Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-06-27

way three OF hers had already gone. Pat
crept softly around SO as to be behind the
bear, and approached to within few feet
of him. The bear was too busily engaged
to notice him until Pat exclaimed. $50
afther attn me grub!" And as the
frightened bear started to make off, Pat
laid his head open with a blow OF the axe.
Pat was the hero Of the camp that
night, but there was still a good deal
about bears he had not learned. When
one of the men In camp volunteered to
bring the carcass OF the bear into the city
and sell 1t for him, he gladly accepted the
offer. The man got the 80 bounty which
was then paid for bears, and good round
sum for the skin and carcass. When he
got back to camp he gave Pat 81; and Pat
thought he had made a good thing out of
1t.
An amusing bear story used to be told
by the late Roswell Silsby, OF Aurora, but
at the time 1t happened the laugh was as
much on Mr.. Silsby as on the bear.
Mr.. SiIsby was driving over the 'air
line" road on his way to Cherry field, with
a four-ox team. Everyone who has been
over this road remembers the stretch of
road known as the "wh aIe's back", Pc
culiar, geological formation, resem bling a
railroad ENHANCEMENT on a gigantic scale,
as much as anything. There is just room
for roadway on top, and the embank-
ment falls away precipitateiy on either
side. Scientists tell us this formation is
the terminal moraine OF huge glacier.
Near the end OF this whales back was a
camp and howell, used as temporary
stopping place by the lumbermen operat-
ing the vicinity. A man overtaken on
the road would always find there not
only shelter for himself and beast, but
food. Tue harder was not ella oorate, I o be
sure, but there WIS generally to be found
some pork, II our, coffee, etc, for the man,
and hay Tor the beast.
Mr.. Slsby was nearniug this camp
" hen he became aware of Il great com-
motion inside. In a few minutes the
cause OF 1t appeared. Out from the door
OF the camp stumbled a bear, his head
caught in pork barrel, from which he
had not time To extricate IL when dis
turbed at his meal by the sound OF the
ox-team. Unable to zee wher@ lac Was
going the bear ran almost under the
noses OF the leading oxen, ana p}unged
blindiy over the embankmeut, down
which he rolled, the barrel sim covering
his head. until 1t struck II convenient TIRE,
aud was smashed. The bear, very much
frightened and probably ilttie sore,
shsmbl off into the woods.
But the laugh was not a!tOgethe On
the bear. Mr.. Silsby's oxen, alarmed be-
yond control when the b,sr with hIs
strange headgear rushed past them, turned
short in their tracks, broke tue pu"
from the wagon, ana started on mad
race for home. Mr.. Silsby Was twenty
six miles from home, and with night com
ing on. There was no help for II -- he
must stay at the camp all night, put up
with such food as he bear had lett him,
and moot IL" home the next day.
Mr.. Silsby used to say hen he told the
story that that twenty-six- mile walk
home seemed the shortest, yet took the
longest of any walk OF the same distance
he ever took for he had to stop every
dozen rods or SO to laugh when he
thought how funny hat bear looked and
how funny he must have felt rolling
down the hill with the pork barrel over
his head.
One more good bear story is furnished
by Robert Sweeney, formerly chief OF
Eilsworth's police force, now the popular
and obliging Conductor Sweeney OF the
Boo line, at Bangor. No one would
guess from the appearance or talk of the
modest conductor that he has won fame
as a slayer. Indeed, he never would
who were in camp with him at the time
told ii when they came out.
Ask any man IN Ellsworth who worked
In the woods dozen or twenty years
ago, and he VIII tell you that bob"
Sweeney was one of the best men who
ever put an axe into tree. ASK some
OF the same meu VINO happened to run
against BOB" when he was preserving
the peace and order OF Ellsworth, and
they viii tell you something more about
his prowess; but that has nothing to do
with this story.
Like all good woodsmen, Sweeney was
keen observer OF things about him, and
when he saw anything out of the ordi-
nary, at once looked for an explanation.
Driving his team along he road near the
camp at Spec pond one cold morning in
February, he noticed slight vapor aris-
ing from pile OF spruce boughs which
were covered with snow. Sweeney knew
that meant mething, and Investigated.
Pulling aside the boughs he peered with
in, and saw fur. He did not stop for
further investigation, but went back to
his team, drove on to camp, got rifle
and walked back to the pile of spruce
boughs, keeping his own counsel as to
where he was going with the rifle.