The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-03
IMPUDHNT BEARS.
They Agitate Backwoods Society and
Give Farmer Great Surprise.
Esa,, Ma, Val. gus,

They Agitate Backwoods Society and
Give a Farmer a Great Surprise.
From Neso York Sun.
A social party at tho Pocono Mountain
house. on Mount PocOno. Monroe county,
was broken up for time by bears on We'd
nesdsy night, says Bushkill tPa.l corres-
pondent. Mrs Belle Smith and her daughter
Mittie were on their way to the party in
buggy. AS they were approaching the big
watering trough at the roadside, within
stones throw of the Mountain house, their
horse began to show signs Of fear and tried
to turn around in tbe road. Mrs Smith.
being an excellent horsewoman, put the
horse under the whip and with a snort he
| sprhng forward and then stopped short
| within few feet OF the trough and be-
| gan TO rear. His snort was answered by
| another, but of different kind. THAT'S
beHrin exclaimed Mrs. Smith. Mittie
| Smith peered forward and began to scream.
| Two big bears were refreshing themselves
| with bath in the watering trough. Whom
| the girl screamed the bears jumped out OK
| the trough and made down the road directly
| toward TIE house, but turned of into the
woods just before reaching it. Mrs. smith
| drove on, aud after handing her horse over
to the hSster rushed into the house. A
| cotillion was on, but the music and
dancing stopped short as she hur-
ried in among the festive throng
| and cried: "rhere's two big bears
right Yonder across the roadw The women
screamed. and rushed upstairs and shut
| themselves in any room they could find
The men gathered up all the guns the neigh>
borhood could provide, and the social party
Yves turned into bear hunt by night. The
| impromptu hunters crashed and houndered
| and stumbled about in the woods for two or
three hours, but the bears lay low. The men
| then returned, and festivities were resumed.
The bears lay lower next day however. for
hunter Joe Cortright killed them both less
than two miles from Mount Pocdno.
Romano Whitaker was out pheasant
shooting few days ago near this place,
and while walking in an old roed he saw q
| big bear shutting along toward him. AS
| Whitaker had no snob heavier than bird
kshot DO did not dare to take the risk OF try
ing 20 shoot a boar with it, and he waved
his orn and shouted, surprising the bear
would be frightened away. But, instead OF
being scared, Brutn seemed to like Whitta-
ker's frantic movements and noise.
and trotted closer. Then Whitaker
| concluded to pepper the bear with
bird shot anyhow, thinking that the
srnarting of tho pellets might be suf-
fclent to turn him around or into the
woods. Tho hunter blazed away, and the
result seemed to tickle the bear amazingly
for he stopped rose on his hind feet, caressed
his nose and face with his paws, and then
lay down in the road and rolled over and
over like cat on a bunch OF catnip. That
made Whitaker mad, and giving the bear
the contents of his second barrel, he turned
and hurried away into the woods himself.
IIe saw no more Of the bear, but it is re-
ported that hunter named Van Auken
kihed a bear since then in that locality,
from which half handful of shot was
taken when 1t was dressed, and Whitaker
believes that this bear and the one that was
so pleased with him and his gun were the
same
George Young of the High Knob region
tells an extraordiu airy story OF an impudent
bear that came under his personal observa-
tion last week. Young lives in an isolated
place near the Monroe county line. Two
weeks ago he bought barrel to pack some
of his winters pork in. He left the barrel
in his door yard when he went to bed that
night When he got up Ia the morning il
was gone AS pork barrels are hard to gel
in that out-of-the-way locality ne spared
no pains to find come ciew that would put
him on the track Of his missing barrel, but
in vain. There was no one in the neigh
borhood whom be could suspect of stealing
it, and its disappearance wasa mystery thai
. disturbed him greatly. The day before
Thanksgiving Young was out pheasant
hunting Near the head water of Bright
brock, two miles from bis farm, he wa
passing along small scrub oak ridge, ard
something in hollow at the foot Of che
, ridge attracted his attention. He went
: down to inspect it, and what was his sur.
= prise on approaching it to discover
) that it was his missing pork barrel
The bottom OF the barrel was TOWARD
him. He went up to the barrel and pu
his foot on it. Instantly there was a great
5 scrambling inside, and out popped bear
, The bear gave one LOOK at Young, anc
: shuff1ed rapidly away aud disappeared il
{ the brush. There was no way TO explain
the presence of the barrsl in that spot ex-
: cept by the theory that the bear had stolen
t 1t ia the night aud rolled it all tho way
: from the clearing TO the foot of the ridge
. and through the woods at that-where ht
, had lodged the barrel for snug wtnterine
place for himself.
Undressed kid and driving gloves, 81
b =