The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-24
ODD TRAITS OF BRUIN
Goes Into Winter Quarters Corpu-
lent and Comes Out Fat.
Does Not Begin to Lose Flesh Until He
Begins to Eat-Tragic Career of
Smiley's One-Eared Bar.


into their heads somehow-and naturally,
perhaps-that when he comes out OF his
hole in the spring, after his long winter
sleep he is lean and scraggy and of a
generally used-up appearance. Such people
VIII doubtless be surprised to learn, on the
best of backwoods authority, that just
. the contrary is the fact.
The bear, when he seeks his winter quar-
ters. is about the latest thing on four
legs. He doesn't swell up with fat like a
pig, but seems TO go fat all over. When
he starts in to accumulate this fat the
bear can eat a bushel of chestnuts at a
meal without giving any sign that he
could not eat another bushel If any one
insisted. AS he gets fat his stomach gets
smaller and smaller until, when he is in
proper condition for wintering over. its
capacity is insufficient for a handful of
food. Every part of the bear has made
room for fat and this fat sticks right to
Bruin all winter and keeps him warm.
III you are after bear for his grease you
want to kill him either just before he goes
into his hole in the fall or Immediately
after he comes out of it I'm the spring In
ten days after the bear wakes I'D and
crawls out after his winters nap he will
be almost as lean as a razor-bacl1 hog al
eatable he could get his paws on since he
woke up-and that is good deal.
He keeps lean until he begins to get ready
for winter again, and then rolls up his fat
as before. 1t seems odd that a bear should
keep fat for months without eating any
thing and lose his flesh as soon as he be-
gins to take in victuals. but that is the way
the bear is made and don't see how we're
going TO help il.
For the habit of the bear biting particu-
lar trees while he is travelling. even back
WOODS authority has no satisfactory theory.
The trees may be two rods, or they may he
half mile or more away from his line of
travel but no bear passing that way ever
rails TO sheer of to them and bite q piece
out of them, unless he may be too closely
pressed by dogS-and the dogs have got to
be very close II the bear cannot take time
To indulge in his bite from these trees.
ANY experienced north Pennsylvania
woodsman can take you 10 trees of this
kind that are almost bitten in two by bears
that have stopped and chewed them in &C
cordance with this peculiar ursine custom.
The bear has some reason or purpose In
picking out trees to be visited and bitten
whenever he passes that way, but what il
may be no one has as yet had the courage
TO say that he knows.
When the black bear is serious he is very
serious. NO living thing has stronger af-
lection for its young than a mother bear
has, and no animal will defend them so
desperately against harm. But she is
second in resorting TO the most extreme of
heroic measures in dealing with her young
when 1T seems to her that the circumstances
require IL.
The most striking illustration OF this trait
Of bear character that L ever knew was
given once on the SinnemahOning creek, in
Potter county, pennsylvania. Larry Ly-
man, the famous woodsman, and two other
men were standing the bank of the
creek when a big she bear, accompanied
by two small cubs, came down off the hills
on the same side of the stream, short
distance below where the men were stand
ing.
CRUELTY OF THE SHE BEAR
The old bear stopped for a moment and
gazed at the men. Then she plunged into
the creek. The cubs followed her, and
swan boldly towards the opposite side with
her. One of the cubs was evidently stronger
than the other, and swan we'll up with it's
mother, keeping almost head to head with
her. The other cub fell little behind, but
| swan bravely on.
The old bear climbed out of the water
when she reached the shore and clambered
| up the bank, which was quite high, and
INSTRUCTED somewhat by the projecting
roots of trees. The stronger OF the cubs
followed her without dlfficulty and trot-
| ted along in pace with it's mothers sweep
ing strides But the other little bear could
not clear the distractions the bank,
| and, finding that it's mother and brother or
going right on without noticing it's absence,
| il began to cry piteouSly.
The old bear and the strong cub had
| gone a couple of rods from the creek.
| When the mother heard the cries OF the
faltering cub she stopped and looked
| around. Not seeing the cub she flew into
| a fearful rage. She snapped her teeth to-
gether, and, growing savagely, hurried
| back to the bank of the creek, keeping an
eye on the three men who were watching
| this interesting proceeding.
When she came to the edge of the bank
| where the cub was struggling and whn-
ing she reached down with one paw,
grabbed the cub, jerked it UP to her and
with one blow killed Ii. She then tore ii
| to pieces and threw the fragments of the
| little carcass into the creek. Showing her
teeth and swapping them savagely at the
men, who were amazed spectators of the
/ old bears maternal fury, she turned and
strobe rapidly back to where the other cub
was awaiting her, and the two disappeared
into the woods.
| The presence of the men on the bank of
the creek had caused the old bear TO fear
pursuit She was endeavoring to place
| herself and her offspring beyond danger.
| The weakling cub was delaying her hight.
So its mother not only removed 1T as a
menace to the safety of herself and the
| other cub, but put it beyond the possibility
| OF its falling into the hands or the zoe by
promptly tearing all tender maternal feel
ings from her breast and the cuD TO pieces
at the same time.
| When Jonah Smiley was in the employ
| of the Wilbeck tannery, in the great Hem
lock belt he found a three-Week sold bear
| cuh i'm a hollow stump day. He took
| IL home The cub thrived in captivity and
| grew TO be a great pet. Up TO the time II
| was a year old it's disposition was so sunny
that the children played with IL as they
would with an old house dog, and Ii had
| never shown the least inclination TO be
| ugly The bear had the run of the whole
| Smiley clearing, and seemed TO be utterly
| ignorant of the fact that his natural nome
| was among the adjacent rocks and ridges
and swampS.
| One day drunken teamster was teasing
the bear and the latter struck him playTully
| with one paw on his hand, scratching it a
little That angered the teamSter, ana,
| bears ears off close to the head. The COM
plete and genuine backwoods trounclng that
| Jonah Smiley without delay gave TO the
teamster was little reccmpense to Jonah
for the bears mutilation, especially as
from the moment the ear was severed the
ANIMALS disposition was entirely changed.
He became so ugly that no one dared APP
| proach him and few days later he disap-
| peared. .
| As if to wreak vengeance for the indignity
that had been put upon him, that some
| time gentle bear became the scourge of the
| neighborhood. He Systematically raided pig
| pens sheep folds, fields, orchards and gar
| dens Time and time again the bear was
| seen while on marauding bent, his identity
being unmistakable because of his single
| ear Children who had played with him
when he was a good bear now and then met
/ or saw him as they were going to or coming
| from school and he followed them with no
| playful look In his eyes
| THE hear became the terror of the region.
| He was called Old One Ear the country
| round He defied all the traps and snares
/ that were set for his destruction. He out
| witted the best hunters. price was placed
| on his head. Other bears were trapped and
! slain hut Old One Ear still lived and
/ lai ia eft no was