Wichita eagle., 1890-01-04
Daily eagle
HE KILLED THE BEAR.
NOW FARMER JASPER'S OLD MUS
kET GOT IN ITS WORK.

An Explosion Which Strongly Resembled
an Eartbquake-But the Leader of the
~.-..-- s:-.:Ic- Carrie. .-ay E;..s
Buckshot i'm His Heart.
1.-TWO more o. them sheep logged away last
night, and by the same Internal old bear,
knowf' exclaimed Farmer Samuel Jasper.
THAT makes nineteen sence the fust O. tbs
month, and the bear haint no nearer ketched
than he was a week ago. We've got to ketch
him tonight or give up sheep farnlin'l I'm
goin' to try my hand at watchin' fer him 20
night, and il that bear has any friends they d
better tell him to look somewheres else for
bis mutton this evening"
Farmer Jaspers premises lie along Slys
Run, three mil,6 south of Soils Ridge, and
for two weeks some of the best bear hunters
In the region had been taking turns in hang
ing around the farmers place ON the watch
for bear that had been living high on his
sheep; 80 high, in fact that the flock had
almost disappeared. The hunters had seen
the bear several times, they said, and shot at
him, but all the same he went on sampling
the farmers mutton almost every night, until
the farmer at last resolved to stand guard
himself over the pasture for one night at
least
IN BATTLE ARRAY.
Farmer Jasper Is no bear hunter, and all
the firearm he possesses is an army musket Of
ancient pattern. When the farmer shout
dered his gun the night he went out TO show
the marauding bear that some things could
be done as well as others, he could not recall
the time the weapon had last been used. He
had loaded it well with buckshot, and re-
marked, as he left home, that he wasn't
afraid to meet half dozen bears, but that
he was a little skittish of the old musket. Be-
sides bis musket, Farmer Jasper took his hired
man with him The sheep pasture is a small
one. The farmer posted himself at one side
of the lot. On the opposite side of the pas
ture there are first few yards of thick un-
Serbrush, and then piece of woods that eI-
tend back TO the foot of the ridge. On that
side tie farmer posted his hired man.
The night was bright starlight. The hired
man, who did not relish bis job, lay down by
the stone wall inside the lot. He was not
armed, but had instructions to give the alarm
to the farmer by shouting if he saw anything
in the shape of bear stealing into the field.
He had not been in his place more than q
quarter of an hour when he heard noise.
Looking up he saw big animal, which he
naturally supposed was a bear, climbing over
the stone wall not twenty feet away. The
bear dropped down into the lot and was
quickly followed by three smaller bears
The hired man was so badly scar ID that he
was unable to utter sound. The four bears
shuffied off toward the grazing sheep, which,
discovering the presence Of their foes, began
scampering wildly away to the farther cor
ner of the lot. The bears followed the fright
ened flock. Their course took them close to
where Farmer Jasper was standing guard
with his musket lie had discovered them
as they charged upon the sheep, but somehow
be forgot what he was there for. Ii was not
until the bears bore down upon him and
threatened to run over him that he remem-
bered his musket. Even then as he said
afterward, he did not know what he did. De-
>velopments showed that either he had placed
his gun to his shoulder and fired, or there
had been sudden earthquake.
The report that came from the opposite side
of the Geld had the effect of bringing the
hired man to his senses and loosening his
tongue. He jumped TO his feet.
''Bearsl bears! bears!" he yelled.
Then he scrambled over the wall and lay
down in the bushes. A few seconds later he
heard the bears charging back toward the
spot where they had entered the pasture He
raised his head and peered up from the
bushes. he saw one of the bears rise up on
the wall. The next second it had jumped into
the bushes Ii came down astride of the ter
ror stricken hired man, and hurried away
toward the woods.
LOOKING OVER THE FIELD.
The bear had hardly passed over the hired
man when "A second one pumped down, one
paw actually striking the man in the back
That bear was quickly followed by a third,
and 50 much of its body struck the hired man
that it left him almost breathless. No more
bears came over the wall and the terrified
farm hand ventured to raise his head and
look up He grew cold and almost tainted to
See the enormous head and shoulders of a
fourth bear appearing above the wall This
one was evidently having difficulty in getting
over the " AL, for IL was some time before il
alightea on the ground at the hired mans
side. 1t remained where 1t had aiighted for
q moment, and then with a groan that raised
the farm hands hair, it fell heavily to the
ground and rolled with two or three convul-
sive throes across the legs of the reluctant
agriculturist. At that moment Abel Ben
nett, one of the hunters who had been trying
to get the bear that was depopulating Farm
er JaSper's sheep pastures, arrived at the
wall near where the hired man had been
posted, he having heard the report from the
pasture, and hurried over TO see what it had
resulted in.
After a time Bennett succeeded in getting
enough out of the hired man To think that it
might be well to find ont what had become of
Farmer Jasper. They found him lying on
the ground at the foot OF the stone wall where
he had paS-sd himself. He was Just recover
ins consciousness BE was taken home,
where it was found that his shoulder was dis
located. His right arm, from the shoulder
down, was badly bruised and swollen The
farmer could recall nothing that happened
from the time ne saw the four bears march
Ing down upon him. From what the hired
man said about the passing of the bears, Abel
Bennett concluded that the last bear was still
in the bushes and dead. He went back and
found it, get help aud took il TO the farmers
house. 1t lad nine buckshot in its heart The
bear was 500 FOUNDER Next morning the
army muskeu was found il the road, twenty
feet from where Farmer Jasper was found.
The chain OF circunstantial evidence was
strong enough To leave odoubt in anybodvs
mind that the old army musl,t had got it's
work il at both cnds-Sol Ridge Cor. New
York Evening Sun
The Great Russian Novelist.
Count Toistoi, the famous Russian novelist, |
l. II. /