that it made the wild beast Stagger As soon
as the bear had dropped his game he faced
his plucky assailant and tried to play the
same trick on him that he had played on the
young sheep, but the ram was too active for
him. Once or twice the bear managed to
bring one of his big paws down on the rams
back as the latter struck him in the stomach,
but not with force and WelgnI SulnclenL TO
disable the ram in the least.
Farmer Frisbie was so deeply interested IN
the couflict and enjoyed it so much that he
made no effort to assist the pugnaclous ram:
Presently a three-year-old steer, that had
been peacefully chewing his cud under shed
adjoining the barnyard when the bear made
his appearance, suddenly scampered from the
Shed with his head down and his tail up,
hooked the bear in the side and backed away
with chunk OF black hair, on eaeh OF MS
horns Then he scampered around the barn
yard twice and returned to the attack Win
more vigor than before. The thrusts OF the
steers sharp horns made the bear vince and
groan, and the ram, who seemed to know
that the steer was helping him, stood away
few feet and looked on. The steers antics
intensified Farmer Frisbie's interest in the
strange encounter, and, as the darkness was
fast coming on, he thought he ought to dis
pose of the bear in some way.
Farmer FriSbie had no gun on the premiS-
eS and he would not have shot the animal if
there had been a rifle close at hand He con-
cluded that it would be a nice thing to cap
ture the bear alive and show it to his neigh
bors. The steer and the bear were having
lively tussel and making the straw and the
dirt fly, while 1.-THE ram occasionally ran up
and butted the bear in the hip. Farmer Fris-
bic then fastened into the barn and got
stout rope. He made slip moose at one end,
and, after several unsuccessful attempts TO
throw the moose over the bears head, thought
he would have to abandon the notion of cap
turing the bear alive. But he tried again, and
neatly landed the moose around the bears
neck and began to pull back. His exertlons
had no visible effect on the bear, except when
the steer hooked him and made him lunge
forward AT such times the farmers hold on
the rope kept the wild animal from going as
far as he would have done if the rope had not
been round his neck.
Farmer Frisbie then ran up to the fence
and slung the rope over the top of post and
pulled as though his life was at stake. The
post broke off at the bottom, and Farmer
Frisbie tumbled over on his back in heap,
with his feet in the air. The steer became
frightened at the farmers singular attitude
and retired under the shed. The length of
board fence had come down with the broken
post, and the bear, seeing a chance to get
away from the ram, who had begun to butt
him again, tramped over the fallen fence in
to the open field. But the heroic farmer had
q firm hold on the other end of the rope, and
was on his feet again. He was unable to
check the bears progress, however, and
when the steer came out and joined In the
chase the farmer had all he could do to steady
himself The prods of the steers horns made
the bear want to get back to the woods in a
hurry. He ran into the flock of sheep where
they were huddled in a hollow, and away
they scampered across the field.
At this point Farmer Frlsble saw tree
few yards away in the dim twilight, and he
concluded that his time had come to act
promptly. The bear was making a bee line
for the tree, and the ram and the steer were
alternately urging him on, to the intense
modification of the farmer, who had resolved
to anchor the bear to the tree II he could get
near enough the tree to do so. AS good luck
would have it, the bear stampled within q
few inches of the tree, and as he did so Farm.
er FriSbie wound the rope around the trunk
of the tree three or four times, and thus
brought the bear up standing. Then he
he tucked the end of the rope under one of
the coils, so that it would not unwind, and
Immediately got SO far away from the tree
that the bear could not reach him. The tri-
umphant farmer then yelled for some one at
the house to bring him up a lantern. Mean
time he tried to keep the steer and ram away
from the bear, but while he was engaged in
driving one of them away the other would
rush up and hook or butt him. When one Of
the farmers boys ran up with lantern and
was amazed at what he saw the farmer told
him how it had all happened, fastened the
rope securely to the tree, and drove the steer
and ram back to the barnyard. After that he
and the boy got the sheep together, fixed up
the fence so that it would keep them from
strolling away, and went to the house.
Before daybreak on the following morning
Farmer Frisbie went around among his neigh
bors, and told them Of his exploit of the pre-
vious evening. He visited every farm house
within radius of mile, and invited all the
farmers to come over and see his prize as soon
as they had got their breakfasts. By o'clock
a group of hard-headed grangers were as
S6lnDleu at fdrneT uOuSe, dllu dLA-
iously waiting for the enthusiastic farmer to
exhibit what he had said he had caught. The
spot where the bear had been tied to the tree
was not in sight of the farm house, on. ac-
count of an intervening knoll. The farmer
had not told his neighbors that the animal
which he had captured was a bear. He
wanted to give them a genuine surprise by
leading them to the top of hillOck and
pointing out the bear to them. So the farm
er, after having ascertained that they were
all ready, lit his pipe, told them to follow
him, and strobe proudly up the sloping hill
side When they reached the summit OF the
knoll and Farmer FriSbie, with his right
arm extended, was about to direct their gaze
to the bear near the tree, he exclaimed as
his eyes rested on the spot:
SPY the hokeyl What'n thunder's become
of that air bear?'
''What bear?" inquired half dozen of the
farmers at one time.
81 tied a whoppin' black bear to that air
tree down there last night, N | don't see
hide nor hair on him now"
''Oh, you're foolin' said one of the men;
you never tied bear to that tree or any 9TH
er tree. 1t must We been a chipmunk, N
you took it fur bear"
dad did hitch bear to that thar tree las
night, fur | seed him do it with my own
eyesY' yelled Farmer Frisbie's boy.
Come on down here'n I'll show ye wheth-
I'm a liar or not!' roared Farmer Frisbie, as
he led the way toward the tree. One end OF
the rope was still securely tied around the
tree, and, as the farmer held up the other
end, the neighbors saw that it was frayed
and wet, and were at once convinced that
the bear had gnaWed the rope in two during
the night and returned to his native heath.