Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-08-28
JOHN HERR, THE
HERO OF THE DAY

Not once upon time. but one day
last week. to our actual. personal
knowledge, two of the younger citi-
Zens of Durango, namely John Herr
and Walter Weghtman went out on
bear hunt among the wilds OF Pine
river. After tramping about two or
three days. close upon bear tracks.
but without sighting the animal, the
fever of the hunt became SO intense in
Johns veins, that he strayed from
his companion one morning aud alone
sought the haunts of bruin. He had
proceeded about half mile amid
woods and sage brush when he saw IA
huge mass of brown fur slowly moving
along the mountain side. not 100 yards
away from him. 1t was a female bear
and she was accompanied by a well
grown cub. They were making their
way toward mountain torrent swol-
len by recent rains. John cautious
y pursued. creeping nearer and near
er. that he might take no risk of los
ing his prize. The bears quenched
their thirst in the stream and then
started to cross. but the water was
deeper and broader than they had
counted upon. The female forded the
stream in safety, but the cub, either
in fear or childish self-will. stood still
upon the bank, contemplating the sit
laton. John hid himself behind a
Tree. The animals We're uncomforta-
bly, near. What if they should both
rush at him at once That fear, howev-
er, was but transient. Another thought
II.
ed his hand each time he attempted to
pull the trigger. That grand, i'm
mense old female! What trophy to
boast of in days to comet But Johns
heart is tender towards females. 1t
seemed almost like Staying beautiful
woman. and his heart grew more and
more compassionate as he thought of
this magnificent creature painting out
its life in the agony of a gunshot
wound. its strong, brave consort, upon
whom it leaned for protection and
love. far away. He would not shoot
her-that was the sum and substance
of it all-and he didn't He never
stopped to think, however, of a moth
er's grief pangs, sharper than her own
death agony, at the suffering and loss
of her child. Why? Because he is a
man, and doesn't know these things
as well as he knows the charms of fe-
males. So he leveled his gun, aimed
at the cub. fired, and little bruin roll
ed headforemost into the torrent he
had feared to cross. dead as door
nail" Then, as Anthony Hope says,
things began to happen. In the same
instant thp old hanr GuiaI InIn urhp
had stepped away from the tree, and
her dead cub. For half a minute
fierce hatred and agonized love strug-
gled within her wild breast, and then
mother love conquered. She plunged
back into the stream, shifted at the
body, and with low wailings, that sent
pangs of regret through and through
Johns heart, rolled the dead cub to
the dry bank. Meanwhile John had
stood watching. entranceu. IN one hand
an open bottle. another "A bunch OF
matches. John is an assayer, you
know, and understands strange chemi-
cal solutions and combinations. which
1t is not given to common folk to
know. So like the little girl who
carried an umbrella when she went to
church to pray for rain, John had gone
on his bear hunt prepared for results.
Convinced that her child was dead, the
bear turned upon its slayer. and with
the fury of a dozen fiends, rushed at
John. Hurting the liquid. bottle and
all. upon the dry sage brush, John
struck the matches. threw them after
it, and bruin, rearing for deadly EN-
brace, leapt, not at Johns throat, but
into sheet of flame, sulphur, phos-
phorous and what not, all commingled,
that choked. blinded and burned her.
and singed her hair to a crisp. With
a howl that sent every chipmunk and
ground squirrel for a mile around
scampering to its hole. she rushed
out of the flames on three legs. franti-
cally rubbing her smarting eyes with
the fourth. Again compassion stirred
Johns heart for this magnificent. suf-
fering female, and he wondered If he
ought not to kill her after all. and end
her pain, tor he knows how chemical
substances act. But another danger
was near The fire was spreading and
threatening the valuable timber lands
of the Pine river sawmill property.
Then. just in the nick of time. Walter
appeared. He had seen the light of
the fire, heard the howl of the bear
and Johns shouts, although John de-
nies that he called for help. and rush.
ed post-haste to the spot In a twin
ling he had his gun aimed at the re-
treating bear. Don't shoot, Waller.
don't shoot" cried John, catching his
arm. ITS female" and the next
moment Mother Bruin disappeared
among the trees. After considerable
effort they got the fire down, by means
of water brought from the stream in
their hats, and tramped out the rest.
So ends the bear story, and the only
question that remains is: What did
John do with the cub.?"