Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-21
SHEKILLEDTHEBEAR
A YOUNG ScHooLMlSTRESS HAD AN
 ADVENTURE WITH BRuIN.

MES AaJ1o O1dnJ snow tIRhS Unt1t sho Had Shade the Best of the Situation. but We'll Call Her Delay Generalship and Give Her Full Credit For the victory.
 Katie Rankin is a pretty 21-year'old schoolmistress in Cummings township, Lycoming county. She is also heroine, as an adventure in which she was q lead ing character has proved. A 250 pound black bear was the other actor in the affair, and Katies schoolhouse was the scene of combat The structure in which pretty Miss Rankin conducts her school is locat- ed near the banks of Pine creek, in sparsely settled district. Just back of the one story schoolhouso stretches forest, up and across tho mountain, which rises 5oo feet or more. It Is no uncommon thing to see bears or catamounts in these woods The knowledge that there were wild beasts about caused Katie Rankin to carry re. volver for hor boarding place is fully half mile distant from the sohoolhouse. Dilf- gent practice has made her proficient markswoman.
 One night snow fell in that locality to the depth of 90 inches. Next morning Miss Rankin started for her school, going quite early so that she could have the room warm before the pupils began to arrive. The task of trundling through the deep snow for half milo was more than sho had counted on and when she arrived at the door of the little schoolhouse she was nearly fagged out. On opening the door she was surprised to find one of the win dows in the rear of the room wide open. It had apparently been open all night, for the snow had drifted in.
 Hurrying up the aisle to make fast the window she was startled to see big black bear lying on the floor close to the stove. She screamed, for she thought the form that of tramp who had taken shel- ter in her schoolroom from the severe storm of the night before. She was about to flee when the black form raised up, and she was surprised still more to find 1t not a man, but big black bear Now, here was predicament! Run she must She lsprang to the door; but, beholdl in her hurry to get inside when she arrived, minute before, she had failed to remove tho key from the outside. The peculiar make of lock made 1t an impossibility to open the sanlo on either side without the aid of the key after it had sprung shut, and thus was the now thoroughly alarmed girl made a prisoner, with big black bear as a companion.
 < Old bruin sat up on his launches and blinked at the terrified girl. It was evil dent that her screams had awakened him from a sound sleep, and that he was still drowsy was more than apparent from his lazy attitude The bear had found the window of the schoolhouse open, and tho aperture thus afforded being not more than three feet from the ground he easily got inside That he had made himself at home was in evidence from the topsy tur- " condition of affairs. A lunchbasket, left by one of the pupils, in which several extra pieces of cake remained, was on the floor empty. Books and maps and states were thrown promiscuously about, and as the impertinent fellow sat looking at the timid little sohoolma'am he seemed sorry for the disturbance he had caused in tho schoolroom.
 At last, having surveyed her to bis en- tire satisfaction, bruin gave loud grunt, showed two rows of teeth, then turned and shambled toward the open window. With his fore paws on the sill he looked back over his shoulder at Miss Rankin, who stood trembling at the door; then he raised his ponderous form and slid out into the snow. It was then that Miss Rankin bethought herself and rammed
  yolyer. With this as helpmate, and the bear on tho outside of tho building, all her bravery returned. She knew that bruin could not we'll get back if she barricaded the windows, and she did want to shoot real, true bear so badly.
 On going to tho window she was sur. prised to find that the bear had not yet gone moro than ten feet toward tho wood. The snow was so deep and of such feath- cry nature that it was next to impossible for tho woolly coated creature to move. He first stood on his hind legs, and with his fore paws beat the snow from in front, but when he attempted to move forward he invariably tumbled headforemost into the snow, which at that point had drfted four feet high.
 Miss Rankin judged that this was her chance She did not stop to think that bears are not usually shot with revolver. She watched bruin founder In the snow and knew that he could not get back to her, even though the first few shots did no more than injure him. She waited until he stood upright, when she 1eveled the pistol at his head and fired. Simultaneous with tho report of the firearm the bear jumped into the air several feet, then went rolling into the snowdrift An instant later he was again on ms lee1, tnie tiihe with his face toward tho schoolhouse win dow. The sight of his pretty tormentor and the pain of the bullet wound in his head maddened the fellow, and his attempt to founder through the snow back to the window was terrific.
 F Again Miss Rankin raised her pistol, this time taking aim for the bears eye. The bullet went 'home," and the bear fell again into the snowdrift. This time he was slow to rise and before he accom- splished this another bullet went blowing into his body, and he lay down to die.
 The shooting at the schoolhouse was heard by those at farmhouse just across -tha creak and several of the men folks