The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-03-17
SAM HELMS $40 BEAR.
New York SUM-

Il suppose tnat one OF the FUNNIEST eX.
peIiences any of our backwoodsmen ever
bad" said reminiscent old resident of this
neighborhood, Twas the one Sam Helms had
once in transporting live bear from Haw-
| ley to Milford. Sam was a member OF a
family that settled beck in the woods before
the Indians had fairly left the Delaware
Valley. They were family of queer char
acters, and Sam was the queerest of the lot.
Early in life he manifested great Partially
| for rattlesnakes and rum, and his friendship
| for both lasted until he died. He knew every
rattlesnake den for miles around, aud in
those days the serpents were plenty. Meet
| Sam when or where you might he
| always had one or more of the reptiles
| slowed snugly away somewhere about his
| clothes. If he stopped to talk with you, it
| wouldn't be minute before you would see
| a snake poke its head out of Sans shirt
| 'front.' or may be ont of each one of his pock
| cts, and eye you with not altogether pleasant
curiosity. To a stranger these forked-
| tongue apparitions were startling, to say
| the least, and his establishment and alarm
were always source of great amusement to
| Sam.
About the time the war broke out Sam
| Helms thought he could make lot of money
| by travelling about the country exhibiting
| snakes, and he got together such colec-
| tion of wild rattlers, black snakes, blowing
| adders and cOpperheads as probably was
never owned by any other individual before
| or since. He travelled all over the country
| with his snakes, and made great deal of
| money, but always came back home without
/ a cent and minus his snakes 1t was only
| the work of few days, though, for him TO
| capture another lot, and then he would start
| out ON the road again. He invented box
Il oxb shftipr hfo Zoe w, ioh pNoHo tbopN
| appear like monsters 10 the gaping spectators.
| The box was simply an exaggerated stereO-
| scope, with the snakes lying in apartments
| at the butt end, 50 to speak. The audience
| stepped up one at a time and looked through
/ glass the size of a saucer at the other end.
| This glass was a powerful magnifer, and
| made twO-foot rattle-snake look as big
an anaconda.
I'm 1868 or "a Sam came home after
| new stock of snakes. The Hawley Branch
| of the Erie Railway had then just been built
up the Lackawaxen Valley, and the inhab-
| itants were prouder of it than a circus horse
/ of its plume. Sam wasn't much of a hunter,
except for his favorite snakes, but a man
| from New York had offered $40 for live
| bear delivered to him at Milford Sam
wanted $40, and thought he could make it
| about as easy in capturing bear and driving
| it 10 Milford as he could in any other way,
| so he went back on the Paupoch ridges and
| set trap. He got bear the first night las
seed him, and muzzled him with a strap.
| The distance from where the bear was
| trapped to Milford was about eighteen miles
| across country, and Sam intended to tramp
1t in and take the bear along with
| him. The people who lived around
| there told Sam that. as the railroad company
had gone to good deal OF trouble and ex-
| pense to extend the road up the. Lackawack
and make something out of them and the
| country, 1t ought to be patornized. They
| thought that Sam ought to give the company
a little lift by taking his bear and travelling
on the cars. Sam said ne was in favor OF
/ public enterprise, and, although he would
] have to walk nine miles to get to the railroad
/ and then ride forty miles and walk eight
4 more to get to his destination, he would
| show his appreciation of the company's
| work by patronizing the road. So ne walked
mis- bear into Hawley, loaded it in the bag
| gage car, tied it up in a corner, and seated
| himself in the passenger car.
l The train had Just left Kimble's Station,
| i've miles from Hawley, when the brakeman
came running into the passenger car. He
was pale as sheet. He grabbed Sam Helms
by the arm.
''SayP he yelled, that bear is loose, and
is cleaning things in the baggage carp
/ Sam hurried back to the baggage car.
| Sure enough the bear was loose, and was scat
tering things around lively enough. The
baggagemaster was lying fiat on beam near
| the roof of the car, and the bear had every
II
strap off of his snout with his fore paws,
| and was in good shape for all corners. Sam
| Helms had never weakened to rattlesnakes
or copperheads, and didn't intend to show
she white feather to bear, especially as $40
4 depended on its safe delivery at his destina-
ton. So he buckled right into bruin. For
tunately the bear was young fellow, and
/ not very heavy. Sam yelled to the
train men 10 turn in and help. The
train men didn't turn hin worth cent, and
Sam found himself in about the stiffest
| wrestling match that was ever seen or heard
Of. He was strong and tough in those days,
and he struggled mp and down and to and
frO with that bear, in the cooped up space
the baggage car afforded, for ten minutes
| Trunks were thrown here and there, and ex-
! press packages scattered heller SHELTER in all
directions. Sans clothing was nearly all
torn off of him. While the tussle was at its
| height brilliant idea struck the baggage
man on his perch near the car roof. He
let himself down from the beam, and slid
ing the door open at the side of the car, he
"'Roll the internal cuss out of the carl
/ Pitch him outl'
1.-THE door was on thejside next to the river.
There was a big rafting fresbet in the Lacka-
wack, tor it was in the spring of the year
Now, Sam didn't intend to roll that bear out
| of the door If he knew it, for dead, the bear
wouldn't be worth $40. Alive it was as good
as $40 TO Sam. So he howled back, as well as
| he could, between tumbles and thumps:
"'SlIng ropel Don't stand like lot of
d-n idiots, but sling rope around himW
The baggage-m2ster grabbed rope, and
was about to fasten the kbear by the leg,
when the bear gave lunge and roll, and out
| Of the car door went both bruin and Sam.
The railroad was on high bank above the
river. but the bank sloped gradually down TO
Sam struck the ground they
separated, but the impetus given them