The sun., 1902-11-23


Deen Paintcd-Jersey Rabbits That
Swim and Climb Trees-GoOd Eating
for Hunters-French chef Gives Points
10 Fishermen on the Jersey Coast.
David Russell of Milwaukee had a recent
experience with a she-bear that reminded
him for few moments of the Biblical story
about go up. thou bald head!'
He is past 90. and when the adventure
ended he was standing on top Of a stump
seven feet and some inches high and Won
dering what il was all about. The bear was
dead all right. but he had some doubts as
to which one Of them was up a stump. II
came about in this way:
Mr. Russell in company with companions
had been camped for some days on the
Flambeau River looking for deer sign
They had had reasonable success and were
waiting for the season TO open.
Late one afternoon, when some four miles
from camp, Mr. Russell ran into the bear.
The animal was within ten rods Of him,
leisurely making her way through the
woods. and she paid no attention TO the
hunter. Russell promptly threw up his
rife and fred and the bear wheeled and
ran.
The woods we're thick and the ground
dry and he would have had difficulty in
following the trail. but was guided by a
queer choking sound coming from the bear
She had been shot through the lower part of
the throat not deep enough to injure the
windpipe, but sufficiently to interfere with
her breathing
He followed the hear for a thousand yards
and then lost the sound. Belle wing that
the bear had fallen dead few yards further
on he pressed forward hastily and came TO
the edge Of a small clearing. The bear was
near the centre Of il, sitting up and pulling
with her paws al the wound. She was then
not more than thirty yards away.
Russell promptly fred again and struck
the bear in the breast The bear made two
steps forward and looked about as il TO
learn from what direction the noise came
Russell fred again. The bear then saw
him and started toward him. walking upon
her hind leg. deliberately. holding her
paws loosely in front. Russell fired four
more shots, aiming at the breast, and the
bear continued her advance. showing no
signs of having been hurt
Some ton yards interviewed between the
foemen in this strange duel and then Rus
sell found himself upon the stump. From
this vantag" ground he fred carefully
The bear. still apparently not badly off, :,
cont .nued her advance. At Russell's last
shot she reeled an d fell.
This shot entered the head lust below
the eye and penetrated the brain. Russell
was not sure that the animal was dead
tnd was standing on the stump trying to
make up his mind whether or not the bear
was playing possum, when he saw on the
far edge of the clearing a black object
which he took TO be the bears consort
He fire. at ii instantly and it disappeared
That was the cub and it had been killed
as was discovered afterward.
Dusk was falling and he had made UP his
mind to 60 back to camp alone and tell all
about IL and come out next day for the bear
but his companions had heard the rapid
firing and, thinking him in need Of assis-
tance, went to him. They took the bear
into camp and examined the body
None Of Russel's shots had missed. The
bear had been struck once through the
throat once through the head and all of
the other bullets, twelve in mum ber were
in the breast. II was discovered. how
ever, that these had not penetrated deeper
than an inch below tn q skin.
He was using 42-s0 rife, which In to
say that the bullets were Of 42-calibre,
driven by eighty grains of powder. The
skin upon the breast Of this bear was nearly
a quarter Of an inch thick. protected by
hair two inches long that had become
massed and twisted. making a practically
solid mat.
The failure Of the gun to penetrate is
remarkable evidence Of the stopping en-
pacity Of hair. II has been suggested that
possibly the cartridges used were slightly
defective, but Mr.. Russell had had no trouble
with them before. and unused ones tried
subsequently gave the proper penetration
dead from the single shot, the bullet having &
passed through its body There was an
other cub, it's trail being afterward found,
but II was not caught.
The mother was an old animal, her flesh
oeins un~atable. Merely as a t0st of its
toughness n piece of IL was boiled for six
hours, and one Of the party tried II on the
dog. but the dog gave II up, She weighed
when dressed, 400 pounds The cub weighed
22 pounds. and was delicious.
The extraordinary determination Of the
animal Il explained Of course bv her pos-
session OF the cubs A their trails showed
they had accompanied her. one on each side.
and some twenty yards away: All three
OF them would have escaped but for her
They we're both in hiding when she was
discovered in the centre of the clearing
and when Russell fired the second time she
thought that her offspring were In dam
and started toward him. The little fellow
that was killed lost his life through
curiositv
He had poked his nose first over log on
the FAR side Of the clearing to fnd out what
II was all about, and then started TO come
over the log to 90 to his mother II was
then that he was struck, the bullet goin 9
through the head from side TO side and
taking ont both owes
The twelve bullets In the breast stung the
mother bear. but only served to increase
her anger. Mr.. Russell had used the gun
for some years and had grown fond Of the
weapon, having almost perfect faith In II.
but there were a few moments when his
trust was slightly shaken. He could not
tell whether he was missing the bear or
the gun had gone crazy.
They had some fun with him In camp.
One Of the party asked;
How old are you Mr. Russell''
He said: -Sixty-two,"
Where were you born9"
AT home"
How"
Don't know
How did YOU get up that stump"
Mr., Russell pondered over this interroR-
atory for a few moments. He inspected
himself carefully, took hold Of his trousers
on each side and tried TO lift himself up.