Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-04-17
ABSOLUTELY Pure
BEAR ON A FISH HOOK,

Sldgo beha Wright, without the least
provocation, In the Tairchild House the
other day. Nobody had even been
linking Of bear. Fish hookc hadr I
been referred to for at least nm hour.
Consequently Judge Wright's remarks
were so startling that silence as dead as
Bath, nine mile, away, fell on the house.
Even Theed Ross. the landlord, couldn't
find word to say.
That's right!' calculated the Judge,
evidently interpreting tho ;unwonted
silence to mean that there was feeling
abroad either not Complementary to his
vefaclty Or to the 10, uta.ion of his
uncle for tho samr. "Tl,at's right! He
canghi tho bear on fish-hook, this man
my uncle know did and lot only caught
It, ont landed it! The man who landed
las bear was Philander Crocker, and
',e dss 1t ovcr on the Wyhee Creek, in
P"tter County, Penn, where they past
Ire their cows ua wild lceks aud max Q
batter that tates like bull beef anl!
nj Thc'e are only two things that
Potter County brag' on. One is be
'ah~c she JOINS The iownuf Wuc,lhull. in
he 81 den spot of old Steuben. The
'thcr i, bear.
II n"se If you have mover been over
N tho Wyhec Greek you've missed q
acar. Whoa it isu't tnmlling over
'"c,,s 81 or 100 feet high, it is tearing
'im'S through ravines 100 feet deep.
NY nnc II ed to say that ne believed
~ nfc had made that creek on purpose
'"r h o. and ladder com. anics to have
nc les on. Whel you fish the Wyhee
Il want to spend II day or two bidding
.'"ur flle"d, and relations good by be.
Snic you go. for the chances are that the
iir,t man that grcets you whcn you come
back will be The Coroner. But the
out that plow the depths of Wvhee's
hssns and scranb Q up her cataracts
tre worth the risk. At least, that's
what Ihi!antisr Crocker thought the
day lie vent cut to try his luck for trout
r'.d landed the bear.
AT orc place Oh the Wyhee, though,
where thee i "A rocky basin twenty feet
NJ so in diane er, tho shore OH one side
lsa't more THAI five feet above the water,
and on The other side is lower still, and
sioi es back gradually for quite ways.
At the head of the pool the water comes
pounding into it from tie top Of rreci-
iice, q wall OF rock twenty five feet
iiSh. The pool ut the foot of The fall
bells and foams just as any resi- ecab;c
water might be exrccted to do after
such tumble as that. II any one
should happen to drop iuto that basin
he'd naturally pull for the other side
wnere the sloplng shore is, for he
cou dn't get out any Other way. The
water in the basin is deep enough to
lrow.l hardshe,l Baptist.
"Well, Philaader knew that tho basin
was boss place for trout and he worked
hi, way to it He had a light rod and
,,'e. and The front bit so fast that he
4 !: I :ake time to put 'em in his basket
rs he took EN- Off his hook, but just
chncked 'em back of him on the bank
tie had thrown maybe a dozen back.
when he jerked one ont of the water
that hap, ened to be little one, and the
force of the rod cat it flying back, still
fast on the hook. Philander followed
The trout with his eye, and what did he
zee but whopping big bear sitting
there on his launches, with his mouth
wide o. en- waiting for the trout to drop
in.
AS none of the trout Philander had
caught were to be seen, he made up his
mind that the bear had been sitting
there and taking the i in as fast rs they
were thucked back. The little trout
on the hook dropped plumb into the
bears big mouth, aud the mouth closed
on it like tran. Mechanically Phi.
lander gave his rod q twitch, aud
quicker than lightning that bears mouth
flew open again, and out of it came a
howl that made the echoes in those
rocky glens sound like a Fourth OF
July celebration over in Wayne Town
ship. Philander had hooked him. and
hooked him we'll.
"Then it happened to occur to him
that he wasn't fishing for bear, and had
no way to carry this one home after he
landed it. But lie didn't calculate to
lose any of his line or break his rod,
aud 40 he began to play Mr.. Bear for
all he was worth. But tho bear had
an idea that he wasn't going to fold his
arms and be reeled in and done for like
. cold blooded fish, and 20 he made q
grand rush for Philander He got to
Philander, but he got there to sudden.
Phiiander jumped to one side, and
kerplunky went the bear overheard in
the basin. BY the way the reel whizzed
Philander knew that he still had the
bear. The bear came to the surface
putting like porpoise, aud Philander
reeled in the slack of his limo and got it
taut ON him, just ~ if he was playing
Q big trout.
.TLe hook was deep in the bears 3
tongue, and whenever he'd make break
for tho other side Philander would stiff
on the line. The hook would get in its
work, aud tho bear would howl aud
swim in to loosen the line. Now, mind
you, that was only . six.once rod. with
q fine silk line. but Philandcr PLAYED
that bear so scientifically, my uncle
said, that he worked him right under
these falls. in spite Of his fighting and
efforts TO get to the other side. aud
maneuvered him about 10 skiIlfully in
and ont Of the cataract that the bear
weakened aud weakened. aud at last,
alter m hours fight, turned over on his
hac's and giving = kick or two and q
farewell howl, foatcd down into the
still water - dead = 3 p isonsd pup.
That's the kind Of fshsrman the man
my uncle knew wAs.
The suspicious and uncomplsmentary
|silenoe romaiDed unbroken for some
|time aftsr The Jndgs csaaed. Then