The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-22
TRICKY BOLIVAR.
A Bear That Forged a Strong Chain
Of Circumstantial Evidence.

A Bear That Forged a Strong Chain
Of Circum stantial Evidence.
From the NetD York Sun.
HAMMoNDsPoRT. N. Y, Feb. 25.-"I was
always little shy of oondemning a man on
circumstantial evidence" said Col. Jim
Coryel Of Pulteney, who attended meet
ing of the Fairchild House Circle the other
evening, land since the day that had a
certain little experience out in Kitson
county, Minnesota, a year or 30 ago, have
been still more disinclined to accept evil
dence of that kind as conclusive. 1t is a
dangerous thing, circumstantial evidence
is. especially in a locality where bears have
the run Of the country.
II was out in Kitson county on one of my
moose-hunting trips. and having had lots Of
sport with that great game, ad paid little
or no attention to any other k ind, although
it was abundant. One day a friend of mine
who was with me ran across what he said
was bear almost as big as any two he had
ever seen, and on his mentioning the fact
in camp, our guide became very much ex-
cited, and declared that the bear was one
known to all that country as Tricky Blli-
var. He had outwitted every hunter in
K1tson county for ten years, and some fell
low down In st. Paul had a standing offer
hunters were all more than anxious to lay
Tricky Bolivar low. as much for the salts
faction aud fame there would be in getting
the best of the bear, as for the big money
his skin would fetch.
why said the excited guide, there's
been tons of ammunition wasted on old Boil
ivar, and what in the world he has done
with all the traps he has carried away, year
after year, is something it would be worth
a good deal to know. They'd be worth 6
years wages In old iron alone
II became interested in this wonderful
bear at once, and concluded that could at
ford to let the moose alone for one day
ANYHOW, for the chance Of bagging Trick J
Bolivar. There would be fun trying to cir
cumvent an animal as able as this one was
cracked up to be, and SO we started out tC
give him a whirl.
"There was a hunter out there named
Caleb Cripps, and he was man of such dis.
agreeable ways and question: ole methods iu
the woods that nobody would hunt with
him. He was terribly unpopular, and every
hunter in the county was In O perpetual
state Of worriment for fear that Ca eb might
some day strike the great luck of gathering
in old Bolivar. No matter who else might
be the fortunate man to capture the prize
bear, his success would make everybody else
glad, but If Caleb Grips should happen to
be the man there would be universal disgust
and gritting Of teeth in Kitson county,
every hunter said. Caleb had a cabin two or
three miles from us, but we had never run
across him until the day we went out on
the hunt for Tricky Bolivar. The guide
told US another peculiar thing about this
smart bear and the hunters. AS anxious as
they all were to kill Bolivar, there was a
strict rule Of etiquette among them. II one
hunter got on the trail of a bear no other
hunter interfered with him or joined in the
chase, unless requested to, the idea being
that the one who started first should have
all the honor and profit Of bagging Bolivar
il he could. This was a well understood
and sacred rule with the hunters and none
of them would have thought of breaking ii
any sooner than he would have thought OF
burning fellow hunters cabin.
UNLESS it might be Caleb Cripps," said
our guide, He'd do it in a minute
1--WE got a track of the bear in the snow
a mile from our cabin, and the track was
fresh. We folio wed it for two miles. Just
after it had led us into big thicket of pop
lars our guide happened to look back and
saw Caleb Grips come out of the woods
fifty yards behind us. 1t was evident that
he hadn't seen the bear or its trail,
'Hellow he shouted, what have you
struckp
we've got the lead for it tool'
''Caleb grumbled out something and dis.
appeared in the woods. We followed the
trail for an hour. but never got as much al
sight of the bear. BY and by it led into
an open country, and a half mile further
on it made straight toward Caleb Grips
cabin. This made the guide uneasy, and
when it took US within three feet of Caleb'i
door and the bear tracks went no further, the
guide laid right down and howled, he wai
so mad The bear tracks went no further
than the cabin, but from the cabin the foot
prints of two men, walking side by side, lee
away toward the settlement, three mile,
away.
THAT Internal Gale Grips has gobbled
old Bolivarp yelled the guide. Hes gone
and cut back to his cabin, and the bear hap
PENN to come along this way, he's plinged
il. and him and his brother Joe is luggin
him in to the settlement! We might jist al
we'll quit now I'll shoot that miserable
cur. Gale Grips, the first time / set eyes OF
himp
"The guide was still raging and making
things blue around there when who should
come along but Grips himself. Our guide
jumped for his gun. and If hadn't grabbed
him l gness he'd have put ball in the I'M
popular hunter there and then.
"'You can't fool me, Gale Crippsp the
guide yelled. You've killed our bear. It'll
be the last one you'll kill IN this country
and
"Cripps had been looking at the tracks
that led away from his cabin while the
guide was bowling. and away he dasheC
into the cabin, the door being open, cut the
guides remarks short. Cripps wasn't in
side more than five seconds. Then ht
dashed out again.
"'Both pair is gone. by the great hornsl
he hollered. And they cost me sl0p
"Then he hurried away on the trail o.
the two men.
Come on, shoutsd the guide, and b.
started after Caleb and we followed the
guide. The trail circled around toward q
big swamp that lay 70 the right about tive
miles, aud We tore along on IL ike made, ~
one speaking WORD. never was - pl1
zled Ia my lie. Just as we reached the