The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13

sisted that II was Old Jake's trail. The track
was fresh and tho snow wasn't near as deep a.
Red had said 1t WAS. but 1t was deep enough.
".Jake 10 somethin' like ave hours ahead Of
u.s. said Red, as We struck out on the trail, and
Is we went he gave me the history OF the bear.
Tho FIRST that any one in the county ever
heard OF him was ono spring. twelve years be-
fore. when Mason Custard. o farmer living hear
the Bushkill road. in the Delaware Valley,
dashed into Bill Places raftsmen's tavern. .
mile down the road. shouting,
There's o bear up to my place cleanin' out
my bee skipsl Hos moro than . bear! There's
enough OF him for two bears! He's as big a.
Old Jakev
"Old Jake was an OF that Custard owned.
famous for its size. Everybody from Places
hurried to Custard's. with guns and dogs. hot
foot TO bag o boar that could compare In size
with tho OK Old Jake. When they got there.
though. tho bear was gone. He had upset every
bee hive on the premises, looted the honey, and
taken up his march, according TO the frightened
women folks. back over the hills toward Por-
ter's Pond. Men followed him all day. but not
ono got sight of him. and the chase was Aban-
doned. The fame of the bear that Mason Gus
tard said was as big as his big OK spread rapidly
through tho country. and the bear came to DO
known as Old Jake.
Two years later. late IN the fail, Jake Bens-
Icy. who lived back In the hills o few miles from
tho Bushkill road. discovered one day that q
bear was foollng around his pig pen.
"'There wasn't nothin' surprisiu' about that
said Red Drake. telling me this. cause It wasn't
no uncommon thing TO SEQ bears almost any
day In Pike county In Thorn days. As for q
matter o. that. it'd "a been somethin' moro to
talk about II o feller travelled Ave miles with
out seein' q boar than It would q boon II he
seen ono every mile or so.'
Jake Bensloy was therefore not at all sur
prised whom he saw tho bear foolinR around
his pig pom. but he was surprised at tho bears
size. Jake Bensley wasn't an old man, and he
wasn't yet the famous hunter that he became
In later years, but he had even then killed bears
by the score. and of all sizes ana shades. He
had also killed p~anthers and wolves a-plenty.
but among all tho great wild denizens of the
forest that he had laid low with his rife this
bear that had cast q longing and withal a de-
torminsd eye on the inmates OF Bensley's pig
pen that morning had no equal for size or for
That bear Is Old Jakel said Hunter Bens-
Icy. and his name fits him! for Bensley know
1.-THE huge bear didn't show any particular
aiRn that Bensley's presence on the scene tend ed
to interfere with his Intentions on the pig pen.
On the contrary. he went right on with his
preparations for butchering a pig and Juggling
"'Blamed II ! don't XIII you now. Jest for
your impudence,' said Bensley. and he ran into
tho mouse ana got his gun.
And what do you think p said Red Drake.
In his narrative OF Jake Bensley's experience
With the big bear; Jake had to sock two bul,
through him that Jake objected To his butcherln'
them pigs! Seem that Jake meant II, the bar
went slouchin' away, howiin' and b eedin'. and
was out o. sight In the woods fore Jake could
load and sock moro lead into him.
Jake Bensley wasn't in the habit of seeing
anything that he Ind sent lead into walk away,
and tho persistence on the part OF this bear in
not dying after having TWO Of his bullets in is
body was a greater surprise to him than the
tremendous size OF the bear had been. He got
his dogs and n neighbor or two. and followed
tho bloody trail OF the bear thai had done tho
Unprecedented thing OF not dropping dead when
Jake Bensley had pulled the trigger on IL.
The trail led through the fresh snow to a dense
swamp Two miles distant, Do what they might
they could not rout this bear out.
That shows That he's dead, said Jake Bens-
him2 How can he help but he dead y
His companions agreed with him, and tho
party returned home. satisfied that Old Jake.
tho bear OF Pike county. would be
heard OF no more, and mourning because they
couldn't recover his huge carcass from the i'm
penelrable depths Of the swamp.
49, was comm along 10y ihere Jest about that
time said ittd Drake. aud they j-!led mt
about their KILN az Old Jake, and his dyIn' 30
fur in tho swamp that they couldn't Vii him out.
! took u look vt that bars track, and / own up
to IL now that the size OF II bkeert ne. meas
ured one of the hOof marks.
"."'Leyen and n half b. ski" hollers.
'"Thuuder and MARI snys |. "iLeyen aud u
half b. six! He's the daddy OF ali b'ars!"'
""'fou mean he was the daddy of all bars