St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-09
SLAPPED BY A BEAR.
A Youth Who Was Hit by Brui
Finally Gets the Best of Him.

A Youth Who Was Hit by Bruin
Finally Gets the Best of Him.
New York Sun.
Young John Armstrong, Who'll ives near
the banks of the Cumberland river,
twelve miles up stream from Pinevllle,
KY, is the greatest fisherman of these
parts. Last Sunday he decided to pass
a pleasant day angling for black bass
in the Deep Hole" mile above the
house of his parents, with whom he
lives. John has skitf, or 'skift," as
the mountaineers call them.in which he
was in the habit of padding up and
down the river on excursions. In this
skiff he was to GO to the Deep Hole.
Young Armstrong moored the Skiff at
the usual landing place, about 800 yards
above his fathers house, at the edge Of
the thick woods. He placed in it good
dinner, for he intended to remain all
day. and went back to the house after
the bait. He spent some time in pre-
paring the latter, and, having placed it
in bucket. started to his boat. John
must have been dreaming of the fish he
was going to catch, for he did not look
ahead of him, and when he came to the
landing place he pushed the bushes
aside and stepped blindly into the boat.
AS his feet touched the bottom of the
boat dark form rose up. and something
heavy and hard struck him reSOund-
ing thwack on the side of the head, and
knocked him half SenSelesS out Of the
boat into the river. AS he went under
the cold water revived him, and pad
ding to the shore he drew himself upon
dry land, fighting mad and ready to
Whip the man who had knocked him
out of his own boat.
1t took Armstrong minute or two
more to wipe the water out OF his eyes,
and when he finished that job he saw
| that there was blood on his hands and
more of the red fluid was running down
his face. THAT fellow must have hit
me an Internal swipep' he exclaimed to
himself, as he turned his now cleared
ewes toward the boat and prepared to
size up the bellicose intruder. Stand
ing in the skitf, which was rocking be-
meath his weight, was a large black
bear devouring the food which John
had so carefully prepared for his din
ner. One end of the boat was against
the bank, and the bear, probably at
tracted by the smell of the provisions,
yictuals. He had his nose i'll the basket
when John stepped into the boat, and
he resented the intrusion by promptly
slapping the incautious youth into the
water. After the act the bear paid no
further attention to John, but pro-
ceeded with his eating.
For a moment John watched his din
ner disappear. He had not seen a bear
since his father killed one on the mount
ain five years before. but he knew the
animal was not likely to modest him I'M
less placed upon the defensive. After
taking a good look, he started on run
for the house, where he arrived all out
of breath, and told his father his adven-
ture. The old man took his long bar
relied rifle from the hooks and followed
his son to the river.
The bear had just finished the provi-
sions and was leaving the boat when old
man Armstrong and his son came up.
Mr.. Armstrong took careful aim and
sent bullet squarely into the animals
right eye. Bruin rolled over on his
| side. kicked few times, and gave up
the ghost. He weighed 365 pounds, and
his carcass was sold to one of the sum-
mer hotels in this place.
Nearly all Of the skin was raked off
one side of young Armstrong; face by
the slap which the bear gave him with
his great paw, and he has so many
bandages on his head that he will not
go out of the house. His mother says
it was punishment for HIM, because
he intended to go fishing on Sunday.