New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-27
S1GACITY OF 4 TAME BEAR,
A STORY THAT HAS LOST NO DETAIL FOR LACK
OF IMAGINATION IN THE NARRATOR.

A STORY THAT HAS LOST NO DETAIL FOR LACK
OF IMAGINATION IN THE NARRATOR.
shlckshnny, Penn July 3o-whle rambling
through the Dutch Mountains in Sullivan County
few days ago the writer met intelligent native
who told him the following story about smart tame
bear:
"Sid' Whlpple, who used to live down In Deep
Hollow he said, had the handlest tame bear
that was ever raised in this region. His name
CoOnrd and he always trying to do something that
be saw people working at Whenever Sid started TO
harness the horses Coonrod would fetch the head
stalls and neckyoke to him Of his own accord, and
when sid called the from the pasture the bear
would drag the yoke out to the bars. One summer
SD and some Of his neighbors working the road
with ploughs and scrapers, and the bear went with
them and helped throw loose out Of the road
Coonrod toiled faithfully that until the middle of
the forenoon, when sid noticed that he watching
boy, who was bearing down on tho end of a
plough beam in the ditch. All at once the bear
pushed the boy aside, put his paws the beam and
vent TO bearing down good deal better than the boy
did, and he took the boys place until the road was
all worked. sid was ploughing a side hill one fall,
and Coonrod tagging him back and forth across
the field and taking great interest in the work.
Some time in the forenoon sid left the plough In the
furrow and went to a spring TO get a drink. and
when he got back Coonrod had the lines over his neck
and was trying TO start the horses. sid took the lines
and the bear held the plough without break until
dnner-time. After dinner Coonrod eager to
resume work in the field, and Sid let him guide the
plough again. By-and-by the point struck n
stone and gave the bear such a wrench that he lay
down and grunted and Sid couldn't get him TO touch
the plough again that year.
"Sld's wife didn't like the bear very much till he
was three years old. Coonrod often made muddy
tracks in her kitchen floor especially Just after she
bad scrubbed it as clean a whistle, and Mrs
Whipple would have to cane him with her broom
stick and chase him out Of the jooryard. The spring
when Coonrod was three years old he won Mrs.
Whipple's friendship. She pouring the in
the churn one morning. and she said she dreadng
the pile of work she had got TO do before noon.
when COonrod marched IN and tried to take hold
OF the dasher just as she had put 1t in the churn-
She told him TO clear ont with his dirty paws and
the bear wadded to the watering trough swashed
his paws in the water till they were clean and
then walked back to the kitchen his hind
and held them out to Mrs Whipple. She wiped them
of just to what the bear would do, and COonrod
seized the dasher and churned till the butter
came. Every day that summer and fall the bear
watched for Sds wife to get the churnng ready.
he always churned for nor. but he never again ap-
peared In the house without washing his paws In the
trough. The bear acted II he knew that Mrs.
Whipple overworBed, and he studied how 10
tighten her drudgery every day. When the water
pail was empty the bear would carry 1t out to the
penstock it under the spout and wait for It TO I'll
put it in the sink. He would also empty the wash
tub for Sld's wife, and he would carry armfus OF
wood for her rom the pile in the chipvard to the
box by the stove. Mrs. Whpple soon got 30 that
she thought more of the bear than Sd did.
esd used to thrcsh bis grain by letting his horses
tread 1t the barn floor. and one winter day. Just
sid had started flooring CoonrOd walked in, fell
IN behind the horses and marched around till the grain
had been beaten out of the heads. The bear helped
tho horses thrcsh I'LL the chaf foot Deep and
then sid shOvelled 1t to end of the floor and
started to clean 1t up with n tanning mill Sd's wife
had 10 turn the crank and when Coonrod saw her
doing he pushed her away, grabbed the crank and
went to making the mill 60 as though he had been
used TO It, and he ran II like man till the last
TTe With fail one winter 50 as to keep the straw
strniglt and the bear watched him for an hour or
two As soon as Sid stood the fail In barrel the
bear pulled 1t out his hind feet. and went TO
beating the grain he had seen sid doing, and before
he had made half a strokes the fail gave him
a hard crack On the back Of his skull. Coonrod hurled
the nail across the barn and for several minutes ne
a while, and he watched the beating end 40 closely
that he got the hang Of IT so we'll that 1t didn't
When sid tapped his sapbush in the spring the he
bear tagged him around In the woods ana wa'cne ea
day sid saw COonrod trying to adjust the sapyoke
TO his neck 1t wouldn't stay there ana nnaiS te
bear balanced the yoke on top OF his head. hoosed
10 the balls Of the buckets and started on. na
let him go, and CooDrod soon filled the BUCKETS WIN
Sid could have done. The bear also gathered white
birch bark for Sid 10 start fires and syrIp down WI
with. and he broke up dead limbs and picked up
CHIPS and put them on the fire. $1,000
fall he and ] camped there for a month ana hunted
eer with hounds there being no law sgst ,r r
falls In succession. and while we were away win tne
bounds he stayed In or fear the cabin. lie was us
falthful as n Watchdog The cabin near Il
SPRING and close 10 II there was a pine tree mucn
taller than the rest OF the woods on to the west
there was long stretch OF land that had been burned
over and il was "A capital place for deer TO bro,se
upon There was an excellent view Of II from tne
top OF the pine tree, and while were of hunting
the bear GOT in the habit OF climbing the tree 10 see
~ he could see us and the hounds The thlrd seeson
when we had been I'm the woods less than week,
CcOnrod lost his footing the tree and fell sixty
five feet, while We away from the cabin. lie
struck on stub that pierced his vtnls and the poor
animal lived only few minutes after VIC returned
10 the camp. COonrOd had never harmed any person
Or any animal in his life, and sid and dug hole
IN The mOuntainside and buried him. The loss oil
The intelligent bear put end u our pleasure IN the
woods and We packed up at once and went home"