The Portland daily press., 1899-05-20
But Bruin Was Hungry
and Ate Him.
Dropped Him from a Mountain
to Break His Shell.

Sebec, Me-, May Sup mere IN P1scat-
aquis county, the great fish and game
region of Maine, the country folk are
complaining of "spring feelin's" and
swallowing various deoootions of barks
and roots and "yarbs' for the relief of
the same. At the edges of the snow
patches In the woods the May flowers are
blossoming, and the thick ice which still
sheets the lake is SO honeycombed and
sottened by the sun that the first strong
wind that shall set the open strsaks of
water In motion will break up the whole
business In few hours. Verify. the win
or is past. the SHOWS are over and gone,
the flowers appear and the time of the
singing of the birds Is at hand; but, If
following out the words of Solomon the
voice Of the turtle is heard in the land, 1t
is safe to wager at any odds that the note
is not that of Ebenezsr. The turtles of
Sebeo Lake have never been known to
manifest themselves In vocal way, but
If they should take 1t into their heads to
attempt so surprising thing Ebenezer
will not count in the performance. This
giant turtle. tho patriarch of his kind
in the Sebec waters, has passed from the
scenes of his earthly inactivities-is out
of the swim apd-it was bear that ar
ranged for his passage
Who christened the big turtle Ebenezer
is not of record or tradition, but for five
and-twenty years this was the name by
which he was known to the fishermen
who came to the head of Sebec Lake in
the spring to fish for landlocked salmon.
Yearly he was seen by them and always
at one place, the southerly end of a boat
channel cut across the neck Of the long
tongue of land which divides Flag Cove
from Bucks Cove. This channel Is the
route commonly taken by fishermen 60
ing in small beats from the salmon
Pond Stream. The boatman padding
from Flag Cove into the channel was
pretty sure to see Ebenezer summing him
self on sonnet half-submerged log or lying
afloat to one side of the canals mouth
like o monitor guarding harbor.
Once only he was known to have left
this locality. 1t was when boating par
ty, having captured him with much
took him greatly against his
will to their camp across the lake at
South Cove Point. Here, like Samson
among the Philisti rss, he made sport for
his captors who held him through one af-
ternoor. At night, for safekeeping, he
was put in an improvised pen made of
boards, and for greater security against
his getting away he was laid on his
back. it being assumed that turtle
placed IN that position cannot turn over
or in any way help himself. Ebenezer
knew better, but it suited his plans to
play postum, and when his captors left
him for the night he was lying on his
back, his head drawn within his she'll,
the picture of resignation to adverse
fate. When all was still at the camp he
found no trouble In getting upon his feet,
clambering over the side of the pen. tear
ing down a part of it in the proceeding,
and making of into the lake. Between
South Cove Point and Flag Cove Is three
clear miles Of blue water. Two days
later some fishermen reported having
seen Ebenezer at his old haunt by the
mouth of the canal. loafng about as un-
concernedly rs If nothing had happened.
The men that had caught him felt so
sure of their prize that they neglected
to measure him While they had the
chance, and the exact dimensions of this
turtle are lost to history. The most trust
worthy estimastes made at the time set
his length at twenty -one inches and his
weight at thirty pounds, which is a top.
notch record among fresh water turtles.
Ebenezer was a master fisherman, and
being both lazy and cunning as betltting
hisNcalling he managed his business SO as
to combine the taking of all the flesh he
wa nted with the least amount of exer-
ton. 1t was all we'll enough for younger
and more agile turtles to wander about
seeking whom they might devour, and to
chase the elusive eel up little funlets
leading into the lake on the chance OF
cornering him at the head. He would
have none of this in his, but preferred to
let his prey come to him. Tho boat chan
times during the season of warm weather
a favorite water way for small fish; cells
and pickerel which feed on them were
thus attracted to the place, and on all OF
these, big and little. Ebenezer levied
impartially for his subsistence. Boatmen
polling about the edges of Flag Cove In
the summer have often stayed to watch
the blg turtle at his fishing. AT that sea-
son, when the lake is low. the water In
the canal ia not over three feet In width
and it averages less than foot in depth
along the middle of the channel. Taking
his position in the canal, with his under
shell resting on the bottom. his legs
drawn in out of sight, and with the
water barely covering the upper shell,
Ebenezer would wait as motionless as q
stone for what might come along. Small