Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-08-13
CRABS sUBDUE A BLACK BEAR.
It Was Plugging John Shreve Under
 the Electric Lights.

Y
 Almost everybody in Lorraine, N. J., has been hunting recently for the bear that attacked John Shreye on Monday night right on Westield 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. The 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 mem bers 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 Shreves life Shreve had been crab ping in the Railway and was coming home with a netful late Monday night when the bear caught him within a hundred feet of his home in Westheld avenue.
 q had just passed an electric light, !" said Shreve, when I heard rusthng in the corn field on the side of the road. I supposed it was just a gang of Jersey postoffice thieves on their way to work and didn't think anything more about it until half minute later, when the rustling stopped and big black bear loped out of the cornfeld and stood right beside me on the side walk.
 'I lodged around him. and started to run for my house: He came after me full tilt A bear looks slow when he's in a cage, but he isn't. I knew the bear was gaining on me at every jump. Pretty soon could rear him breathe. Then I felt him breathe. It was like one of those southwest days in dog days.
 Finally felt a paw on my leg and then I knew I was done for unless I turned around and made fight. The minute I turned the bear went up on his hind legs and grabbed me around the waist.
 "I didn't have any weapon, but my hands were free, and, in a lucky in- stant, thought of the crabs in my net bag over my shoulder. They were all alive. I pulled out one and put it around on the bears back, but it didn't get a good hold. heard the shell click when it fell on the sidewalk. In sort of wrestling round to get firm CT grip on me the bear stepped on the crab and squashed it.
 ''But those crabs were my only hope, so I took out another, and reaching around the bears body found place where the hair was kind of thin and planted the crab right there. It got 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 me squeezing tight CT. had my presence of mind with me and calculated that I could stand the hugging for about five minutes more = . .-, ,..s-,.4-. .-....s
 q knew I had only adozen 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 felt sure he had nipped. ".
 Out of the dozen I guess ten got a bite into the critters hide and hung on and kept nipping together. About the time I got the sixth crab located the bear began to weaken his straDgle hold on me and to waste his breath bowling I hardly had time to plant the last crab before the bear quit, drop ped down on all fours and streaked for the cornfield again. guess the crabs stayed with him. for l heard him growl all the way across the corn field and into the woods.
 If I had those crabs back I'd let lem go alive into the Railway again, I feel so grateful
 John Shreve is one of the well-known citizens of Lorraine. and there isn't a soul there who doesn't believe the bear sbory or who would dare to hint that Shreve invented it just a s an excuse for coming home without any crabs.