Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-08-06
MIR. BEAL's ROASTING EARS.
The Use an Ingenious and Talented
Hear Put Them To.

The Use an Ingenious and Talented
Hear Put Them To.
From the Atlanta constitutional
Out in the Oaky Woods the wild animals
frequently exhibit intelligence to rsmarka-
BILE degree. One of the largest planters, Mr..
J. K Beal, In going the rounds of his im-
mense plantation, noticed that in field Dor
dering the Pocasin swamp the best rails
from the fence had been distracted. Any
rails decayed or defective were left, while
only the newest aud best rails had been
taken. This continued for quite while.
The planter supposed that the negroes had
been taking them, but could find no clue to
the thieves. After awhile his hogs began to
disappear, until at last when he went to call
them up none responded to the cry. Next,
in the same field from whence the rails had
been extracted, the growing corn crop began
to suffer. Bushels of roasting ears disap-
peared, and at last the tracks of some large
animal were discovered leading from the
corn field to the mysterious depths of the
Pocasin. They were the tracks of huge
bear. So much damage was being done to
the crops that 1t was determined to try to
find the brute.
Accordingly party was organized, and
away they went following the trail that be-
came more and more indistinct. The Pocas-
in swamp Is interspersed with dry ham.
mocks like oasis In a desert. On, on,
through mire and ooze, on through the little
shaded islands and back again to swamp
ground. At last they reached large, high
hammock rising almost like a hill from the
| mysterious depths of the swamp. Here
| high and dry they were astonished to dis
cover a great pen, "as large" says the nara
| tor of this singular adventure, "as large as
| great house." Upon examination 1t was
found that the pen had been built of the
stolen fence rails. Within it were the kid
mapped hogs sleek and tat. Around 1t in
| innumerable in number and the ground we'll
! trodden down. Within the pen were some
] of the remains of the roasting ears abstract
ed from Mr.. Beal's field.
The hunting party were struck with
| amazement and sat down around the well
| filled pen to try to unravel the mystery.
There was but one solution. Every evidence
pointed to this one fact. inc pear mad sto-
len the planters fence rails, had built the
pen upon the secluded hammock, had stolen
i his hogs and then selecting his best shoats,
| had penned them up and was fattening them
up for winter use upon Mr.. Beal's roasting
ears. The hogs we're recovered, taken to
Albany and sold readily for seven to eight
dollars each to local butcher. 1t Is said
that the butchers customers were so de-
lighted with the sweetness of the pork and
it's juicy richness that they olamored for
more of the same kind, but hogs fattened
by bears upon roasting ears were an uncom-
mon commodity, and the meat could not be
duplicated. An Albany saloon man applied
to the planter for one of the toothsome fat
shoats. He wanted to barbecue it for his
free lunch counter. But the supply was ex-
hausted and his free lunch fends were de.
prived of this unusual dainty.
On July 4th, while Mr.. q. q: Savage was
spending the day hunting, he killed in the
Pocasin bear which turned the scales at
exaotlv four hundred and one-half pounds.
It is Thought that this is the bear which tried
its paw SO skilfully in the business of rails
ing meat.