Arizona republican., 1903-08-20
CRABS sUBDUE A BLACK BEAR.
It Was Plugging John Shreve Under
 the Electric Lights.

Lorraine. N. J.-Almost everybody in Lorraine has been hunting today the bear that attacked John Shreve last night right on Westfield avenue, in the glare of the electric lights. Front gates are kept locked, and all the children are under strict orders not to go out of the yards until the bear has been caught Tonight's meeting of the sewing circle was postponed because it was to be held this week at the home of Sister Jones. who lives off the road. and the members didn't want to walk cross lots with their sewing on account of the bear
 The men folks are out in force fol- lowing the trail of the bear and of the soft-shell crabs that saved John Shreve's life. Shreve had been crab ping in the Railway, and was coming home with netful late last night, when the bear caught him within d hundred feet of his home in Westfield avenue.
 T had just passed an electric light. said Shreve today. when I heard d rustling in the corn field on the side of the road. I supposed at first that it was just gang of Jersey pcstoffice thieves on their way to work and didn
 
 a minute later, when the rustling stop ped and big black bear loped out of the corn field and stooG right before me on the sidewalk.
 Il lodged round him and started to run for my house. He came after me full tilt. A bear looks slew when he's in cage. but he isn't. I knew the bear was gaining on me at every jump Pret- ty soon l could hear him breathe. Then 1 felt him breathe. It was like one of those southwest winds in dog days.
 Finally, l felt Q paw on my leg and then I know I was done for unless I turned around and made a fight. The minute 1 turned the bear went up on his hind legs and gra bbed me around the waist
 T didn't have any weapon, but my arms were free, and, in a lucky instant. I thought of the crabs in my net bag over my shoulder. They were all alive. l pulled out one and put it round on the bears back. but it didn't get a good hold. I heard the shell click when it fell on the sidewalk. In sort of wrest- ling round to get firmer grip on me the bear stepped on the crab and squasheG it.
 But those crabs were my only hope, so LOOK out another, ana reaching around the bears body I found a place where the hair was kind of thin. and planted the crab right there. It got a good nip and hung on.
 "The bear growled. A nipping in just one spot wouldn't make him let go of me and he kept squeezing tighter I had my presence of mind with me and calculated that I could stand the hug ging for about five minutes more T krew l had only d dozen crabs left. so I worked carefully and took out one crab at time so as not to drop any. I distributed 'em all over the bears back and held on to each one till l felt sure he had nipped.
 Out of the dozen I guess ten got a bite into that crittur's hide and hung on and kept nipping together. About the time 1 got he sixth crab located the bear began to weaken his strangle hold on me and to waste his breath bowling. l hardly had time to plant the last era h before the bear quit, dropped down on all fours and streaked for the cornfield again. 1 guess the crabs stayed with him. for l heard him growl all the way across the cornfield and into the woods. "If I had those abs hack I'd let 'em go alive into the Pathway again, l feel so grateful.
 John Shreve is one of the well-known l~eitzens of Lorraine. and there isn't a | soul here who doesn't believe the bear 1 story or who would dare hint that | ShreVe invented it just as an excuse for coming home without any crabs-New i York Sun.