The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-05-20
5 Surprising Act OF a Gear ;
A SINNEMAHONING MANS TALE CT !
D CIRCUMSTkNTIAL EVIDENCE.

DID,, said the man from over Olp-
nemahoning way, you never could
have induced him to judge a man on
circumstantial evidence, after what he
saw up along the headwaters once.
And that's what makes me shy of cir
cumstantial evidence myself. | didn't
see this thing that my remarkable ia
Their saw, the principal reason being. ]
suppose, that it happened some year
before I was born, and"
"'Pears to me as if little thing like
that hadn't ought to make no differ
ence to YOU. Sinnemahone,' said the
man in the red, blue, pink, purple, yell
low and green Mackiraw jacket. Pears
to me that it ought TO be jest as easy
for YOU to set here an remember things
that never hapneiCd before you was
born as it is for YOU 10 set here the way
you do an remember things that never
happened sence you was born. Pears
to me so. Sinnemahone."
"Perhaps you're right, Mackinaw.
said the man from over SirnemahOnin"
way, bandly. "Rut have you no regard
for nv remarkable father. Reuben Pet
,ibone? If I should set my eXtraor
binary memory 10 work recalling ante
natal happenings, what use would there
have been of Reuben Pettibone's living:
Have you considered what hole would
be punched in the past history of the
stored Sinnemahone if Reuben Petit
bone had not lived and breathed, and
seen and done things. there and there
abouts? I thank you for eNtoli;ng my
memory, Mackinaw. but remember, /
beg of YOU. remember Reuben Petit
bone.
"No; I didn't see this thing to which
l refer. but Reuben Pettibone did, and
the incidents of this che of his many re-
markable experiences he handed down
to me early in life to point a moral and
adorn tale.
"'You may get ketched on the jury
some day. PraXiteles,' he said, so re-
member this and play shy on circum-
stantial evidence. It'll never do to
hang a man on
"And so have always been shy of cir
cumstantial evidence, because of this
thing that my remarkable father saw
up along the headwaters and told me
about. There had been long prowling
in that part of the Sinnemahone bear
of enormous size and acuteness. He
had outwitted every hunter and trap
per who had pitted himself against him,
and a man down in the West Branch
country had had for ten years stand
ing offer of 500 for that invincible
bears hide.
1.-THE hunters were all more than
eager to lay this great bear low. as
much as for the satisfaction and fame
OF doing it as for the 500 in the coin of
the realm the West Branch man was
ready to put up for the wise old fellows
hide. Reuben Pettibone at last evinced
some personal interest in the bear, and.
having a few days to spare one winter,
he sauntered up the headwaters for
the purpose of fetching the coveted an
imal back home with him. There would
be fun in cir"umventing a tricky beast
such as that Reuben unused. but more
in noting the chagrin of the unsuccess
full hunters and trappers. / may as
well say that my remarkable father
didn't get the bear. He was foiled
But he learned lifelong lesson.
"There was a hunter native to the
headwaters whose name was Samson
Juff. Samson Juff was man of such
ways and questionable
methods in the woods that nobody
would hunt or camp with him. He was
pitifully unpopular, Mackinaw, al
though his jacket had only one color.
Every other hunter on that spread of
waters was in a perpetual state of wor-
riment for fear that Samson Juff
might some day strike the untold luck
of gathering in Slippery Abner. that be-
ing the name the upernaturally clever
bear had come to be known by. No
matter who else might happen to be
the fortunate man to capture the great
prize, his success would be reioiced in
but if Samson Juff should happen to
be the man there would be universal
disgust and grinding of teeth, and such
as might stop the run of sap ir
every tree along the Sinremahone.
Samson Juff had cabin two
or three miles from where Reu
ben Pettibone put up his camp that
winter. Reuben became acquainted
right away with q rumber of other
hunters. and when they learned who he
was their chins fell
Reuben Petitioner my remarkable
father frequently overheard them say
to one another. Slippery Abner's sands
O. life is runnin' their last grains out
now, boys! We mowt as we'll pull up
an quit
"But they didn't, and they told my
remarkable father something more
about the bear and the quest for him.
There was etiquette among the hunt
ers in regard to Slippery Abner.
Eager as they all were to bring him
down, if one hunter got on the trail of
the bear, no other hunter inter
fered with him, or joined in the chase
unless requested to by the original dis
coverer of the trail the idea being that
the one who started first should have all
the honor and profit of bagging Slip
perry Abner if he could. This was a
we'll understood and sacred rule with
the hunters of the Sinnemahone head
waters, and none of them would have
thought of breaking it any sooner than
he would have thought of burning
fellow hunters cabin.
Unless it mowt be Samson Juff!'
the hunter told Reuben Pettibone.
Samson d do it in minute.'
''Well, my remarkable father invited
all the hunters to go with him after
Slippery Abner, and a gladder set of