Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-01-30

carcass of an enormous black bear.
'There were great many bear that
year, but they kept in the swamps
Fretty close, and only few were
killed. Along in August, however,
they began to get troublesome, invad-
7ing fields of late corn and carrying on
great loads of roasting ears. There
vaa one big fellow who visited nearly
every plantation in the neighborhood.
Giles Oyerton watched for him one
night, and claimed next day that he
saw him gather an armful of corn,
then balance pumpkin on his head
and walk off on his hind feet. Giles
said the beast acted so like man he
couldn't shoot him, by which l take
Giles story to be somewhat exag-
gerated, particularly as Squire Hesen
claims he saw Giles asleep on his stand
just before day, the squire having rid
den py on his way to the lake to tish
for speckled perch, which We're biting
freely. Icaught ninety-nine one morn
ing before breakfast and killed rat
tlesnake that"
''What the nation has that got to do
with the bear story?" interrupted
man with tremulous hand who OBJ
-jeets to snakes.
The man from the bottoms growled
out something about not seeing the
sense of interrupting gentleman who
was delivering instructions gratis, and
continued: ''We measured the tracks of
the big bear several times, and they
were eleven inches wide. The niggers
on my place saw the beast once or
twice, and said he was as big as
house. Every was too busy pick
ing cotton and settling with the hands
to hunt bear. besides the critters amt
any good until after hard frost. So
the big fellow lived high until about
the middle of December, by which time
he was rolling in fat, as we could tell
10y his tracks. In a track made by a
poor bear the claws leave very deep
impression, whereas when the animal
is fat the ball of the foot leaves more
prominent impression. Finally we con-
cluded to have bear hunt and, if pos
sible, get the big fellow. We sent over
on the ridge and got old man Ferguson
and his bear dogs twenty-nine in the
pack and most of them well trained. A
bear dog is composite canine crea
ton. He ought to have enough hound
in him to make him good trailer,
enough bull to make him gritty, and
enough flee or cur to make him eau
'tious. His business amt to go in and
pull down bear. It is to nip him on
the legs and bring him to a standstill,
so the hunter can come up and shoot
him
That's the kind old Ferguson's dogs |
were mostly, although there were few
full blood deer or fox hounds and big ,
brindle half mastif and half grey
hound, who weighed seventy or eighty |
pounds. and thought no more of
strangling wildcat than fox terrier
does of slaughtering rat. His name
was Bull, and he was the apple of old
5Ferguson's eye.
1--WE started one morning just before
day, six of us, besides the dogs, all |
mounted, and some carrying shotguns
and some rifles. | had needle gun, |
rsuch as is used in the army, sweet |
weapon for big game, but very wear
ing ona man whose shoulder can't stand |
a hard kick. We started bear about |
seven o'clock, and after chase of half |
an hour got up with him and the dogs. |
1T was in a piece of open woods, and it |
wasn't much trouble to knock him |
over. He wasn't the big fellow, how
ever, and the horses and dogs being |
fresh, we hung him to a sapling and |