News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-12-06

Old Joe Showers, who resides on Dry
| Fork OF Cheat, close up to the highest
| part of Rich Mountain, West Virginia,
! is hunter, fisherman and small farmer.
Joe has had many adventures in his
time with the animal creation on old
Rich Mountain, but one of the queerest
and most peculiar adventures in his
career happened but few days since.
Joe had gone up deep ravine in the
mountain, down the sides Of which
time, erosion and the mountain stream
had cut deep but narrow fssure.
This stream IN places poured over rocky
precipices, often many feet high, while
IN others it shone and glistened like sill
verin small but deep basins of pure water.
These basins were full of magnificent
trout, and Joe knew just where to cap
ture the finest ones. He took with him his
silk trout line and flies, but didn't think
1T worth while to carry gun or pistol.
He had occasion to regret before the day
was over. He had climbed up the
mountain about half way, to spot
where before him lay small basin of
water about twenty feet long by ten or
twelve feet wide. Selecting thick
bush. he quietly crept to the edge Of the
pond. Behind this leafy screen the old
line into the stream. Trout either bite
quickly in this region or not at all. On
this occasion they were hungry, and
eagerly snapped at the fly as fast as the
old man could pull them out. In few
minutes he had captured eight or ten
fine fellows, and bad just thrown another
over his head behind him, when, Just as
he partially rose to turn about after his
fish, he received heavy blow which
knocked him through the bush almost
into the centre Of the pool. Splash he
went, heels over head, into the water,
which was five or six feet deep. AS
soon as he could catch his breath and
clear the water out of his ewes, nose
and mouth, old Joe turned toward
the hank to sec what had struck him.
The sight was neither comforting nor
pleasing. There ON the bank, quietly
chewing old Joe's trout, stood an enor-
nous black bear. He seemed to relish
his meal and to enjoy old Joe's situation
ut the same time, for the old man declares
that his little pig-like eyes twinkled with
fun, while his broad chops widened into
smile. In less time than it takes to
tell 1t the bear had eaten all the trout,
except the one just landed, and this one
he picked up and proceeded to masticate.
He hadn't chewed ON it long, however,
before he opened his mouth wide and
gave yell of pain. The hook ha be-
come fastened IN his tongue. And as
the shank stood up almost perpendicular
every time the bear tried to shut his
mouth, the barb would sink deeper into
his tongue and cause him to roar with
pain.
Old Joe took in the situation at
DIanCa and hn 10 n Of inApYa,to
ble courage, he Immediately determined
to take advantage of it. So quietly wad-
ing ashore he picked up a big stone and
started for the bear. The bear saw him
coming, and started to meet him half
way, but before he had gone more than
three OF four steps he brought up with
line had caught on n bash.
Knowing that Il hard pull on the line
would part it, Joe became more quiet
and careful in his advance. The bear
stood upon its hind legs with its mouth
open, and the line hanging down.
until Joe had got within six or eight
feet, when the fisherman, with all his
force, threw the heavy stone and struck
him on the head.
The blow was q terrible one and
knocked the bear off its feet Unfor-
tunately the fall broke the line, and be-
lore y oe could get another big stone tho
bear was on its feet and after him. Just
as Joe stopped to gather another rock
the bear gave him cuff which knocked
him back into the pool. Either tho
force of the blow or the slippery nature
OF the rocks along the bank caused The
oIe1 almost on TOP OA iiAo Oitt Ah"u' d4to
water was about four feet deep mt this
point, and this gave Joe n dc cided adj
'antage for a moment. With the rock
n his hand he kept the bear, which was
from catching hold Of him,
lille he banged the brute over the
cad with the rock In the struggle the
ear and the man unconsciously APP
reached to the edge of the precipice,
-hich fell a distance of eighteen or
wenty feet to a rocky pool below. in
n unlucky moment Joe had approached
DO close to the bear, when the animal
eized him by the leg and began to drag
be fisherman toward him. Joe struck
i'm on the nose with the stone and
urt him so badly that the bear raised
D his hind feet in pain and fell over
dragging Joe with him. Down
hey went over the pIecipice TO the
ocks below. Fortunately Joe fell on
Op of the bear and received but n slight
hook, but the bear was hurt. Its back
yas broken by the fall.
flndlng his enemy III TINS condition
oe soon put him out Of his misery by
nocking out his brains with stone.
he exercise had been rough, and the
Ill, combined with the scratches and
lows he had received, had about done
he old fellow up. Alter the fight was
yer the old man laid down on the bank
Dr. an hour or so before lie recovered
to go home. He is all right
l,olf .l,ua,, I l,1 ali
nd bruised shoulder, but he will
ever go trout fishing again without
-eapons. The old man said, in speaking
f the fight, that he would most certain
Y have been ''chawed up if 1t hadn't
cen for that hook ketchin in the bars
Francisco EaqUirer.