Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-05-11
TREED BY A DEAD BEAR
A Tenderfoot's Novel and Painful
Experience In the West.
He Spent Several Hours Up Tree Wait.
ting for Bruin to Leave, But Grow
ing Desperate He Descends to
Find His Bearship Dead.

E1nO HlS BGaEBh1p dead
81 have heard and read many thrill
ing tales of adventure in the west" said
an old-timer the other day to a Butte
(Mont.) Daily Inter-Mountain reporter,
but have never heard or read of one
that equaled an experience of my own
way back in the eos. was tender
foot or the thing would never. have hap
pened-at least. not just in the way it
did.
at was in the summer of 'es, and my
self and two other fellows, well known
all over the state to-day, were prospect
ing, and were camped in the hills near
the head Of one of the tributaries Of
Alder gulch- Grub was mighty dear in
those days. and we depended to a great
extent on the game we killed for our
meat. was the best shot in the outfit,
and did most of the hunting.
"One day was out looking for deer
when I saw whopping big silver-tip
way up on the side of a mountain that
was sparsely covered with timber. 1t
was the first bear had ever seen, and
at once determined to kill him. So
crept cautiously up the mountain, keep
ing out of sight of the bear as much as
possible. got within one hundred
yards of him, and taking careful aim
just back of the shoulder let drive.
The bear fell at the crack of the gun,
but he was on his feet again in an in
slant, and without stopping to take any
aim at all he came tearing down the
mountain in bee line for where
stood My rifle was a muzzle-loadel
and ! had no time to reload it. In fact
Y 4
reload Winchester just then. wa!
not half so anxious to kill the bear as
was to save my own bacon
"A tree stood below me, and withou
stopping to measure its size or to con
slider it's adaptability as a place O
refuge sprang to it and went up like
coon chased by a pack of hounds.
had reached the lower branches, abou
yet thought of looking down, when
heard the bear scratching at the foot o
the tree and imagined he was coming Vi
after me.
well, he didn't come, and when
had climbed about as high as could ge
straddled a limb to await develop
ments. Bruin stood on his hind leg
and scratched about peck of bark OF
I
time. Then he got down on all tours
and after walking two or three time
around the tree he finally lay down
resting his head on his paws, like BIZ
dog
II began to feel easy now, and con
graduated myself on my fortunate es
cape. thought the bear would 500
get tired of keeping watch and woul
get up and go away. He did nothinl
of the kind, however, and hour ate
hour sat there in that tree watching
the bear. imagined could see hin
move occasionally. and each time
thought, now he is going to get up
But he lay still, and finally began t.
break branches and throw them dow
on him. and yelled at him until 1 wa
hoarse. 1t was all in vain. There h
lay, and he seemed determined to re
main there until he starved me out. M
situation began to grow desperate
Night was approaching, and already
was so stiff from my position that
could scarcely move. Something mus
be done, and it must be done quickly
There was but one thing to do, and tina
was to get out Of the tree.
MY rifle lay on the upper side ant
| the bear was below Inc Tree. cllmOet
down to the lower branches, and, break
ing off a few of the smaller limbs,
threw them down on the bear. He di'
not move. He must be asleep, thought
and now was my time. Carefully an
noiselessly Skinned it down the ire
until ! was within six feet of tn
ground. when sprang off on the uppe
side, grabbed my gun and ran like
! scared wolf to some rocks about fit
yards away. When safely behind tn
{ rocks peeped out. The bear had no
r moved. Then loaded my gun, and
drawing a careful bead, with a dea'
rest over a rock, shot the brute squar
between the eyes. Still he did no
move. Again loaded my rife, cooke
it and walked cautiously toward tn
bear When close enough l picked u
a stone and struck him with it. He di
not seem to mind it any.
Then l mustered up courage to az
proach close enough to poke him wit
my gun. He was as stiff as poke
and had been dead for hours. ha
been in the tree all day, freed by
dead bearl AS said before, was
tenderfoot then"