The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-25
BEARS AND BOBCATS IN MAINE.
Approach Civilization Too Familiar
~ to Please the Farmers.
Lewiston Correspondence of the Bosto1

Lewiston Correspondence of the Boston
Advertiser.
'''Zekelr' is fairly driving tie Oxford
county farmers distracted.
'Zekel is the amiable black bear that
dwells in great abundance UP that
way. He isn't dangerous. 'Zekel was
one that walked upright on two legs like
himself. The fact is, 'Zekel is too we'll
fed to be cross; and 'Hekels well-fed con-
dition makes the farmers mad. 'Aekel
has attained his prime condition on their
fat sheep.
There are more black bears in Oxford
county to the square mile than in any
other area in Maine The residents of
the county cali themselves Bears so
noted is the county for its bruins OK
ford is a land of hills and craggy little
err meadows. Almost every farm has its
rocky steeps-a hill humping from the
level of some back pasture. 'Zekel lives
up in his den on the mountain, and finds
scuttle back to shelter again. Two years
ago the bear bounty in Maine was de-
clared off. Now the farmers of Oxford
are piling in petitions by the hundreds
asking that the bounty be restored.
They say that the bears are fairly eat
ing them up. The CRITTERS have stolen
fat sheep, they have broken into the cell
lars through the bulkheadS, and have ex-
tracted the best vegetables. They have
even bursted the butter crooks, and some
mornings when the man of the house
been happening the language that he has
used has been of the sort that isn't toll
Grated ordinary in Puritanical Oxford
county.
At the last session of the LEGISLATURE
the bounty on wildcats was also lifted
1t is now in order for some of the people
down in Washington county to follow
along behind the farmers of Oxford and
request of the state that price be placed
back Oh the head of the ''loucivee''i
Mrs: Harriet Bagley, Of Whitneyville,
will, however, take care of herself on
the bobcat question, even without the
state law. She was sitting i'll her kitchen
the other evening waiting for the men
folks to come home. Ali at once she
heard a queer sound at the window
There was no curtain there. She look
ed and against the glass was pressed the
furry face of a bobcat.
A bobcat has a curiously blank coun-
tenanCe. His ears stick up straight in
an inquisitive fashion, but his eyes are
simply saucerlike, without expression
The cat sat perfectly quietiand stared at
Mrs. Bagley without winlling. There
wasn't even the futter of his eyelid
Those great round eyes glittered in the
frozen night. They glared and they
stared at the woman, who sat and stared
back at him. At first she had the mn
comfortable notion that he would pretty
soon make spring and come through
the glass, but he seemed content to sit
and look at her.
She recovered her self-possession a lit
tie, and commenced to make motions to
drive him away. His eyes only grew a
bit larger. if that We're possible, and
still he looked at her without winking
In little While Mrs. .Bagley grew
offended at this close and bold scrutiny.
nightly offended at this close scrutiny.
She had been reading the fashion page
In her weekly paper, and now to save
her life she couldn't get interested in
the latest style of skirts. 1t was too
much for any woman to bear.
So she went along to the wood box
q nd a fal11 1rl. p y,
cat never took his eyes off her. His gaze
followed her when she boldly went TO the
kitchen door, raised the latch and threw
the door open. When the lamp light
streamed out into the night down Jump
ed the bobcat and started to straddle off.
But Mrs. Baeley aimed her birch stick
in such deadly fashion that she hit
him on the head. She didn't go ont To
see what had happened to him, but when
the men folks drove up an hour later
there was dead bobcat in the yard.