Wichita eagle., 1889-02-21
ONE-EYED RILEY.
Career Of a Jersey Fear Closed After Eight
Years of Depreciation.
falkland N j ! SpaciaI

Years OF depreciation.
Oakland IN. u Special
"One-eyed Riley's back agin ~ shouted
Jim Shaftley, the hunter, as he hurried
into Stull's Tavern in this place on Thurs
day last. :" got another shot at him, but
he got away" This news was soon spread
around the village aud the excitement was
great. ''One-eyed Riley" was bear. For
eight years be lad helped himself to NUT
ton and pork in this vicinity ard had defied
all efforts to capture him. His right eye
was out. 1t was put out by ALT. Dagger, a
lumberman- Dagger had wounded the
bear and they had come to a wrestle. Dag
gen fell down in trying to get away from
the bear.
The bear had its paws on the fallen
hunters breast, when Dagger jabbed
stick in bruins right eye, gou ging it out of
the socket. The bear left Dagger, and be-
fore it could renew the attack the hunter
escaped The next September Jim Shaft
ley caught q one-eyed bear in a trap. He
made up his mind to keep the big animal
alive, and tied him in a log enclosure.
Shaftley gave the bear the name One-eyed
Riley. The very first night after it's capt
ure it escaped. Ever since then it had at
intervals appeared in the vicinity.
1t had been shot at a score Of times. Jim
Shaftley and his brother BIZ followed it
once for twenty miles and failed TO fetch It
back with them. In the summer of 1881
the big one-eyed bear Joined number of
children in the huckleberry woods back Of
Oakland, and drove them back to the viii
iage in short order. A party of hunters
Isl n IN, 10
the swamp on all sides for two days, but
One-eyed Riley didn't show up, and the
hunt was abandoned.
The next day the bear walked into Boil
toms pasture and walked out with a sheep.
In August, 1882, Jim Shaftley met the bear
along a trout-brook, where ne was fishing
He had no gun, and the bear went Ieisurely
Off into the woods That was the last time
the one eyed was seer or heard of until
Shaftley ran across him last Thursday.
Jim had just shot small bear On the edge
of the swamp. when his dog scented anoth-
er one in the swamp, and brought 1t out at
the very spot where Jim was standing The
moment the bear appeared the hunter rec
ognized his cunning old friend, One-eyed
Riley.
into the swamp and the ball that Jim sent
after him did not hit the mark. The bear
whipped the dog and drove it out. Jim
hurried back TO the village with the news.
The other morning twenty three hunters
started out determined TO run One-eyed
Riley down. They surrounded the swamp
and sent half a dozen dogs into it TO
rout the big bear out. The dogs failed to
find him, and after the swamp had been
beaten for more than an hour word
came that the one-eyed bear bad been seen
in Shaftley's meadows six miles away,
since the party started out. The hunters
turned for the meadow, spreading out
through the woods. They had gone about
three miles when one section OF the party
met the bear shutting along back 70 the
swamp. Three shots were fred at him.
The men who had seen him shouted for
the others TO be on the lookout as be bad
turned of into the thickst on the right
Hunters came running 70 the spot from all
directions, and the bear met them which
ever way he turned. He was surrounded
at last volley Of rife balls was poured /
into him, and he died after nineteen bullets !
had pierced his vitals. He was probably /
the toughest beast that ever defIed the /
the village in triumphal march The vic |
torious hunters were received With cheers /
The killing of this cunning old brute was |
celebrated by bali at the tavern The |
festivities were kept up until daylight, and |
the bear furnished tie wanda for . rouxing |
bsckwoods feast