The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-01-10
A SHEEP WHIPS A ReAR.

A Harrisburg correspondents to tbs
New York Sa1 writes: Squire Peter
Morley, of Kettle Greek, owns meripo
ram that can justly lay claim to dis
tlnctlon that no member of the 3heep
family was ever entitled to before. The
ram is big one, and, while possessing
a formidable appearance, never until
few days ago developed any inclins-
; tion toward pugnacity. This ram Is
the patriarchal head of a somewhat
preteutious flock of sheep, of which
their owner is justly proud.
Squire Morley had no idea that his
, flock or any member of it had fallen
/ beneath the covetous gaze of any mar
anding bear or other wild animal, but
/ as there were rumOrs more or less
alarming 10 sheep-owners that the pas
lures of another part of the county had
been inspected by bruin, found good,
and treated accordingly, the Squire
thought it would do no harm to set
watch over his pasture and keep it
there until the arrival of the time
when bears succumb to boreal sur
roundings and hole up.
A young son of the 'Sqnire's was as
signed to the task of keeping an eye
on the fold, with instructions to de-
stroy with shotgun charged with
buckshot any audacious bear that
might endeavOr to select from THAI
fold material for his dinner Subse-
quent proceedings indicated that if
young Mr.. Morley had entertained the
slightest idea that there was even a
remote chance of bear appearing in
the pasture he would have cheerfuIly
acquiesced in the selection of some
other guard for the ancestral flock.
The young shepherd had stood guard
at the pasture for week, and no bear
appeared. Consequently he uttered no
complaint against the job. On Satur-
day he was .sleepily reclining at the
foot of stone wall that surrounds the
field, when he suddenly became wide
awake. He saw good-sized bear
jump over tile fence not far away
from him and slouch deliberately to-
ward where a group of sheep were graz
ing. Squire Morley was. at work in
field not more than: 800 yards away
The yonng shepherd, ignoring the gun
that lay by his side, cleared the wall at
bound and sped to give the alarm to
his father, shouting Justify at every
Jump and at the top of his voice:
bears! bearsi bearsr'
Squire Morley heard the cries, long
before the guard of the fold reached
him and hurried to the rescue Of his
flock. When he reached the pasture
wall the group of sheep had discover
ell the presence of the bear and had
fled beating in fright to the further
| side of the tield-all of them except the
head of the fold, the merino ram. He
stood his ground and eyed bruin
| threateningly. The bear evidently did
not want a tough old ram for his din
ner, and was passing on by him to Sc
lect more toothsome morSel from the
| flock, when the ram shot forward like
the missile from catipult. He bucked
the bear amidships, and bruin went
down before the force of the blow as if
| it had been a stroke of lightning.
The bear got up, but surprise was
pictured all over him. He stood still
and gazed in amazement at the sheep
which had presumed to throw down
the gage of battle with him. The ram
| was there for business, and hurled
himself again, head lowered, upon the
would-be spoiler of his flock. This
time he landed between the bears eyes,
and this time bruins fall was more
positive than it had been before, and
he lay on the ground a moment before
he recovered sufficiently to understand
u
exactly what had happened. He got
up again, but had no time to make up
his mind what to do before the rams
thick skull was hurled against him
again, and down went the bear the
third time.
These three attacks of the ram on
the bear had been made so quickly
that Squire Morley had not time 20
gather up the gun where his son hae
left it and get within gun shot. After
the third knoek-down the bear got up,
and, trrning tail on the ram, started
in full retreat But ths ram caught
him in the neck the next shot, and the
bear dropped and lay there. He had
not succeeded in getting up when
Squire Morley reached the spot. but
the ram was waiting for him to come
to time. The Squire wasn't sure
whether the bear was dead, and to re-
move all doubt he put load Of buck
shot into its head,
But the victory was the rams, and
the Squire thinks no other guard for
that flock is needed.