Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-21
BEARS OF CALAVERAS.
AN EXCEEDINGLY SMART FAMILY
 OF PIG STEALERS

OF PIG STEALERS
 Henry Wilson Tells How Bruin Entered
 His Impenetrable Hog Pen-His Ad-
 miration Was So Great That He Could
 Not Kill she Thieving Brutes.
 Henry Wilson, of Calaveras, declares that the bears of that county are smarter and have 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 he was telling a 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 l took extra care of mine built high fence of heavy pickets around the pens and sharpened the pickets as.:fne as needles, % that no bear could go over them without punch ing himself full of holes In one pen kept 8 dozen hogs, and in another I had two sows and two filters of fine pigs. saw the bears strolling around nights, but they didn't get any of the hogs for some time.
 ''The pigs were about three months old, and, as I sat around and watched them grow, calculated the number of rich roasts would have out of the lot, when one morn ing l missed one. There was no way for a pig to get out, or anything to get in, but @ pig was gone all 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 moro than could make out. The fence was all up; not picket was loose, and the points were as sharp as ever. had sat up pretty late several times to watch the pens, but now decided to make an all night job of 1t. l went to bed in the afternoon and snored away until plumb dark, when I got up, loaded my rife for the beat, and hid behind a log about sixty yards from my pig corral.
 ''The moon came out from behind some feecy clouds and shed pale light on the premises. put in good deal of the night bobbing my head up from behind the log, but no pig stealing ghosts, no marauding neighbors, no anything ever showed up.
 Ut was lonesome work, and was getting tired of it, when through the haze saw big black bear walking along on his hind feet gesticulating with his paws, and grunt- Ing complacently as he looked behind him.
 
 fashion, and two cubs brought up the rear of the procession. It seemed to me that they were conversing together, and when the boss of the gang pointed over to my ranch con- cluded that they were talking pork.
 ''The whole outfit steered for my pig pen and halted close to it. That didn't worry mo, as couldn't see how the old bears could get over the fence to steal my pigs. I found out pretty soon that had made the acquaint- ance of a very accomplished and clever fam lily.
 ''The grand old marshal of the parade shinned up an old oak that stood near the fence. made sign of caution to the others, crawled out on 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 bough touched the ground in one of the pens. His partner went out along the limb in the same way, and when he dropped to the ground her weight kept the limb bent.
 "There was the deuce to pay in the pig pen by this time. The old SOW was charging around in great consternatton, and the little pigs were skipping about and keeping close to her most of the time Bruin was on the ground sizing up the lay out, and when the old SOW made lunge at him as though to rip him, he gave her @ comical look, as much as to say: 'Oh, what are you giving usg swiped her ono on the side of the jaw and laid her out
 "Then he grabbed the fattest pig of tho lot, climbed upon the limb, which his side part ner was holding down for him and slowly wriggled up toward the trunk of the tree, the she bear receding as he advanced.
 "That performance just beat all my going a-fshing. The bears were coming down the tree when recovered from my astonishment enough to remember that it was my pork that was disappearing. Hold on therep yelled, that Is too stiff game,' and whanged away with my rife into the tree. didn't try to hit the bear. because rather admired the cleverness 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 good deal discomfited. AS blazed away few more times I made a little speech to the bears: Look here,' said I, '1n let you of this time, but you come monkeying around my pig pen again and you'll get hurt sure.'
 ne HCtle pears nao scampefed away, and the she bear hurried after them as soon as she touched the ground. The big fellow cooked his head on one side, and I think he wfnked at me as he went away.
 'sWell, do you know never lost any more pigs. That pig stealing outfit of plantigrades just took in the situation as well as did, and we had complete understanding on tho subject of pork from that time out That is why maintain that the bears of Calaveras arc smarter than the bears of any other county in California. "-San Francisco Let ter.