The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-11-10
THE wARDssORO BEAR HUNT.

In THE FIELD,

,
In THE FIELD,
WEST WARDsBoRo, VI, Nov. 8, 1893 +
Three score and ten Of Windham county's
crack shots have just finished o brilliant
charge on the comlnon enemy, Black Bear,
and he Is hours before them. 1t was, never.
theless, most exciting s0rtie and the occa.
sion, though bloodiesS, will live In the minds
OF the participants for years to come. Bruin
had made himself oyer familiar with our
sheep folds within the past few month"; and
finally 1t was deciied that "Johnnie should
get bis gum" which fact was announced
through the medium of large posters after a
previous hunt had been abandoned on &C.
count Of rain. AT the appointed time aud
place, chivalr0us crowd With their repeaters
lined up In front OF Edward l.. Whites
home on the northwest side side of Whites
Hill" and at 10 O'clock, Daniel Stocker of
Wards0oro, who had been selected as one of
the captains OF the host, cried FORWARD I,
and straight line of rifles one and one half
miles lon and 100 feet apart moved. They
went to the crest of the hill where they were
to meet Mr. Bear with leaden rain. Frank
Beriis, In the meantime, was to take de-
tachment on fl ink movement and up the
| opposite side of the mountain. A light fall
OF snow had made The way dangerously slir-
perry, but nothing daunted, the army Of
brave sportsmen he'd their sway. Occasion.
ally partridge would come In prUvokingly
sAS~' A"H6" ohu CNSh 4" poAcuPino uShco tuD
inarksmen, but to no purpose, for the men
! were under orders not to waste their ammu-
milton on small game. On they went with
! fixed eyes and determined hearts. Not a
| sound was heard save that hich comes from
Mapping twig or murmuring ril, or per-
chance nimble squirrel as he SHE'D from his
hiding place.
Just where the route seemed the hardest
there came sharp report from K. H.Waite's
revolver, and In trice the line turned by the
Hank and the men hurried to the expected
point OF attack. Waite having discovered
fresh bear track concluded his bearship mast
be close at hand. Here was bruins opportu-
nifty for escape and 1t is supposed be was
quick to see It and slyly creeping through The
break IN the line he was soon beyond the
reach OF their longest range. Up, up the
mountain side crspt the line with constant
expectations. Then came the order to cos
IN and the men obeyed only to find that their
hunt had proved fruitsss. The tramp has
taken two ard ont-haf hours when the
sportsmen came out at Elliot r. Whites, d.
rectly opposite the starting point No tear!
FROM lnent hunters were Herbert 7. Evans
Iownshend, G. E. Ramsdell, Brattleboro, ID,
M. Stocker, Wardsbor0, George Curtis, Carl
Bostick, Harvey Clough, Londonderry, Geo.
6rooks, Townshend, W. Fl. Jacobs, Frank
bem's, Edw j. Wells, Ward.b oro, Chas.
Barnes, BrookIine, DsXter Knight, Stratton,
II. u. Ray, Wilmington.
Ihis Is the third bear hunt IN this vicinity |
Wlhln the memory of some Of our Oldest |
townsmen. The last one before this was In |
1883. but The memorable hunt OF April 81.
lo4O, Is still remembered by some who recall
lhe excitement ats nding the event and which |
resulted In the capture OF an Old bear and |
her cub. The place was then known as Ham
Mond's Ills ard many farmers fold had
been visited by occasion bears. A woman
lad seen moneter near her home on the
'ventful day of the chase, and men hurried
o the"City' to organize posse for the attack.
It SO happened that the late poet j G Holland
vas teaching In the City" at the time, and he
olned the gang. Afterwards he wrote an
musing story, all In rhyme He described
ne men who rode In tc give the alarm
Mounted on charges fierce.
Appeared 10 hast two Mountaineers"
Some seem to have hesitated about going,
eing without arm, when the Mount aineers 4
according to the poet,
"If you've no spears why take stick
So that you go ALFRED quick"
Among the number .
Baboock, was there hunter bold,
Who hunted wolves and bears of od.' ,
The party was got under way after much
excitement and they travelled mountainward ]
n coming to q brush.heap they were oil
20. WV ~! " u'n' WIN Jumpcu III tuelT very
ices. None OF the party seems to have .
fought OF thei- guns and all were startled to
,e the old besr stand upright and go through Z
arious antics before trottino off. Babcl ok
,me up and planked a shower of lead into q
Re creatures head. But this did not have =,
uch effect whereupon Rabcock became " lid ~ !"
ith rage.
"He dropped his cartridge and his bullet,
And jammed his musket down her gulet." +
The dogs succeeded 10 freeing the bear after =,
hich she was brought down midst a shower
bullets. Then a cub was found and dis a,
atched. when the brave hunters returned to
wn with their p-ey. E
Each telling some tremendous tale, :
OF bears that he had killed or seen,
In days and years that once had been. l.
The bears we're cold the large and small
Fresh oil. hides, legs, yea paws anu ALL Jc
And he who these poor lines have pcnned
Has just received his dividend" Ks