Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-01-25
OLD JOE KILLED BY A BEAR.
Noble Fate Compared with the One He
Once Escaped.

Noble Fate Compared with the One He
Once Escaped.
A horse belonging to Samuel Petit
bone, of Elk Run, and known far and
wide as Old Joe. was found dead in a
field where he was pasturing one morn
ing, and ragged wound in his throat
lead TO the belief that he was killed by
bear, says Roulette pa )correspon-
dent
1t Is customary for bear trappers in
this part of Pennsylvania to purchase
old and worthless horses for the pur-
pose of using them as bait for their
traps. When horse is to be used in
this way he is taken to the woods where
bear trap is to be set and there shot
The carcass is placed SO that bear at
tracted by it can approach it by only
one path, and N that path the trap is.
The bear in it's anxiety to get at the
dead horse steps in the trap and is
caught
A year ago Samuel Pettibone, having
had the Old Joe horse twenty years,
and his age having told on him SO that
his usefulness was gone, made up his
mind to reward that twenty years of
faithful service by making bear-trap
bait of the old horse. A big she bear
had been providing around Elk Run
with two cubs, and Pettibone had
reason to believe that she had stolen
two of his sheep. So he put a halter
on Old Joe, loaded him up with a bear
trap, and started with him for a spring
hole up the run, where there were signs
that the bear family was in the habit
of visiting. There he intended to shoot
Old Joe and set the trap. They had
got to within half mile of the spot
where the superannuated horse was to
be sacrificed when Pettibone saw two
young cubs cuddled up by the side of a
fallen hemlock. He took his revolver
and, going close TO the sleeping cubs,
shot them both. He was STOPPING down
examining his trophies, SO easily and
quickly gained, when the old bear
burst out of the brush, and was on top
of Pettibone before he could turn. He
managed to scr;. BILE part way to his
feet, but was forced down again by the
bear. which began ripping and tearing
at him with her claws.
Pettibone had placed his revolver on
the ground while he was looking at
the cubs. and he had nothing to de-
1eQu himself WILL Ills Time WOulu
have been short if it had not been for
Old Joe. The mere scent of bear is
usually enough to terrify horse, but
this old horse had either lost his sense
of smell by age, or was too keenly
alive to the danger his master was in
to think about himself. for, old and
stiff as he was, he jumped on the bear
with his fore feet and, kicking and
biting. forced the Infatuated animal off
Pettibone and turned her atten ton
toward himself. The bear attacked the
brave old horse, and would soon have
dispatched him, but Pettibone sprang
for his revolver and shot three bullets
in the bears ear SO quickly that she
died before she had inflicted any Sc
rious injury on Old Joe 1t is needless
to say that Pettibone abandoned all
idea of making bear bait of the horse.
On the contrary, he took him back
home and gave orders that there could
never be anything on the place too
good for Old Joe as long as he lived.
He was pampered creature ever after.
Pettibone declares that he believes the
horse was marked for vengeance by
some bear that had seen his bold rescue
of his master from the she bear that
day, and that the vengeful bear had
found his opportunity the other night
and killed Old Joe.
But it's a good deal better that the
old horse ended that way" says Petit
bone, than to have ended up as bait
for bear trap."-N. Y. Sun.