National Republican., 1888-02-12
FISHING FOR A BEAR.
The Animals Observe Ground Hog Day
MS If They Were Ground Hogs.
Kint.nInti

Kingston Freenan.
This afternoon man dressed in the garb
Of a hunter attracted some attention on The
Strand, Rondout. The strangers name was
Thomas Graham Catskill mountains hun
ter and guide. For years in summer Gra-
ham has lived in log hut of his own CON
structon, in one of the cloves. It is said
that he is so familiar with the topography of
Round Top and other mountains that he
would be able to go over them blindfolded.
Graham is called "Old BearslIin Tom" by
his acquaintance. His cabin is lined with
bearskins taken from the carcasses of bears
that he has killed single handed. A reporter
of the Freeman met Graham and asked him
for bear story.
"Icmmc see" said the old hunter. 81
didn't tell yer about the last bar killed. did
l?n
AS the reporter had never seen or spoken
to Graham before he assured the old hunter
that he had not.
We'll, it happened last Thursday, that
| bein' the day the bars krawl out o. their
holes to look fur their shadders, an if they
see 'cm krawl back agin'. / kalkerlate /
know of one bar that didn't krawl back"
and here the old hunter stopped and INDUCED
in a hearty chuckle.
"One day before Thursday went huntin'
on old Round Top and disllivered a bars
that sloped down into ravine hundreds of
| feet Below the edge of wall waz a sort of
platform like about twenty feet squnr from
which the wall branched out agin' and con-
tinued its way down to the rayine. ! studied
the siterwation an made up my min to
ketch that ar bar on n hook and line and hev
sum fun. | knew the critter would krawl
out on bars day to see his shaddcr.
81 made big hook and fastened it to wan
end of long line that would bear heavy
/ .,..I,t rl.,,g
dauber such as fishermen Use. fer the kind of
fish wuz arter wuz different an all | he'd
to git besides the line an hook wuz u chunk
of fresh beef, which put on the hook fer
bait. reached the place where the bar wuz
hidin' arly in the mornin'. put the meat
| on the snow in trunt of the bars hole and
trailcd the line under the snow over the wall
out of sight TO the level spot below. Then
| krawlcd to Il place whar could see the bar
when he cum out. About II o'clock seed
the mouth of the hole darkcn up. an mex
seed wuz the bar hissclf He opened his
mouth an yawned an saw his shadder.
| 81 thort thet the cuss wuz goin' back to
sleep some more, when he caught sight of the
meat. Now sez to myself is the time for
me to git to tother end of the rope am slid
down to the level platform. lalled to my
self when thOrt what u sucker | would make
of that bar. Purity soon felt the line trcm-
BILE, an | knew the bar was snutfin' an
| turnin' the chunk o meat over in the snow.
| Then ON suddint the line wuz hauled up
several inches an gave II suddint an heavy
pull. The hook caught the critters mouth
Jest as had kakerlated it would, an gave
another pull and began haulin' the line in
han over han.
"The old bar cum tumblin' over the edge
of the rock in II kloud o snow. He fell
heavy, but was not hurt AS the snow
wu2 so deep. The consarned kuss luked up
at me, an never saw such surprised bar
in my life. He was so ashamed in bein'
kctchcd like trout thct he he'd often seed
ketched in the brooks tibet he aktually offered
appealin' like asked me to kill him quick fur
bein' so foolish | TUX out my knife an
stuck the critter in Il vital spot, an yer never
seed such sold eXprcslun on a bars face as
wuz on that bars. The critter was hungry
| fur he he'd swallered the hook cfar down his
| thrnnt "