Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-11-23
BRUIN HAD HER TREED.
How Three Bears Broke Up Uncle
Jimmy spencer's Camp

mas hau almost seventy years expert
cnce as a hunter and trapper in the
fore SITS and along the streams Of the
Allegheny Mountains in Virginia and
West Virginia. and still is straight as
an arrow and rs hardy as one of the
mighty oaks under whose branches he
has slain hundreds of wild animals,
and whose leafy umbrage has shelter
cd him from the s. ms of winter and
heat of summer. A short time since
| stopped a few days with Uncle
Jimmy. and rs heavy rains had made
it almost impossible to travel or 60
out OF doors, we passed most of the
time around pleasant fire. with the
old hunter telling stories Of his expert
ences and your correspondent listenin O
and making mental notes of many of
the most interesting. One story which
he told of his early married life struck
me as particularly unique and in terest-
ing and l will We it to the public Just
as got II from the lips of the old man
himself:
1T was away back in the 40's. when
these woods were alive with the finest
game in the world, that | settled down
at this spot My wife and | had only
been married about year and we al
been looking abo / for a suitable spot
on which to b. ID our home. 1t is
true l have alwa. been hunter. but
then l always h; :. a hankering for Il
home-some place where / could de-
pend upon comfortable shelter and "A
resting place during the warm weather
when there was no hunting to be done.
and the cold blasts OF winter. Well.
we had selected this spot, after some
months search. and had removed all
OF our earthly possessions. which
cons isted OF bed and bedstead, n few
kitchen utensils. and three or four
chairs to this valley. There was not
stove within twenty miles. and for
that matter there are not MI any closer
than that to-day As soon as we got
here | unhitchcd the horses under a
tree and tied them up. and while my
wife was cooking our dinner | went &c
work cutting down trees for the house.
BY the evening of the second day | had
logs enough cut into lengths TO make
a small one-roomed log cabin as a
starter. The next morning | started
out on a short hunt for some fresh
meat. thinking | would be able to get
a deer in the course of an hour, but
somehow the deer seemed mighty wild,
and did not get shot until about two
hours after left camp. when knocked
over fine doe. As soon as possible was
on my way back with the deer swung
over my shoulder / went swinging
along until | got within two or three
hundred Yards of camp, when heard
soma one screaming and calling for
me- listened just long enough to
find out that the yelling came from the
camp, when | dropped the doe and
broke into run. 1t ddu't take me
long to reach it. | tell you, and what
do you think l found2 IL was
comical sight, and If / hadn't been
afraid something serious might happen
would have had 10 lay down and
laugh. There was the CAMP sure
enough, and there were two big black
bears, but where was my wife? The
bears were upsetting every thing and
poking their noses into every corner
of the wagon. A bedquilt would be
tossed up into the ar by their paws
and it would fall over the head of one
or other of the animals. which would
scramble and scratch to get out while
the other one seemed to enjov the fun.
Then basket was knocked out of the
wagon and went rolling of few feet
with n black rascal after 1t. just about
this time / saw something up n the
tree close nv the wagon, which looked
very much like badiy-scared woman.
| didn't have TO look second time,
for the object gave shrill scream and
called for me to come and rel eve her.
] called back to her to keep cool, as /
was coming.
Hurry up. J m; there's big bear
climbing the tree!' she yelled.
Sure enough. just then saw Tie
lust rising above the limb awav out on
which nv wife was ting got
good bead on the fellow and shot him
through the head. and down he tum.
bled. He WASH killed. but he was so
badly hurt I saw he couldn't get away,
so turned my attention TO the others.
There were no brcech leaders in those
flaws. and l had to reload nv gun,
which il lidd't take me long to do
When l had rammed home the ball and
prmed the gun | took aim ut one OF
the two on the ground and let h m
have IT, must have been a little ex-
cited. guess. for / only succeeded in
shooting of the end of his nose The
fellow gave roar OF rage and pain
and came galloping right at mo. l
didn't have time TO reload. and barely
time TO swing M gun mp over nv
shoulder when the bear rose right up
in front of me. Whack! 1 took him
on the head and Knocked h m down on
all fours. but he was up and Mt me
again. gave him q ripper over the
eyes and he struck me on the side a
belt which almost Knocked the wind
out of mo. just then Cesar. my dog.
which must have been out hunting on
his own hook. came running THROUGH
the brush with yell and caught th e
bear by the hind leg. This saved me
from being killed. perhaps, for il gave
me a minutes time-just enough To
throw in q charge OF powder and "a
drop in a wet bullet without wadding.