The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-02
RED MAJ! AND BRUIA.
HOW 4 MAINE INDItS TACKLED a
MUCH TRAPPED BEAR.

RepeIIed-But Makes Advances,
Too, and Is Killed, But slayer
Loses His Game.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Passamaquoddy, Ne. Dec. 2i.-Tne In
dians for whom his village was named
preserve an ancient tradition that Maine
/ bear was formerly a kindly disposed and
I gentle animal, who came out Of the WOODS
/ on warm winter days and went coasIng
with the half-grown papooses Of the set
/ Element, hauling the young folks up hill
on his shaggy back and sliding down the
{ icy banks among the laughing children
for ha.f a day at time without raising
his fur or showing his teeth to anybody.
IN this innocent manner he and his wives
and children disported themselves among
the tribes of red men for many moons
/ and many winters. As the bear is natur-
ally a vegetarian preferring ripe berries
to all other foods, and as there were ber-
rics to give away on all The hills the In
I dams rather encouraged the friendly rela-
tons that had grown up between the
members of the tribe and their animal al
I lies. The Indians hated the wo-Yes, and
had good reason to do So because when
/ ever a pack came across party of chill
dren or a stray squad in the woods there
was nothing left after The meeting but a
few polished bones. AS the bears drove
I the wolves away and occasionally killed
few when they got too bold, the Indians
rewarded the good work by feeding their
I protectors on fish and offal and providing
( them with warm dens, in which they slept
( all winter.
The arrival of the pale-faced Europeans
/ at once wrought great change in the
/ conduct of the bears Though The Indians
were quick in learning how to drink rum
/ ana fairly Industrious in acquiring most
+ of the imported vices it was a long time
/ before they became treacherous or cruel.
/ Believing that a good friend should re
/ ceive good treatment, they refused to kill
+ bears or eat bears meat or wear pear
skin garments for years, waiting uAiAi
most of he bears had been killed OIL pN
the white men before they coulI De IN
duced to take up arms against their oIu
J allies About the time Louisburg wak car
! tured by the British troops ana tN5hch
/ and English soldiers were rdlding III"
/ eastern country. right and left, most o.
! the Maine and New Brunswick tribes ian =
/ ed badly. and were glad enough 10 eat
bears meat or any kind Of meat they
could get. BUT during all those evil DAYS
! to Passamaquoddies held fast 70 their an
/ Client faith and could not be starved or
/ bulied into preying upon an amman Whlch
/ stood for the totem sign Of their race IN
/ these later times Of peace, when soap and
1 civiIizafiotl are continuing the work of the
/ rifle and tomahawk, they refuse to sit at
I a table where a bears meat is serNen,
/ saving that the bear was their brother in
I war. ana is now entitled TO brothery pro-
/ lection.
{ Though the faith of the Passamo0uoddy
/ brave is deep-rooted, he sometimes has an
/ experience with his four-f0oted brethren
/ which strains brotherly love until it IS
ready to break. Nick Levi of Peter Ia
mas point a famous hunter and a brave
who has slain and eaten great many
4 angry loups-cerviers in his day, met a
bear under peculiar circumstances last
week and is sorry that he didn't regulate
his conduct with more caution Since the
state put a s. bounty on wildcats Levi
has been earning good wages trapping
/ bobcats and loups-cerViers, 6eftn6 . LOT
+ every scalp. selling the skins from 30
cents to 81 So each, according to the thick
/ ness of the fur, and having the skinned
I carcasses left to take home and make INTO
not stews for the children.
Late in the fall bear began to get INTO
7 his traps and carry them off. BY the time
/ tbe hear had a half dozen traps attached
a tin neddler's cart when he StroiIed
through the woods Levi was beginning
+ to get angry, saying that any bear was
hog to want so many samples OF hdIH"dfe
for which he could have no use. II was
AN right to have passion for coHecJlhg
traps so long as the collector was able
1 nav for them, but no creature, he declar-
ed. should have a monopoly OF the TWO
7 business while he was able TO carry gun,
and knew how to shoot ii.
For a month Levi went looking for his
trans and the bear thar had taken them
away He heard him nearly every NIGHT,
as bruin went crashing and rafting
through the woods, towing the traps be
hind him, and twice he met him face to
face but had no gun, and was therefore
/ uncertain about the result OF a pitched
/ battle After that Levi carried an old
army rife for a week, Juggling it many
miles and he never so much as saw
/ bears track. One cod night in December
Levi was going home late, when 9 snow
( storm came up, compelling him TO sceE
/ shelter in PattongaIs camp which stool
/ near by Finding plenty OF dry boughs
/ in the bunk, he crawled down among them
/ ard went TO sleep without stopping TO kin
/ die a fire. Once when he woke up durlr-
/ the night he fancied that he heard SOM
body snoring at the foot of the bunk, bu.
/ after listening for time, he concluded IT,
! was the wind, and dropped off to slc, q
again.
! Ii was broad dayligh9when he woke d.
| The sun was shining in at the window ~
| the side Of the closed door, and a long
\ drift of new snow stretched away from a
/ crack in the door to the foot of the b X.
/ There was snow on top of the cold stove,
/ it having filtered down by the side OF he
/ funnel In one corner of the camp was a
overturned pork barrel, with fragr nts
/ of bone and lean meat scattered about.
/ Against the inside of the door was airy
| back object, which Levi took for fur
overcoat. Levi knew it wasn't his coat,
but wished it was so strongly that j. con-
/ Guided he would try it on and see row it
/ fitted. As ne reached TO pick it up aa was
greeted with an angry "Oof" and st as
! he leaped back out Of range the coat stood
! on end revealing a big lean bear With
| steel fox trap hanging from every paw.
! Levi retreated to the corner of tha bunk
/ and began 10 talk to the bear in indian,
reminding him of the ancient au.ty be-
| tween the two races and asking nat the
/ old treaty be continued. The bear lid not
melt a bit but stood there in tn shadow
/ of the corner, shaking his steel ornaments
/ and growing out replies which Levi could
not understand, but which he knew were
/ ,unfavorable TO his plans.