The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-22
BEARS AND BOBCATS IN MAINE.
They Are Becoming Too Familiar TO
Please EnrEners.
From the Boston Advertiser.l

'ZelyeI" is fairly driving the oxford
county farmers distracted
'Zell=i - the aTniabLe black pear tn.tI
dwef.s in great abundance mp that way
He isn't dangerous 'Iekel was never
known even to make faces at anyone THAI
walked up-iEhJ on t|p legs Ike himself
The fact IS 'ZeiEal - too well fed "a ha
cross; and 'ZekeTs well-fel condition
makes the farmers mad -Zeke1 has al
talneu his prime condition on thei. Ia
sheep.
There are more black hears in oxford
county TO The square Taiie than in any 9TH
er area IN Maine. The residents OF the
county call themselves Bears, 80 uot=3
is the county for its bruins. oxford is .
land OF hills and cragGy little rouat2irs-
rising abruptly from the river meadows
Almost every farm. has its rocky steei's-
4 hill humping from the level Of soIre
back pasture = hci lives up in his den
on the mountain and finds il CIsE To drop
down on fh- flocE= and scutjie back to
shelter again TWO years ago the bear
bounty in Maine WIS declared OF Egy
the farmers Of oxford are Milling il petit
tions ny the hundreds asking that tho
bounty re restored
They say tHat the bears are fairly eat
ing tnem up The critters have siGi=E
rat Sleep- they have broken into the Gel
lars through the bulkncadS. and have eX-
tracted ttc besr Vegetables They have
even burStvd the butter cEockS. and some
mornings when the man of the house has
gone downstairs TO see what has been
happening the language that he has used
has heen Of The SORT that isn't tolerated
ordinarily ~ Purit.nicaI Oxford county
At the last session of the LEGISLATURE the
bounty on wildcats WAS also lifted It Is
now in order for some Of the people down
IN Washington county 70 follow along he
hind the farmers OF Oxford and request or
the State that price I,. placed back on
The head Of the 'ICUCiyee.
Mrs Harriet RaSIey. of Whitneyvile
viii, however. take care Of herself on the
hobcs=t question even without the State
law She WAS sitting II her kitchen the
other evening waiting Tor the men folks TO
come hone All IT once she heard queer
sound at the window There VAS no cur
tain there. She looked and against the
glass was pressed the furry face Of q bob
cat.
4 bobcat has 4 clIrIoasly blank counte-
nance. his ears stick uT straight in an in
aaisitiye fashion. but his eyes are simply
s,.Gcer-Ike without expression. The cat
SIT perfectly quiet ard stared at Mrs
Bagiey without wiukius- There wasn't
even the fuIter Of his eyeIid- Those great
round eyes glittercd IN the frozen Highs.
u hey Slared and ;1ey stared at the woIn-
man. who sat ard stared back Al him. A.
AEst she had the uncomfortable notion
that he would pretty soon make a spring
and come through the glass hut he seem
ed content To sit ana look at her.
She recovered her ssif-pcsseSSion lit
lie, and commenced TO make motions TO
drive him away His eyes only grew = bit
taF2er. II that We're possible. and still he
looked at her without wiuhiuE- IN little
ifele--t- F7EVfN Lt-L-~l-ttEN bltt-litsE-i
at this close and bold scrutiny She had
been reading the fashion page in her
weekly paper and no~ 10 SAKE her life she
could not ser Interested IA he latest sJvia
II skirts II was too much Tor any woman
~ bear
So she went along to the wooG box and
selected a bag chunk ~ birCa. The ear
never took his eyes or her His caz. fgl-
lowed her when she boldly went t. the
kitchen door. raised The latctr. and threw
the door open When the lamp li@ht
STRAINED OFT into The night down jumped
the bJbcat and started TO stra6a1.. uff En
Mrs Bagley aimed her birch stick in such
= deadly fashion that she hit hiEa On the
head she didn't 90 cut 10 see what M
happened 10 EiI1r bat when the men
folks drove up an hoIr later there was a
dead bobcat IN he ward