New-York tribune., 1891-12-20
FREAKS OF PENNSYLVANIA BEARS.
STORIES TOLD BY OLD SETTLERS ON PocoSt
MOUNTAIN.

STORIES TOLD BY OLD SETTLERS ON PocoNo
MOUNTAIN.
Creseo Penn Dec. 5.-Several old Pocono Noun
tain settlers telling bcor ssoics here the other
evening 81 cutting across lots toward the rail-
road tracks below tins station Just at dusk No
vember day." said Caleb Sweet. " when i saw beaf
on top of the watcr-tank, between here and Henry-
vile. lie walking around the edge OF the tank,
and every little while he stopped and looked up and
down the railroad. l orouched behind fence as soon
ss | saw the bear where / got good sight Of him.
After he had walked around the top Of the tank nine
Ten times he gazed the fields and scratched his
right ear with his hind foot Then he took another
walk around the tank and finally backed down the
side next TO the railroad. How 1t happened don't
Fnow but before the bear touched the ground, the
water-ppe dropped and stream as big as the pipe
could hold began TO pour down on the ties. The bear
Jumped TO one side as though the rushing water had
Startled him. but he didn't run away. lie lookcd at
The spout, and then he went to piancing around IL,
acting as IL he liked TO it and hear II Pretty
soon the bear seemed to get the idea that 1t was
good chance for him to take bath. and right away he
Began TO run back and forth under The pipe. Ile
stream denched him from his to his tail, and ne
Eept dashng through 1t till he clean as whistle
While the bear taking his bath. the track walker
came in sight from the direction OF Cresce lie sa"
ale water spouting the track, and he immeoia'eN
ran toward the tank as tight he could to turn IL
off, He didn't see the bear and the bear didnt nouce
him till he pretty close to the tank When the
bear caught sight OF the trsck-walker. however, he
legged IL for the fence and started to climb over IL
within three feet OF where was had beetle tiat
had beef splitting rails WITH and as the bear cimbca
over hauled of and gave him blow on the head
with ii that laid him out. lie kicked and tried to come
to- but another blow fixed him. He had the cleanest
fur ever bear. by that time the u1eA-
walker had got the water stopped, and when told
"a Oh fhr nQ
bear away"
Porter Seward told the next story. zone fall" ne
sad 81 was hunting the barrens between the
BucIhilI Creek and the middle Branch Of Brodhead ;
Creek Thirty or forty rods away, saw bear dane
Ing around something on the ground. and isid my
rife across O stump and got behindit watched the
bear inst as Mr. sweet did the one On the water
tank knowing that could reach him with bullet
the minute lie undertook to make himself scarce From
his actions judged that the bear angry about
something but / couldn't see what he was dancing
around and kept my rifle aimed at him, 30 as TO
fire the instant / that he WAS going ID leave the
open for the brush. The bear kept hopping In u
circle quickly jumped to side every little while
and appeared to be getting madder and madder. All
of a sudden the bear waddled away few yards hod
a bead on him. and | almost ready to pull the
trigger when the bear stopped. j wanted TO see what
he was going to do next. and so didn't shoot lie
paved in the dirt a spell and then he picked mp q
round stone bigger than his head lie took the stone
In his paws hugged IL to his brlslet and walked on
his hind feet toward the spot where hrst seen him.
When lie got the spot he walked around it couple
of times and then he raised the stone as high as he
could and threw it the ground. Tho bear then
danced around the stone for two or three minutes,
when he suddenly turned tail and took bee limo for
the brush. Seeing that he going to leave for
good banged away at him and brought him to a
STOP finishing him with another bullet WIS anxious
to find out why the bear had thrown the stone on the
ground and got stick and rolled II over. Under
the stone lay q dead rattlcsnake, coiled up and as
aat founder.'
That reminds me-" said Lepk Honghton, "of q
bear l saw playing with a pumpkin one sunday morn
ing up on Cromwell's Hill / was working for a
farmer up there, and in the fall We fed pumpkins to
the cows in lot next TO piece Of woods One OF the
pumpkins hadn't been cracked, and that morning
l saw bear march out of the woods and
begin to play with it like kitten with ball OF
When 1t had culfed the pumpkin around for awhile
the bear tossed the biz vegetable so high that it
broke into pieces when 1t came down. and the bear
then disappeared in the woods That afternoon
put another pumpkin there, and before it light
the next morning took repeating rifle and hid In
some bushes probably fifty PAGES from where II lay.
little after aybreak bear walked out OF the woods
and started to paw the pumpkin around the ground
Pretty soon smaller bear ran out and tried to
take the pumpkin away, and the biz bear GRABBED inc
pumpkin in its paws and made for the woods. The
little one chased him and drove him back. and while
they Quarrellng banged away three times and
killed bob of them"
Eleven years ago last April" said James Pratt. Z" l
found what no Pocono hunter did before since
l was hunting wildcats on Scrub Oak Ridge and l
wasn't thinking Of bear at all, when saw an enormous
she bear stealing through the scrub oaks shot her
twice with bucksh0t, and although she was wounded
badly she kept up until she reached her nest where
she soon died. Her nest was on the barren with with
hardly any protection 1t made of several bushels
Of grass and leaves and In IL found four cubs al
nicely covered up. raised them all and in the fall
j sold them ~,
ford four of us were peellng bark on Leviss
Mountain. Early one June morning pack pedler
started up the wood road on his way to the Dutch
Flats Hall an hour later we set out for the bark
peeng, and on our way up VIC httid te pedIer yelne
murder. In moment we saw him running down the
hl with the bear close behind him. Before he got
10 us his toe caught in root and he stumbled 70 MS
knees. His pack went over his head ana euuch
against stump and few open, and pins aud needles
hooks end eyes and suspenders few In every drecuo
The frightened peder got TO his feet in hurry, but
instead of looking after his pack ne ran past us anu
kept yelling murder. The bear kept chasing nm ana
axes and soon killed IT, Then one OF us ran nfer the
pedler and IL half hour before we could make
him believe that the bear was dead
the place and into the woods said Henry Morris
HOne fall ! went up in Dark Hollow to set bear
trap and when I got in the woods found the hoe
al my heels While I was setting the trap the hog
wandered away, and when ! got ready 10 s,sd' IN, n1f
home heard ii sQuealng up the side Of the hil.
In two minutes it came running through the woDns
right toward the trap. bear was after IT, inc
hog leaped the trap Just as the bear was gohs
to strike II and the bear got caught in the Trap ana oe
hog went squealing down the hill Then went
home got my rife and shot the bear"
"