The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-08-02

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~ - terms. Five thou.
.NMIf@ sand of this sect
(MM emigrated from the
Wlu Caucasus provinces
Wbf1 k.&TES=p, of Russia to Amer
<tdfN R' 9sg lea during the win
.ElsI'F pEsgw ter and spring of
4pNsy21 AsEttR4 1899 For several
H{119D Hs9l. -~. years they had suf-
Et1ft ..ss<gR fered Il relentless
NJ ,.s-.ssiessVsA prosecution because
- -->.-->S5 u their religious faith
prohibits them from serving as sol
diers in the Russian army. Perms-
sion to cmlgrate was at first with
held, but at length it was obtained
from the Car, through the interces-
sion of the -philanthropist,
Count Leo Tolstoi, and of prominent
Qualers in England and America.
The Canadian Government, believ-
ing the Doukhobors would be good set
tiers, made them welcome and accord
ed them farming lands in three
districts to the north and northwest
of Winnipeg. Owing to the ,coniisca-
tion of their property by the Russian
Government, nearly all the immigrants
arrived in America very poor. the ex-
penses of transportation having been
betrayed largely by Count Tolstoi and
sympathetic friends in England and
elsewhere.
The Doukhobors are vegetarlans by
reason of their unwillingness to
slaughter domestic animals, poultry,
game or food. Such of them ms fell
i'll at the quarantine station refused
to take beef tea, or extracts from
meat.
These people are mainly farmers,
and when the spring opened they be-
gan working with great cheerfulness
on their new homesteads; but as the
SOIL climate, seed birds and beasts
in Manitoba are different from those
which they had been accustomed to
in Southeastern Russia, they had much
to learn in their first season, and their
efforts did not all prosper. But they
seem possessed of an abounding in
dustry. and Will doubtless do as well
as their cogeners, the Mennonites,
when they shall have become accus-
toned to the country.
One Doukhobor family, consisting
of Wassell Romig. young man twen-
ty years of age his mother, Sospatra
Romig; his younger sister, Pelgia, and
little brother Timofen, had queer
adventure with a family of bears.
The Romigs had settled in the Dau-
phin Lake district of Manitoba. and
there We're living with them at this
time two girls, named Marba and En-
docia Kodashan, whose father and
brother were at work on the railroad.
Wnssell Romig was therefore the only
grown-up man at the new place.
The seasons of growth and harvest
are very short in this northern region;
but crops grew with corresponding
rapldlty. By June Wassell, Il gardener
by training, was kept very busy
sprouting his new clearings and hill
ing his potatoes and other root crops.
In this work his sister and mother
aided him.
About this time they began to be
AiOGDlti anu tllIlliAi dNNtl ny
one of those large hears which. in
and neGr the woodland districts, have
sometimes been found so formidable
that they have been misnamed "grlz-
zlles" The creature emerged, one af-
ternoon, from the willows bordering
the little farm. and walked toward
Wassell, who was at work with Il
"bush- hook"
The young man stopped work in as
tonlshment, which speedily changed
to apprehension. As he perceived the
size of the newcomer, he backed away
and made cirGnt TO reach the shelter
of the log howell Mother Sospatra
who was transplantng turnips near
the house door, also saw the bear and
calling sharply to the girls, who We're
cutting willow shoots for char-mall-
ing, summoned them to the house
These people had never seen large
bear before.
The beast approached the place
where Wassell had been at work, and
shifted the sprouts which he had
mown down. Ii then walked through
his potatoes took a look AT Il hotbed
in which garden vegetables were
growing, and left the clearing on the
other side. 1t did not exhibit any
ferocty; its visit seemed prompted
merely by lnquisltiveness.
Wassell did not possess a gun, hat
never used such weapon, and wa,
quite content to get out of the bear,
way. The whole family who hat
taken refuge indoors, now came fortl
to discuss the bear, ahd to expires,
hopes that it would not come agail
or molest their two cows ana sl'
sheep. These animals were nearer tn
lake in n kind of pasture enclosed b!
brush fence. Wassell went lmmedl
ately to drive them home to the shcC
near the log house.
The bear appears to have been fe
male. which had lair and n cub no
far away. Two days later. at sunset
Pelagla Romlg, who had gone to driyl
home the cows. saw the beast on tn
lake shore licking up fish roe. Mothe
Sospatra also saw 1t the next morn
ing. grabbing for cells at the mouth o
brook near by. The woman la,
gone there TO dig for eels herself. am
was somewhat discounted TO find he
fishing-place Jumped" SO to speal
by so formidable n claimant.
In all their movements the Romig