The Dickinson press., 1889-03-16
BEARS OF CALAVERAS.
AN EXCEEDINGLY SMART FAMILY
OF PIG sTEALERs
Henry Wilson Tells How Bruip Entered
His Impenetr:,ble Hog Pen His Ad-
miration Was So Great That He Could
Not Kill tho Thieyiuc Brutcs

His Impenetr:.ble Hog Pen His Ad-
miration Was So Great That He Could
Not Kill tho Thievins Brutcs
Henry Wilson, of Calaveras declares that
the bears of that county are smarter and have
more ''sabe" than the human inhabitants of
any other county in the state, There are lots
of them, too-black, brown, cinnamon, and
grizzly-and all as fat as butter They have
nuts plenty, and there is hardly pig pen
in the county that they haven't raided
"They got away with my pork in great
shape said Wilson, when be was telling n
party of friends at the Richelieu about the
surprising prevalence of accomplished bears
in the neighborhood of his rancho on Jones
Creek. II knew how bears liked pigs, and so
| took extra care of mine built high
fence of heavy pickets around the pens and
sharpened the pckets as:.tine as needles, so that
no bear could go over them without punch
ing himself full of holes In one pen kept a
dozen hogs, and in another | had two sows
and two litters OF fine pigs. | saw the bears
strolling around nights, but they didn't ge.
any of the hogs for some time
The pigs were about three months old,
and as sat around and watched them
grow, calculated the number of rich roasts
would have out of the lot, when one morn
ing missed one, There was no way for a
pig to get out, or anything to get in, but q
pig was gone ali the same. couldn't under
stand the disappearance at all. Two days
later another pig was missing, and in two
weeks my fourteen pigs had been reduced to
six.
Where those pigs had gone was more
than could make out. The fence was all
up, not picket was loose. and the points
were as sharp rs ever | had sat up pretty
late several times to watch the pens, but
now decided to make an all night job OF it.
| went to bed in the afternoon and snorel
away until plumb dark, when got up,
loaded my rifle for the beat and hid behind
log about sixty yards from my pig corral
The moon came out from behind some
heecy clouds ard Shed a pale light on the
premises. put in a good deal of the night
bobblng my head up from behind the log,
but no pig stealing ghosts, no marauding
ne!ghbors, no anything ever showed up.
Ut was lonesome work, and | was getting
tired OF 1t, when through the haze | SAW n
big black bear walking along on his hind
feet, gesticulatillg with his paws, and grunt-
ing complacently as he looked behind him
Another bear vas following in the same
fashion, and two cubs brought up the rear of
the procession. 1t seemed to me that they
We're conversing together, and when the boss
OF tho gang pointed over to my ranch | con
Guided that they were talking pork.
The whole outfit steered for my pig pei,
and halted close it, That didn't worry
me- as couldn't see how the old bears could
get over the fence to steal my pigs found
out pretty soon that | had made the acquaint-
ance of very accomplished and clever fam
lly
''The grand old marshal of the parade
Skinned up an old oak that stood near the
fence made a sign of caution to the others,
crawled out OH big limb and waited for
Mrs. Bruin, who was following HIM, after
boxing the ears of both cubs to make them
keep quiet.
Then saw what hadn't noticed before.
The limb came we'll out over my pig pen The
first old bear of this sty storming company
advanced along the limb, which gradually
bent under his weight until the tips of the
bouyh touched the ground i'll one of the pens.
His partner went out along the limb in the
same way, AMI when he dropped to tho
ground her weight kept the limb bent
There was the deuce to pay in the pig PEI,
10y this time. The old SOW was charging
around in great conStermation and the LITTLE
pigs were skipping about and keeping close
TO her most of tine time Bruin WAS on tho
ground sizing up the lay out. and when tho
oil SOW made Il iunge at him as ihouah h to rlt,
him, he gave her Il comlcal look, as much IS
to say: oh, what are you giving usH swipeG
her one on the side of tho Jaw and laid Le1
out.
Then he grabbed the fattest pig of the lot,
climbed upon the limb which his side part
ner was holding down for him and slowly
wriggled up toward tue trunk OF the tree,
the she bear recedlnS as he advanced.
THAT performance just beat all my going
a-fishnS. The bears we're coming down the
tree when recovered from my astonshmcnt
enough to remember that it was my pork that
was disappearing. Hold on therer yelled,
that is too stiff game, and whunged away
with my rifle into the tree. didn't try to
hit the bear, because | rather admired the
cieverncss of the old thief, and didn't want
to burst up such an interesting family.
'Well, sir, there was great tumbling and
rustling IN the tree, the pig dropped squeal.
ing to the ground, and down scrambled the
two bears stern foremost, looking u good dead
discomlited AS | bluzed away few more
times | made a little speech TO the bears:
LOOK mere, SAID l, III! let you oil this time,
but You come monkeying around my pig pen
again and you'll get hurt sure.
The little bears had scampered away, aud
the she bear hurried after them as soon as
she touched the ground The big fellow
cooked his head on one side, aud | THINK Ae
winied at me as he went away
We'll, do you know never lost any more
pigs. That pig stealing outfit OF !.lan,l ra,les
just took i'll the situation as vel. US | did,
and we had a complete understanding o.. the
subjec, OF pork from that time out That is
why maintain that the bears of CuAlvcras
are smarter than the bears of any other
county i'll California. a.n-San Francisco Let
ter.
a Dakota Blizzard.
Little or no snow falls in Dakota from