Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-12-02

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boiling together like q group Of school
boys at play. Black bears and CHINA
| mons seemed TO be I'm about equal pro-
| portion. IL looked TO Holbrook as though
the animals had been feasting on the
acorns the brush furnished them. and
were then enjoying an after-breakfast
| froic
Some were lying inert under the sun,
! others rolled over and over, while halt
n dozen disported themselves at what
| appeared very Ike a game Of leap-frOg.
one bear would lie paws down on the
| ground. while another took n short race
toward the spot. stood on his head and
then clumsily turned "a somersault over
the body OF the PROSTATE animal This
trick the bears seemed 10 enjoy mgeiy,
! taking turns at the feat Of sOmersaultng.
But Engineer Holbrook had neither the
time nor the inclination TO watch the
game, so, as soon as he could quiet his
| horse he sat out on n gallop for the noar-
est house along the road the resi-
dence of G. q. Love. He remained
there the remainder OF the day and that
night. reaching the camp Of the road
construction crew, little ways below,
early next forenoon. on the way he
deserted quite a number OF other bears.
some of them disconcertingly close TO
the route he was following-the old Baker
trail
On arriving nj the camp he was in
formed that bears had already been BOTH
ering the men there The entire neighbor-
hood seemed to have bears in abundance.
lurking among the brush and rocks. At
night some OF the animals had accustom-
ed themselves 20 proving around me
tents of the labOrors and stealing the
meat the men hung up on trees near by
I'm 10 EIa
neers H0brook and Sumner sat mp with
Winchesters. watching for a shot at the
ursine foragcrs but only wasted a number
Of bullets for their pains. The meat thnt
had been hung out to Jerk was gone
as usual next morning.
Holbr00S then determined TO adopt an
other mode OF warfare against the bears,
by sending 20 Silverton FOR a stout steer
bear trap II reached the camp rev
days later. and. assisted by @. c. Love,
Engineers Holbr0ok and sumner. set DC
under a pine tree which stood alone
among some oak about an eighth or a
mile from the camp. a hole was dug Tor
the trap M the foot OF sne pine tree, ana
a low enclosure of sapling pickets. htteQ
with an open wicketway, constructed
around it. The. mouth Of the trap was
then covered over with leaves and tWigs'
and from "a twig of the pine. directly over
il. a chunk OF fresh beef was suspended
and the hunters returned TO camp TO
await developments.
Next morning Holbrook Sumner, ana
Love visited the trap They found a 40
pound cinnamon bear sitting on top OF II
crying like "a human being I'm his discom-
future and agony. with one Of his paws
caught firmly IN the steel jaws OF the de-
vice. a council was held regarding what
means should be used In getting the i'm
prisoned bear 10 Loves house. where ne
could be killed. skinned. and converted
into steak. hide. and bears grease.
on the suggestion Of Mr.. Love, who
IS an old hunter it was finally decided
10 drive the bear, as domestic animals
are driven, to the place chosen for his
slaughter by way Of precaution against
the possibility of some bear carrying on
the trap 10 had been chained TO stout
log In addition to being buried. win
some difficulty and more danger this
log was dislodged from amid clump Of
brush. the bear an the time roaring and
swapping yiciously at those engaged in
the job.
Having got the log loose. HolbroolS and
Sumner cut two long poles ana. getting
I'm the rear of the ir prisoned cinnamon,
they whacked him vigorously over the
suout lie rose upon his hind legs with
n mighty lytA tAlA|A syn ''At1 N-A-f---A
opening I'm the enclosure, dragging the
trap and log behind him. once free, he
showed "a disposition TO turn on his tor
mentors. But every time he faced about.
down came the poles on his nose, anu
with another roar he started down the
hill
BY dint Of constant whacking and care
ful herding the strangely handicapped
bear was finally brought to the highway.
After this % was comparatively easy 10
get him 90 a point close 10 tho Love cabin,
where a bullet ended his sufferings. Tho
scheme of driving the bear ahead of them.
as described. saved the hunters the in-
convenience of dragging his corpse dis
lance of nearly four miles.
After skinBins the cinnamon, securing
choice steaks. and getting the oil out OF
his fat. the hunters took their trap back
90 the pine tree aud reset 30 as before.
Next day they found % young black bear,
~ ighing about 80 pounds caught IN the
trap. lie was her a to near Loves
house. as was his predecessor I'm misfor-
tune, and disposed OF in similar fashion.
Two days went by this time before
victim biz at the bear-trap meat. Bear
40. was ID giant OF the cinnamon spe-
Cies Weighing i'm the neighborhoOd Of
400 pounds when the three owners Of
the trap first saw him he was sitting out
side the enclosure, apparently as though
he had torn mp the trap In his attempts
TO get rid of H. HOlbro0k. Sumner. ana
Iovo approached him confidently. intend
ing to treat him as they had treated
their two former captives. As they did
so the bear rose mo with roar, and
then made for them, leaving the trap
undisturbed.
The hunters then saw that the CHINA
stump. and that the bear itself was free
Of the trap. Being armed with nothing
better than revolvers, they broke into
run down the hill. not stopping until they
reached camp. There they procured a
winchester apiece and returned 20 hunt
for the wounded bear They found him
sitting among the brush. half way up the
Hill vigorously licking his wounded paw
and whining at intervals. a Winchester
bullet behind his right ear ended the
cinnamon's life.
When they went mp 10 whore the trap
lay the hunters found the missing por-
ton Of the dead bears paw between It's
tightly-shut steel springs. From the
marks upon both portions of H. Engineer
Holbrook felt satisfied that in his desire
20 get free Of the trap the bear ate the
imprisoned limb IN twain. There were
fully three inches Of fat unde- this cinna-
mons coat and Mr.. Love got two and "a
half gallons of oil for bears grease ONT
meut from H.
After watching the trap for three days
longer the owners Of 10 were rewarded
with their fourth bear. "a black. Weighing
about $50 pounds. Snow set In then. and
by the time the weather cleared up the
bears had migrated from the section of
country about the road-buiidors camp.