The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1896-03-27
PREBLE'S FAKE BEAR HUNT.
Got Up as Joke on Greenhorn
Hunter ellison.
1t Yielded Unexpected Fun to Such an
Extent That Dave Ramsy Had to Go
Out Into the Open Country
to Laugh.

nor sign OF bear had bSen seen IN
the vicinity of Rose Lake, Pa, and con-
the killing of big one near
there one Jay made great surprise
In that colher of the hcmlock belt.
There were also circumstances con-
nected with the killing of the rear that
made it still more notable.
Doc Preblc lives at Rose Lake. He is
o 2OC-pounder, good-natured, and cs-
pecially fond of practical Joke. Some
weeks ago party of sportsmen came
to Rose Lake to spend few days after
partridge and other small game, which
is abundant thereabouts. Among them
was slim young man from Pittsburgh,
named Gill son. Young ellison was en-
Iirely unsophlsticaied as hunter, aud
was probably the greenest individual
about backwoods things ever seen in
that locality. He soon became game
for mischievous natives who filled him
full of hair-raising bear and wildcat
stories and other tales of life in the
woods thereabouts. ellison accepted
everything he heard in good faith, and
became fired with desire to kill a
bear. Having been told that he was
liable at any moment to come face to
face with a bear or a catamount, Gill
son followed the advice of Doc Preble,
and every time he vent into the woods
he strapped a hunting AK at his side,
carried a big knife, and kept one bar
rel of his gun heavily charged with
buckshot. The rest of tie hunting
party themselves enjoyed the fun the
natives wer' having with ellison, and
did not interfere.
Soon aftei there was fall of snow
in that locality, and Doc Preble con-
ceived the idea % getting up bear
hunt for young Gillson's benefit. Put
ting on his rubber boots he made tracks
in the new snow from one big laurel
patch to another one mile up the
mountain ana from that one to third
one nearly two miles away, on the edge
of Billnt's hollow. There he struck the
old bark road and returned home by
it. Toward evening he went to Barnes
boarding house, where the hunters were
stopping, ana remarked in nonchalant
way that from the tracks he had seen
in the snow up along Lye's mountain
that afternoon the biggest bear that
ever had wintered in that district had
come in and coiled himself up in some
laurel patch over that way.
1T wouldn't be much troable to rout
him out, Ivguess," said Doc, 'if any
one cared to go out and risk it."
ellison WIS all excitement at once,
and declared that he would go, for ore,
The rest of the party, suspScting there
was a joke in it, said he might go if he
wanted to, put that they hadn't come
out there to be clawed and chawed
and mussed up by bears, and would
stay at home. So Doc Preble told Gill.
son that he would go with him, end
Dave Ramsey, Barnes boss chopper
and an old hear hunter, said he would
go. too, Do" having confidcd the secret
of the bear II acks to him
The three started out carly the next
morning, ellison with both barrels OF
his gun loaded with buckshot, and his
DIX and big knife really at his hand
Preble and Ramsy each carried double.
bitted chopping axes and rife, and
revolvers in their belts.
"We'l fine him tough customer,
said Doc Preble to ellison. Ills foot.
print measures nearly IA inches, and
the biggest bear ever heard of around
here before made track only eigh,
inches long. There's liable to be some
blood split before night, and it won't
all be hears blood, either"
ellison was inclined to weaken wher
he saw the tracks in the snow, ant
asked Preble why they couldn't traI
the bear fiji ST and then kill him, bu
Preblc and Eamsy laughed at him, auo
told him they did,s't bag their bears il
that way So the uasophistlcated hunt
er braced up and went on.
81 mad laid out TO have heap Of fur
that day." sand Doc Preple, telling abou
it afterward, according to the pro
gramme had made. This was 10 tram,
ellison up and dawn those hills ant
among the i.urels for four or five miles
trailing the alleged bear, and all tn,
time loading him " it'll the danger thcr,
was in the rush of 9 ferocious bear from
a laurel patch to anyone who nigh
stand in his way; then for Ramsy
when we came to the laurel patel
where we had agreed that the beal
had stopped, to go into the swamp ant
rout him up. making tremendous hub
bub, and bowling and snorting and yell
ing, as if the bear was worked up to tn,
widest pitch of fury over being dis
turbed, and was going out of tina
swamp with rush to carry trouble t.
the first one he came to- ellison hav
ing just been posted at point on tn
edge of the patch and assured that tn
bear would certainly come out there
SO he could shoot it; and then to Sc
ellison break for the nearest tree an,
get into it at the first sound of the dis
turbance in the Iaurels.
ever ything worked first-rate. Whel
we got to the last laurel patch 1 wa
putting and blowing like tired horse
and was about as near pushed as any
one could be, but Z thought of the ful
was having, and the more was goin,
to have, and said nothing, but just wen
off to one side and shook my sides.
"1le's in here sure, and if there ain
breakers ahead, can't read bear signs
said Dave Ramsy.
II unbuckled my revolvers and lai
EN- on the snow, dropped my ak an,
stood my gun against tree. l tool
ellison over to one end of the patel
and stood him there.
"When the bear comes pitching out
! said, as if it was foregone conclu
sion that the bear was coming GU
right there and nowhere else, don't fir
until you see the whites of his eyes
He'll come like steam engine, an,
very likely run you down and trampl
all over you ard claw you some tn
first time, but that's part of the hum
I've known some folks TO make brea
| for the nearest tree and shin up
when they saw the bear making hi
rush, but that spoils a man for bein
bear hunter. Remember I say