The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-24
BRUIN as A wArCHMAN.
How a Tame Bear Fought and Nearly
Killed a Sheep Stealer

hAlSO oue6p OISdIer.
Scranton pa Correspondence Neto York Sun.
Owen Dix of Gravel Run owns a big
tame bear named Tom. The bear has a
pen between the house and barn, and
long chain fastened to his collar let's him
play all around the pen. On moonlight
night last month Mr.. Dix was awakened by
the bear. Tom was growing aud rafting
his chain, and Mr.. Dix, thinking that the
bear had been disturbed by some one
Prowling around the premises. got up and
looked out Of the window. He didn't see
anybody, and he was about to raise the
window TO tell the bear to stop his racket
and go in his pen, when Tom yanked his
chain IN two with a savage snarl, ran to
the barn yard fence, and quickly climbed
over 1t. Mr.. Dix stuck his mead out of the
window and ordered Tom to come back,
but the bear didn't obey him, and, as Tom
had never been disobedient before, Mr.. Dix
speedily pulled on his clothes and ran out to
give him a licking.
When he reached the barn yard he
heard Tom growing and Swapping a short
distance out IN the meadow on the opposite
side, and looking that way in the clear
moonlight he saw Tom trying to make
Wild bear drop struggling sheep that he
had just stolen from the yard. The sheep
was beating and kicking in the bears
paws, aud Tom was dancing around the
thief, cutting him, and doing his utmost to
head him off. The wild bear lodged TO the
right and left in his effort to get away from
Tom, walking upright and hugging the
sheep to his breast Suddenly he dropped
on all fours, seized the sheep by the neck
with his teeth, shut his wind off, and
started to drag it along the ground. Tom
sprang upon his back at once and bit him
in the neck, and the wild bear let loose of
the sheep, shook Tom off, and gave battle to
him. They had terrific fight for TWO or
three minutes, and Mr.. Dix, who had run
out with the Cad that he had intended to
whip Tom with, left them at it, and ran to
the barn for a weapon.
he seized butchers cleaver and hurried
back. The wild bear had got away from
Tom and was dragging the sheep toward
the woods and Tom, the moment he saw
Mr.. Dix coming, pitched on the thief again
and forced him to fight. They clawed and
bit and rolled and tumbled and growled.
and Immediately clinched and went at it
again. They fought so tiercely for time
that Mr.. Dix had no time to use the cleaver
on the wild bear. He saw that Tom was
more than a match for the bold sheep
killer, and he encouraged him and made
him fight all the harder. Tom finally got
the wild bear by the jaw, twitched him
from side to side and clawed him
in the breast till the blood flew.
The wild bear beloved with pain,
and Tom yanked and shook him till he
broke his hold on the jaw. Then the sheep
thief turned tail, and Tom instantly tackled
him again and drove him back. They
broke apart presently and Mr.. Dix ran up
and drove the blade Of the cleaver into the
side OF the wild BEARS neck. telling Tom to
keep back as he did 60. The blood spurted.
and the bear staggered for q moment and
then fell on his side. He tried in vain to
rise again, and he soon bled to death.
Tom was 80 badly ripped and bitten that
it will take him a month longer to get
healed up, Mr.. Dix said, but none Of his
bones was broken. Tom would have killed
the wild bear. Mr.. Dix added, If he had not
interfered. The dead bear was a male,
weighing 300 pounds.