DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-07-31
A BASE MIGRATE.
Exnerience of Pine Creek Man
with a Pet Bear.
II Is No Trouble to Raise Them, But Don't
How Bruin Delivered Over ta t:ao
Enemy His Foster Mothsr axi
Her Children.

81 don't know what other people
mipbt do under the circumstances, >
said Lewis Shaffer, of the Pine creek
country, "but if should come across a
bear cub in the woods that thought
WAS an orphan and likely to perish fol-
lack of mothers care, l wouldn',
take it home and become a
parent to it, but would kill
it then and there. There is no difficulty
in raising bear cub, don't care how
Young it may be when it falls into your
hands. And you can train it as it
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 a dig with its claws or snap
with its teeth possibly could. l know,
for have had proof OF it.
"a year ago last March I was going
through the woods up along Pine
creek, the day after we had had terri
bic wnd-storm, which had tumbled a
good many trees on lumber lot | own.
heard peculiar whining cry among
some down timber, and going to the
spot, found a large pine tree lying
across the dead body of a bear. 1t was
big she bear, and, cuddlcd up close
to the dead animal was cub not more
than 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
the cub would have remained at it's
dead mothers side and starved to death
if hadn't happened along just at that
time. l took the little orphan bear
home with me intending to raise it by
hand That night an old SOW OF mine
that had two days old litter of pigs
laid on one of the pigs and killed it.
That left a 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-
pying it. l concluded to try the ex-
pertinent, any how. and while the
sow was lying in sleepy content
ment nnrsing her litter, 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 hollow tree or hole in the
rocks. The cubw was twice as big as the
pigs, but they did not offer any obiec
tion 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 foster
mother she was o success, and tSp cub
grew up right along with her own off,
spring, and, except in looks, was as
much pig as 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 meal to have her
back scratched, and that imp of a 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 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
lie 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
glng it around here and there about the
premises, as piece of rare fun for
them, as we'll as for the bear, although |
at the start the bear was obliged to cuff
them roundly to induce them to submit
to 1t 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 were seven of the pigs, and
the family, bear and all, were shut up
at night in high enclosure to which
mere was a door that was fastened by a
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 |
oeen numerous and bold at the time |
the pen was built.
"One morning in July / went out to
iced my pigs, and what was my surprise
10 1, hnd two of the young pigs missing.
Inc bear was lying in one corner of the
pen scratching the old sows back, but
came out yawning and stretching him
sell to get his breakfast. | had dis
charged man couple of days before
VINO had worked for me a year or so, be-
cause had detected him in stealing
Some money of another man in my en-
ploy, and | at once suspected him OF
stealing my two pigs A stranger
have gone in and got the pigs
without their making fuss that would
nave aroused some one in the house. 1t
was out Of the question, too, that bear
could have got in and carried off the
Pigs The discharged hired man had
stolen them. | was sure I found out