The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-18
4 FLORIDA BEAR STORY.
At Least the Scene Was Floridn; the Beast
Acted Like a Pike Comfy Bear.

when I was down In Florida last win
ter" said John Gilbert, the travelling
groceryman, they told me bear story
which they earnestly asked me to be-
lieve, and as l am nothing IL not accom-
modating, / believed it. The bear this
story was about acted to me so much
like a Pike county bear that l couldn't
help but believe that IL really was one Of
that county's perennial bruin femily. who
had gone down to Florida TO spend the
winter / believed the story, so / don't
see that there is anything in the way
OF believing that the bear was from Pike
county. If he was he will never be seen
there again, and his folks might as well
know IT,
According TO this story, a party of
New Workers were hunting somewhere on
the Florida coast, when they came to a
mass of wreckage that had been washed
up on the beach from some unfortunate
vessel. AS they approached the wreck
age. they were surprised to see a bear
nosing around among It. The bear was
so much taken up with his inspection OF
the miscellaneous articles strewn about
that he did not detect the presence OF
the hunters, and they had a good oppor-
tunity to watch his actions. There were
cocoanuts, oranges, pineapples and other
things Of that kind scattered about be-
sides casks and boxes which were still
unbroken. When the party first came in
sight Of the bear he was evidently hav-
ing his first interview with a cOcoanut.
He looked at it with comcal doubt for
a minute or so, and then snelt of it eau
tiOusly. His investigations thus far be-
ing unsatisfactory, he touched it with
one paw, drawing the paw away quickly,
as II he were afraid the queer object was
hot. Then he tried It with the other paw,
and this satisfying him that there was
no danger concealed in the big nut, the
bear sat down in the sand with a con-
tented grunt took the nut up in his paws,
and prepared to regale himself on the
new-found morsel. IL was pain that the
bear had not expected to meet with so
much resistance on the part Of the nut,
for when he brought his teeth down on
the hard shell his mouth dew open, and he
dropped the nut, as II II had been red
hot. At the same time he clapped his
paws TO his jaw and hollered, 'Ww-w-w!
Ow-w-wr for all the world like a man
who had been suddenly struck with
toothache pang.
"This was so comical that It came near
ending the show. for it was all the con-
vulsed spectators could do TO keep from
howlins right out But they held in and
by and by bruin made his next move.
He picked up the nut again, inspected 1t
carefully and closely for a long time,
and then held one side of IL in his mouth
and tried to crack IL with his teeth. Fail
ing in that, he gave an angry snort and
threw the cocOanut as far from him as
he could. Thel he fell on all the rest
OF them that lay about and scattered
them about on the beach as If he was
the demon bowler In a cricket match.
When he had sufficiently vented his anger
in this way on the nuts, he picked up an
orange. That suited him, and he sat
down mad Toasted on oranges. He ate all
that We're within his reach. and then
moved to get among some more, when
he got a sniff from a key that lay on the
sand. He paid no more attention 10 the
oranges but had that keg up on its end
in less than 10 time. 4 piece of the
head was out, and taking the leg in
under one arm, he rammed his other
paw through the opening in the head,
took IT out, and carried it to his mouth
and sucked it with such unmistakable
gusto that it needed no words TO tell that
the bear had found something that lay
way over oranges He kept the paw
working to and fro between the keg and
his mouth as rapidly as he could sop
and suck, but that process was too slow
for him, and Wrenching off another
piece from the top of the keg, he pushed
his head through into IT, According TO
the story, the bear must have become
conscious of the fact as soon as he got
his head I'm the cask that he couldn't get
IT out again, for he Immediately made the
attempt TO get it out. His ears and the
big folds Of skin about his neck and
is
on his feet, and the key sat on his should
ers like helmet many sizes too large.
The breeze had carried to the spectators
by this time the intelligence that the
keS had Jamaica rum in tor rather did
have until the bear lifted It In the air,
when the insidious contents ran down
and bathed bruin with it's redOlence from
head to loot. The bear howled, but with
in the confines of the keg his uttetances
sounded far-off and hollow. He clutched
al the keg, first with one paw and then
the other, but in vain. To add TO the
comicality of the bears situation, brun
had become tipsy and tottered and stag
gered as he clawed and hOWled.
THE hunters yelled with laughter
that no one tried longer 10 keep in, and
the bear was still sober enough 10 know
that there was company about that meant
lip bpDu 10 ullis anu llt oil dlbllNttltA NP
for a second as If to get his bearings, ard
then started, blinded by the keg and
nearly blind drunk besides, TO make his
escape If he could. BY accident he
headed straight inland, but had 10 go
up quite a steep rise. He veered and
staggered up the hill, but at the top
tumbled heels over head, and rolled back
to the bottom, right I'm the midst Of the
hunters. He picked himself up, and
growing inside the keg with drunken
fury, he danced about, striking out with
his paws like a genuine slugger. One OF
the dardes who was with the party felt
sorry for the bear, and picking up club
broke the keg to pieces. The broken
bits fell from the bear. and before the
darby who had been so kind TO him could
get out Of his way, the bear fetched him
a clip alongside the head with his paw
that sent him sprawling in the sand ten
feet away. Bruin was now fighting drunk
and mad and he pitched right In TO nave
IL out with the whole party, but a rlne
ball in his brain was too much FOR MIN,
and he died bowling and defiant. II ne
really was a Pike county bear, ana any
other kind of bear would have been
quickly suffocated by the liquor fumes:
| have no doubt his folks will be panied
to hear Of his end, especially as by snow
ing his head into that keg he wasted
ahout four Gallons Of good Jamaica rum