The Florence tribune., 1900-10-27
BROKE BRUINS NECK.
A Sheep Stealing Bear Killed by a
 Plucky Black Ram.
Ills Benrship Held the Ram in Con- tempt, But He Was Not Al- lowed to Dine on
 Fresh Lamb.

Peter Merely, who lives along the wa ters of Little Kettle creek, in Pennsyl- vania, is a large black ram. As the story comes in from there, like Jim Smiley's famous jumping frog, no one noticed until recently any more points about this ram than there were about any other ram. Now this ram is the sensa- ton in the Little Kettle creek country, for he has proved himself a benefactor to the neighborhood by killing alone and unaided, and in one, two, three or der, big bear that for weeks had been dcvoting himself to thinning out the sheep pastures.
 This bear had been hunted in vain far and near. 4 few days ago Farmer Merely heard that the cunning mutton stealer had been seen in the vicinity, and he posted his 1s-year-old boy Peter as a guard over the field where his sheep were feeding. The boy was armed with g double-bcrreled shotgun loaded with buckshot. If the bear appeared young Pcter's instructions were to give him both barrels. Young Merely watched with patience and fear for two days, but no bear appeared. On the third day he felt himself more at ease and began to think that Bruin did not care 10 bother with that flock of sheep, his rcconnoitering having probably dis covered to him the boy and the gun on guard. About the middle of the after noon of the third day, however, the guardian of the flock was startled to see the bear jump over the stone wall, only few feet from where he was sitting. The bear put so fereeious front to- ward the lad that he dropped his gun, sprang over the wall, and ran at the top of his speed toward field, not far distant, where his father was at work. Farmer Merely started for the sheep pasture as fast as he could run. When the bear appeared in the field the sheep were feeding in a group in the middle of the lot By the time Farmer Merely reached the fence where the frightened boy had left the gun only one of the flock remained where the group had been. That one was the black ram. The others had fled into far corner of the field, where they were huddled to- gether, bleating in terror as they gazed back at the shufiling form of the bear.
 Bears are epicurean in their tastes, and if they visit pigstye it is always the youngest and fattest inmate they select. If it is mutton they are after, they work on the same principle. So this particular bear paid no attention to the black ram, but was passing by not more than ten feet away, with the intention of making his selection from the trembling and bleating flock be- yond. It was at this interesting mo- ment in the proceedings that Farmer Merely appeared at the wall. The bear had got in range of the ram as he shuffied contemptuously along, and then the ram seems to have made up his mind that this ugly-looking stranger had no business there. He leaped into the air, and like a shot threw his thick, hard head against the bear, striking the big brute in the side, near the shoplder. The bear went down like a lump of lead, and for a few seconds lay there. The ram backed away, his eyes glaring and every. sense alert. The bear rose to his feet and gazed in unmistakable surprise at the ram.
 If anybody ever wondered what had struck him" says Farmer Merely, that bear did"
 But the bear didn't have time to fig ure the matter out, for the ram took the air once more and landed against Bruin again, this time between the eyes. Again the bear bit the dust. All this occurred so quickly that Farmer Merely had not yet come within sure gunshot of the bear, and before he could reach good range the bear rose again, but only got half way up, for the ram followed up his advantage and pounded his head the third time against the trespasser. The bear lay still q mo ment and then sprang quickly to his feet, turned, and began tottering re- treat. But Brdin did not get five feet away. The ram caught the bear a laundering blow on the neck, and down went the discomfted sheep stealing again. The ram stood in position to re- peat the dose, but it was unnecessary. The bear did not rise again. When Farmer Merely got there he found the bear, to all appearance, dead, but to make sure he shot the animal in the head. He might have saved his ann munition. The black rams last butt had broken the bears neck, no doubt killing the big brute instantly.
 From all accounts it is not likely that Peter Morely's black ram will ever again be degraded by t-eadmill work on the churning machine, but will be kept to become the sire of a race the proudest part of whose pedigree will be that they are descendants of the only sheep that ever killed a bear.-N. Y. Sun.