Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-15
TWO BOYS AND A BEAR
Have a Lively Time Under a Chest
nut Tree in Wyoming County.
A CUB CAUGHT IN BEDSHEETS,
And Makes Such Noise That It's Mothers
attention Is Called.
CONDITION IN WHICH SHE WAS LEFT
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIspArcr

rsrEcIAr TELEGRAM TO THE prsPArcH.i
SCRANTON, Oct. 14-Otis Butler aud
Asa Hurd, 15-year-old lads of Forkston
township, Wyoming county, came pat upon
Young bear in the Follett woods, last Sun
day. 1t was crunching nuts under the
! limbs of chestnut tree. and the approach
of the boys scared it so that it ran up the
tree and clung TO branch. The sight of the
cub excited the lads, and the desire to catch
it and take it home made them lay plans for
its capture at once. The boys had gone to
the woods to gather chestnuts They had a
couple of bedsheets that they were going to
spread under the limbs to let the nuts drop
| on when they went up and shook the
| boughs. They also had long pole with q
sharp spike in the butt end of it, and with
that they intended to shake the nuts from
| the lower limbs
While the young bear was clinging to the
bough the boys laid plan to capture it.
One of the bedsheets was spread under the
cub. Otis started to climb the tree to
shake the bear loose, and Asa stood ready
to throw the other sheet over the cub the
instant it landed. Then he was going to
keep the cub covered until Otis came
down, when they intended to wind both
How the Boys Caught the Cub.
When Otis had climbed pretty we'll up to
the crotch the cub took frigh: and crawled
so far out on the limb that Asa had to move
the sheet on the ground. The cub's weight
made the limb sag two or three feet, and
when Otis had got into the tree top he found
it would not be safe tor him to go out on the
limb far enough to shake the cub of.
yvbi he 1oIS IL, ,,t
what to do. Finally Asa thought of the
pole and getting it threw it up to Otis. Otis
caught the pole and Asa took hisformer
position under the cub. When Otis reached
out with the pole and poked the cub with
the spike, tie little bear squealed and clung
to the branch for moment and then it
curled up and let itself drop. Asa threw
the sheet over the cub the instant it
struck the other sheet, covered il and let his
whole weight on it.
The little bear scratched and bit and tore
the sheet till it got its head out, when it
began to squeal and whine. Asa threw the
other sheet over it and the cub tore its head
out at once and set up a squeal of distress
1t scratched and bit Asa's hands, but the
plucky boy hung to it and again covered its
head with the torn sheets. Then he shouted
to Otis to come and help him.
Otis was taking q rest in the crotch of the
tree, and he said he would be down as soon
as he turned the pole around and dropped
it. Just then the cub again tore the cloth
away from its snout and began to suueal in
spite of the bag, and the next instant the
cubs mother came tearing and snarling
through the underground and made straight
for Asa
A Spike Stops Mrs. Bears Progress.
Asa did not hear the angry hear on ac-
count OF the noise the struggling cub was
making. but Otis did hear her from his
perch in the tree, and he yelled to Asa. He
had just turned the pole for the purpose of
letting it drop, and when the noisy bear
dashed under the tree close to the trunk.
Otis dropped the butt end of it on her back.
The weight of the pole drove the long spike
deep into her flesh, anu instead of looking
for the cub the old bear went roaring and
bounding past Asa as though she had been
fired at with shotgun.
The spike stuck in her hide and eyery
little while she stopped and tried to nip at
the sore spot. The pole was dragging be-
hind her when she went out OF sight. The
BOYS could hear her roaring down toward
the creek some time after she had disap-
peared, and they tied the cubs legs with
strips of sheet cloth and lugged it home
On Tuesday Mr. Hurd found the pole.
81 miles from the chestnut tree. The spike
was gone, and the supposition is that the
old bear is still carrying it around in her
hide.