The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-12
BRUIN DIDN'T DROP.
Ward Aliens Disappointing Expe

Ward Aliens Disappointing Expert
ence With an Up-river bar"
Ward Allen came in last night from M
the river with a quantity Of ducks for the
De Soto.
Allen told MORNING NEWS reporter the
story OF the greatest disappointment he ever
had in his hunting experiences. He was
coming through McC0y's cut, about fifteen
miles up the river, Monday about shutdown.
AT the mouth of Knoxboro creek, when be
saw a bear swimming ahead OF it. The
bear was big fellow and was heading for
the shore.
"That's my meat" Allen said to himself.
as be started for Bruin, who being in the
water bad very little show. The hunter
nut a couple Of shells loaded with o o o
buckshot twelve in each shell. into his ten
here gun and rowed his boat close I'D along
side the bear. AS the animal was in deep
water he did not shoot him for fear he
would sink when killed and waited until the
bear had reached the shore and placed his
forepaws upon the bank to land.
Allen was only six or eight yards away.
and as the bear reared his head to scramble
upon the bank be placed his gun to his
shoulder and let him have the right barrel
in the back of his head. The bear did not
drop, as Allen expected, and he let him
have the other barrel in the same place. To
his surprise and disgust the bear scrambled
out with both loads Of shot in his
head and made into the cane
brake. Allen seized his Shore gun. loaded
with duckshot and let the bear have that
In the rear as be ran in the swamp. 1t did
not check his speed. however. Allen
dropped his gun and gazed in silent amaze
ment at the spot where the bear had disap-
peared. His feelings were too deep for ut
terance. After awhile he heard the bear
thrashing around in the cane and making a
great noise in his pain. Night wos coming
on, however, and he did not care to pursue
him into the swamp.
Allen camped near by and next morning
after killing twenty-five or thirty ducks,
followed the bears trail into the SWAMP
He found traces of blood, showing that the
bear had been hard hit, but the rains that
morning had so obliterated the trail that he
was unable to find the animal. He was so
well satisfied that the bear had died from
his wounds during the night that be offered
a couple of negro boatmen $40 to find him.
While coming down the river yesterday he
heard the bear had been found and he ex-
pets to bring the body down to-day.
Bear steak is highly priced by epicures,
and brings high price in the market The
skins are also valuable.
Allen says he could hardly believe his
own eyeSight when he saw the bear disap-
pear in the canebrake after he had shot
him, and il he had not found the marks of
shot on a sapling which stood at the spot
where the bear landed he would have &C
counted for it on the ground that there was
no shot in the shells.
Allen went back up the river last night
and carried his Winchester rife with him.
he says he has no more use for shotgun
when there are bears around and will use q
bowie knife in preference.
Allen does not make practice Of hunt
ing bears, but he has killed several on his
duckhunting expeditions. Their vitality
he says is something wonderful Unless the
bullet strikes, vital part they viii run
away in the swamps and bleed to death in
ternally, as their hair is so thick that it
presses in the bullet and closes up the
wound.
Allen said he once shot a bear
through both eyes with q 56-caliber rife.
The shot was accidental, as the bear was
over 100 yards distant. Sightless as he was
the bear ran some distance into the swamp
and climbed tree, from which 1t took sew
eral loads of buckshot to dislodge him.
AT another time he shot bear, the ball
passing through his entire body from front
TO rear, as he afterward found. but the bear
made off and escaped. Several
days afterward he found the body, with
the assistance of the buzzartis. a considerable
distance from where it was shot.
Allen says there are a number of bears in
the river swamps, but they are timId and
make off quickly at the approach of man.
They will not fight unless cornered when
wounded, and then they are dangerous Gus
toners to fool with