The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-13
RrAE.SLAYERS IN MAINE.
,, JSCtpES or m NTERS
ryOM EEtIN ~ 4 IHiP'
1851, y,,.. victory with IL Cane aud
An W." triumph with n Toy Cannon
.,,.i.cs for Trnppcrs-A Bear"
,,rrnV Laid for Hunter


n,, ,cr,c aud resource of the Yankee
,.......tbl. In state like Maine Wnere nun
,.,.ot hears are killed annually, the hunter
.,,. rn,c,, with accident. Ful-Grown Gears
,;,,os weigh Go0 pounds; their atrength
.,.orhtal, they have formidable weapons
.s and claws, and they are credited
ann heiae among the most WHY OF animals
g., l,.r,,o thcsc natural advantages ana
s..,,,o .hc fat that chance often brings
-. .,c,o- 20 lose quarters. the bear almost
COT. the lp2,. hand in the contest.
,.,,.s the h.i.cr :ha Star makes better
,o.r. ~, himself RaAile Maurice tells OF
,,..ssc down AZ Sl!ut. who, when in search
=, ,,s COW. mmIcd over fallen tree, ard
a,r,,s, landed 'on the back OF bear Inc
,o,s, rose on his hind legs IA quick rs
cash and hani-'o-hand encounter ehSuea'
,,t,,b ,honrr il resulted in the death OF
,bc lcar l,ft laprisse dilapidated ano use
,oss specimen ~ humanity with hcShless
AIMS and a face that was not good TO look
a. Almost any frp"'n '",'"'''"'. o"
,ool.uar ran toll similar incidents from MS
ou, cNpcrlonre, indicating that they are
common enough In Maine. however though
hind logs. the outcome Is different and in
stead Of the doctors and unacrtakers proh'-
,rg the individual who stepped on the bear
&c generally richer by the extent OF the town
bounty and Corrcsrondingly gratetuI Tor the
uck which threw the bear IN mis- way
Rear saycrs arc not looked up 10 especial
" as heroes in Maine and the harh-headed
natives stand in neither fear nor respect OF
the bear Tradition tells OF bangor man
who found bear eating out OF his carnage
barrel and straightway caught the beast by
the hind legs. pushed him into the swlii' ana
held him there till he drowned. Another
story has to do with douehty patriarcn
famed for his crusty temper "no' hoopiing
along one day. steadying himself with stout
hickory cane. tipped with neaVy teruie OF
iron met bear In his pain
Get out Of my way. you pesky thing said
the patriarCh and he brought down the cane
on the bears snout with such effect that the
animal fell over on his side and was easily
desnatched
Kenny Dart a nlne-year- old boy living In
Hoeb, killed a bear with toy cannon
made from the sawed-off breech Of an old
m
loaded with a marble. Amos Quicker OF
Mattawamkeag got bear with pickerel-
smear one night as he was starting off on a
fire fishing excursion. This particular bear
was in the hovel OF an old camp at the time
Amos came along, and trying to escape
became wedged In one Of the small windows
made by saving through single log. Be-
fore he could extricate himself the bear was
despatched by blow in the eye, one OF the
tines OF the spear penetrating his brain. The
bear was a shedder and his fur had no value.
but Amos collected the bounty and was sa-
tisfed that he had secured a bear instead OF
the anticipated mess Of fish.
The Maine trapper takes It for granted
that the unexpected will happen. and is not
unduly ratified when surprised. Warren
Wing OF Flagstaff one day. while tending
muskrat traps, stumbled on an old bear trap
back In the woods where he had left It the
year before, and happening to have a dead
rat with him. he hung It UP in tree over
head and set the trap and pushed II in
between the roots OF the tree 1t was the
freak OF an idle moment, and the hunter new
er expected that bear would walk into the
eAPoetu Trap .NtNtIlHtltSS, Wnen ne went
back to the spot week later. provided with
some bait and determined to set the trap in
scientific way. the unexpected had happened.
He was going along in a great hurry through
the thick brush, and was only short dis
lance from the place where he had left
the trap when. without the slightest warning, a
bear jumped up within four feet OF his elbow
and uttered howl Warren carried an old
muzzle-loading rife, and, before he knew
what he was doing. the gun sprang to his
shoulder and went off. and there was a dead
bear lying at his feet. 1t was large and
powerful bear and Warren's hat "riz UP a
little when he had time fully to compre-
bend what had happened. The bear had got
into his trap. and in trying to escape had
unwittingly travelled directly towards the
approaching hunter.
On another occasion Mr.. Wing barely es-
capped hand-to- hand struggle with a bear
that had all but succeeded in freeing himself
from one Of his traps Warren's favorite aim
attrapped bears Is side shot at n pont on III,
head midway between the eye and ear. A trap.
bed hear na,u-o,,. ,,oo, l,. !,