The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-10-09

July . Jared ". Bidgood. Of Covington,
Pa, caught twenty pound swapping
turtle at Lake Henry. II was IRE speci-
men. and Bidgood lugged 1t home and
pat it into a swill-barrel, intending to
faften it there Tor three or -four weeks
and then take It 10 Scranton and offer il
for sale. The turtle thrived in the barrel
of loppered milk and refuse from the Ia
bic, and 1t seemed to be perfectly con-
tented in its new home.
Between two and three o'clock on the
morning Of July 20, Bidgood was aroused
from a sound sleep by great racket near
his milk house, and be pulled on his
trousers and boots and ran out TO see
what was up. The moon had arisen at
about midnight, snd as the sky was clear
the moons mellow light enabled Bidgood
to take in the situation at a glance What
Bidgood saw both surprised and amused
him. be said. for he had never witnessed
anything at all like it in his life.
/ 4 sOO-pound bear with the tu-tle cling
ing to his nose was prancing around the
ward and snorting as though he was in
great pain. The bear ran up to the fence
/ and tried to climb over it the moment It
saw BIdgood, but the turtle got between
I its forelegs, and the bear beloved, turn
ed its back toward the fsnce, sat up on
its hind quarters, and tried to break the
turtles hold by paving vigorously at the
turtles thick shell with both paws. But
the turtles sharp teeth we're 50 firmly set
in the bears nose that getting them loose
in that way was out Of the QUESTION, and
then the bear ran over 10 the other side
Of the yard and made an effort TO mount
the fence. The turtles shell got between
the boards and pulled the bears bead
down and the enrsged brute gave yell
and rolled over on the grass, throwing
the turtle this way and thatas istumbled
and beloved. The gripof the turtle go'
tighter and tighter all the time, and the
harder the bear worked to loosen hii
grip the more pain he had to endure.
By this time BidgOod had got bis rife
and was ready to give the bear a bulle
Of 42-calibre in the head, bat the rage o
the brute manifested in its failure to re
lease its wonderful nose was such ar
UNIQUE sort of entertainment that Bid
good concluded to let the bear work hi
tactics for few minutes mOns.
The next thing the bear did was L
turn its head as far toward its rear as j
could and scratch at the turtle with il
hind foot, but that didn't work any bet
ter, and then It stepped on the turtle an'
undertook to throw it over its head, bel
, lowing loudly and butting against tn
fence when the tu-tle wouldn't let 70
After that. Bidgocd said, be rushed at tn
bear with his gun uplifted and yelled a
the top Of his voice, and the frightened
beast made furious dash at the fenc
and succeeded in climbing over, the tur
tie still clinging TO its nose. Bidgood SAT-
: that be thought the fun had gone IA
, enough and be leaped the fence and fire.
a bullet into the bears head at the bat
of his left ear The bear keeled owe
and died, and BidgoOd cut piece Of tn
bears snout off and let the tuFtle keep
as long as he wanted TO. It kept the piec
! of snout between its jaws for tweiv
hours, when it got hungry and elected 4
Bidgood fattened the turtle and the
took it to Scranton and sold it for 81
dollars.