Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-10-12
TWO FOOLISH BEARS.
They Dared the Guns OF Amateur Hunters but
Fate Was Against Them.

They Dared the Guns Of Amateur Hunters but
Fate Was Against Them.
From the New York Sun.
Jared Specify, who lives at the
upper end of the one street in the
little numbering settlement at Galway
Forks, Pa, was returning home from
his work, his course taking him
through a small orchard in the rear
OF his house. Under an apple-tree,
eating apples that had fallen TO the
ground he discovered what he at first
thought was a big and somewhat
notorious black hog belonging to a
neighbOr. Specify picked up a stone
and threw it at the animal, at the
same time shouting to hasten its de-
parture from the orchard. The sup
posed hog raised it's head and, seeing
Specify, started quickly in the direc-
zion Of the fence. The first step it
took showed Specify that the hog
was a gOOd-sized bear, and as no
bears had been seen in that locality
for ten years or more, the fact both
surprised and frightened Specify. He
did not tarry In the orchard, but
hurried home
He was not long in spreading the
news of the bears presence among
his neighbOrs, who ridiculed the
story. Next night he appeared at the
house of a neighbOr, bareheaded and
excited, and declared that the bear was
again in his orchard. Two or three
men with guns FASTENED to Speekly's,
But there was no bear to be seen,
Speekly's wife, who had the house
firmly barricaded and was greatly
frightened, bore witness to the pres
ence of the bear this second time and
substantilated her husbands state
ments. It was resolved by the party
OF neighbOrs to set q watch on the
next night and capture the bear
if it appeared again. A dozen men
assembled at SpeekIy's house that
night, all armed, and cOmpanied by
three or four dogs. Some Of the men
posted themselves at the windows in
the house overlooking the orchard,
while Others lay in ambush behind
fences, bushes, and OuthOuses.
At about 9 o'clock one of the
watchers in the house discovered
something stealing from the brush
IN the outskirts of the orchard, and
as it drew near and mounted the
fence he saw it was the bear. He sent
rifle ball atit, and almost simuItane-
Ously with the report Ofhis gun there
came flashes of light and the sound
of guns from all over the premises,
and buckshOt and bullets ratified on
the fences and buildings. Appar-
entity every shot fell harmless about
the bear, for it turned, quickly re-
mounted the fence, and. disappeared
in the brush without showing any
evidence OF injury.
The sight of bruin scared all of the
dogs but one, which took the bears
track and dashed into the woods
after the animal. The hunters fol-
lowed closely on the dog as it went
yeiping on the trail. If there had
been any doubt as to what sort &
an animal it was they were following
the doubt was quickly put aside, as
the dog had chased the animal but
few rods when the sounds of a
fierce cOmbat-snarls, hOWls, and
yeIps- came from tho brush. The
struggle was noisy and desperate,
but brief, and deep silence followed it.
The silence was unanimously regard
ed by the hunters as being too hasti-
" reiterated from the woods and gave
up the chase for the night The next
morning Specify and another man
ventured into the brush to look for
signs Of the bear. They found the
dead body Of the dog and went on
farther.
That same day Samuel Carey and
another fisherman camped on
the shores Of Carey pond, two miles
from Speekly's, were surprised in
their cabin by a bear that stuck it's
head in the door and cOOuy surveyed
the interior. Carey seized his gun
and the bear beat a retreat. A load
of buckshOt brought him to the
ground, and another charge finished
him. The carcass was brought into
this place, and the rejoicing was
great, the bear being naturally be
heved to be the one that had invad-
ed Speekly's orchard. In the
morning, however, one of Speekly's
boys while blackberrying in a lot a
hundred yards beyond where his
father had found the body of the
dog the bear had killed, stumbled
over the dead body Of a bear lying
IN the bushes. He carried the news
home, and the carcass was carried In.
It was f0uuH fn he rs1G4a7 with