River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-07-17
A BASE MIGRATE.
Experience of a Pine Creek Man
with a Pet Bear.
1t Is No Trouble 10 Raise Them. But Don't
How Bruin Delivered over IL the
Enemy His Foster Mother and
Her Children.

Il don't know what other people |
might do under the circumstances" |
said Lewis Shaffer, of the Pine creek |
country, but if | should come across a |
bear cub in the woods that l thought |
was an orphan and likely to perish for |
lack of a mothers care, / wouldn't 4
take it home and become a |
parent to il, but would kill |
it then and there. There is no difficulty /
in raising a bear cub, don't care how |
young it may be when it falls into your /
hands. And you can train it as il |
grows so it will be as docile and trac- |
table as dog. But you can't make it |
honest You can't make it incapable of |
base ingratitude. 1t may not bite or
scratch you, but it will be sure TO
wound you in a way that will pain you
more than dig with its claws or a snap
with its teeth possibly could. | know,
for have had proof of it
"A year ago last March | was going
through the woods up along Pine
creek, the day after we had had a terri
BILE wind-storm, which had tumbled a
good many trees on lumber lot | own.
/ heard peculiar whining cry among
some down timber, and, going 20 the
spot found a large pine tree lying
across the dead body of a bear. 1t was
a big she bear, and, cuddled up close
to the dead animal was cub not more
than a week old. 1t was doing the
whining | had heard. The tree had
blown down and crushed the old bear to
death as it was passing the spot. and
dead mothers side and starved todeath
if | hadn't happened along just at that
time. / took the little orphan bear
home with me intending to raise ii by
hand. That night an old SOW of mine
that had a two days old litter of pigs
laid on one of the pigs and killed it.
That left vacant place at her side,
and the idea occurred to me that
perhaps the old pig would not
object to the little bear cub occu-
plying it. / concluded to try the ex-
pertinent, any how. and while the
SOW was lying IN sleepy content
ment, Nursing her litter, i sat the
cub down among the pigs. 1t went
to feeding with them as naturally as if
it were sucking its own shaggy mother
IN some nOl1OW IIcG Ut HOlt III biit
rocks. The cub was twice as big as the
pigs, but they did not offer any objec-
ton to its sharing in their sustenance,
and the old pig paid no more attention
TO the presence of the bear than if it had
been there from the start. As a foster
mother she was a success, and the cub
grew up right along with her own Off
spring, and, except in looks, was as
much pig as a bear. In fact, before
the cub was two months old he had
captured the heart of his foster mother
and held place there that none of the
old pigs own litter held. How the bear
discovered it don't know, but he found
out that the mother of the family, like
all pigs. would miss a meal to have her
back scratched, and that imp of bear
used to humor this weakness of hers
and scratch her back by the hour, while
she lay and grunted her appreciation.
From what know now, / believe that
the cub was establishing himself in the
entire confidence of the sow as a part of
the scheme he was even then planning.
The little pigs grew rapidly, but not
more rapidly than their foster brother.
AT the age of three months the pigs
were fat and chubby fellows, and the
bear was almost as big as the old sow.
He had begun early with his tricks on
the pigs, as he had on their mother,
and they had come to regard his favor
tie pastime of snatching one of them
up, tucking it under his arm and lug
cling it around here and there about the
premises, as a piece of rare fun for
them, as well as for the bear, although |
at the start the bear was obliged to cuff
them roundly to induce them to submit /
to it without squealing or kicking. We
used to think that pig-carrying trick of
the bears was just the cutest thing
imaginable, and we always took pride |
in exhibiting our pet bear in his act of
carrying one or the other of his pig
brothers about the farm.
There we're seven of the pigs, and
the family, bear and all, were shut up
at night in high enclosure to which
there was door that was fastened by
rude wooden latch, that could be raised |
either on the inside or outside by pull
ing leather string. This enclosure
was made on purpose to keep pig-steal-
ing bears out of the pen, bears having
been numerous and bold at the time
the pen was built.
lone morning in July ] went out to
feed my pigs. and what was my surprise
to find two Of the young pigs missing.
The bear was lying in one corner of the
pen scratching the old sow's back, but
came out yawning and stretching him
self to get his breakfast. had dis
charged man couple of days before
who had worked for me year or SO. be-
cause | had detected him in stealing
some money of another man in my en-
plov, and | at once suspected him of
stealing my two pigs. 4 stranger
couldn't have gone in and got the pigs
without their making a fuss that would
have aroused some one in the house. 1t
was out of the question, too, that bear
could have got in and carried of the
pips The discharged hired man had
stolen them. / was sure. | found out
whe re be was, and determined to set an
investigation going. The very next
morning. when | went out to feed my
pigs, / was made wild almost by
the discovery that two more Of
them were missing. | was at first in
clined to have the suspected thief ar
EtSbEA lOEAlAAALs Jul DAl oNItAAA tAA@AFs ~
concluded to wait and set watch over
the pen that night. My barn is only
few feet from the pen. and the haymow
overlooks it. About eight o'clock that
evening / went up in the haymow and
took a position where ! could look out
into the pig pen without danger Of my
being discovered by any one who might /
come into the pen. The moon was
shining bright, and every thing could /
be seen in the enclosure almost as plain |
as day. I lay there more than two |
hours without any tbin0 suspicious oc- /
curing. and not sound had been heard /
except the contented grunting of the /
pigs. 1t must have been nearly eleven /
o'clock when | saw a movement among /
the pigs and the bear got up and |
walked quietly around for minute or
two, stopping now and then as il listen |
ing.
"'Ahar said / 10 myself Some one |
Is coming, and the quick-witted bear
hears him.
" was thinking that in a minute I
more | would undoubtedly have me /
iastardly thief in my clutches, when !
law the bear step over to where couple
81 the pigs were sleeping. pick them
sata sR and tuck one under each arm. |