The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-02-14
PREBLES FAKE BEAR HUNT.
Got Up as a Joke on Greenhorn
Hunter ellison.
e Yielded Unexpected Fun to Such an
Extent That Dave Ramsy Had to Go
Out Into the Open Country
to Laugh.

~ ANu6hs
For more than five years not a beal
nor a sign of bear had been seen IN
the vicinity of Rose Lake, Pa, and con-
sequently the killing of big one near
there one day made a great surprise
in that colner of the hemlock belt.
There were also circumstances cen
nected with the killing of the rear that
made it still more notable.
Doc Preblc lives at Rose Lake. He Is
a 2OG-pounder, good-natured, and es-
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 a slim young man from Pittsburgh,
named Gill son. Young ellison was en-
tirely unsophlsticated as hunter, and
was probably the greenest individual
about backwoods things ever seen in
that locality. He soon became game
for mischievous natives who filed him
full of hair-raising bear and wildcat
stories and other tales of life In the
woods thereabous. ellison accepted
everything he heard in good faith, and
became fired with desire to Kill
bear. Having been told that he was
liable at any moment to come face to
face with 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 were having with ellison, and
did not interfere.
Soon after there was fall of snow
in that locality, and Doc Preble con-
ceived the idea Of getting up bear
hunt for yodng Gillson's benefit. Put
ting on his rubber boots he made tracks
in the new snow from ono big laurel
patch to another one a mile up the
mountain and from that one to third
one nearly two miles away, on the edge
of Billct's hollow. Thei he struck the
old bark road and returned home by
it. Toward evening he went to Barnes
boarding house, where the hunters were
stopping, anu 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.
ut wouldn't be much troable to rout
him ont, guess" said Doc, eff any
one cared to go out and risk it,"
Ill
and declared that he would go, for one,
The rest of the party, suspscting there
was joke in it, said he might go if he
wanted to, out that they hadn't come
out there 20 be clawed and chawed
and musse6 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 tt acks TO him,
The three started out carly the next
morning, ellison with both barrels of
his gun loaded with buckshot, and his
ak and big knife really at his hand.
Preble and Ramsy each carried double
bitted chopping axes and rife, and
revolvers in their belts.
We'll fine him a 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 a tracL only eight
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 when
he saw the tracks in the snow, and
asked Preble why they couldn't trap
the bear st and then kill him. but
Preble and Eamsy laughed at him, aud
told him they did;'t bag their bears in
that way. ST., the uasophisticated hunt
err braced up and went on.
II mad laid out TO have heap of fun
that day" SAID Doc PreDle, telling about
it afterwarc, according TO the pro-
gramme had made. This was TO tramp
ellison up and down those hills and
among the l;.urels for four or five miles,
trailing the alleged bear, and all the
time loading him " it'll the danger there
was in the rush of ferocious bear from
laurel patch to anyone who might
stand in his way; then for Ramsy,
when we came to the laurel patch
where we had agreed that the bear
had stopped. to go into the swamp and
rout him up. making tremendous hub
bub and bowling and snorting and Yell
ing. AZ II the bear vas worked up to the
widest pitch Of fury over being dis
tur6ed. and was going out Of that
swamp with rusl, 70 carry trouble to
Q H.. IL.