The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-01-10
A TRUE BEAR STORY.
where the Hunter Was Scared and
Ran the Other Way.


which have fallen upon a bewildered
public since the day the president
penetrated the cane brakes of Missis-
Iippi, said Walter Brevort, Of Boston,
10 Washington StarmanF New
Willard, "testifes to the ,4aatility
OF the American mind in reconstruct
ing a time-honored and well worn
theme with new habiliments as to
time and place.
upon analysis of the regulation
bear story which is told over and over
again, sometimes to the extent Of sey-
e~ralcolumns, all are alike in the essen
tial features Of exhibitingth brave
hunters titanic proves, the unusual
size and phenomenal ferceness ofthe
animal, and in the final victory O. the
gallant but modest hunter over poor
bruin. Theyseldomdeviate except as
TO such minor details that while one
1unter chased his bear eighty-three
and one-third miles around a
high mountain upon a dead run
from start to finish, the next
hunter met his $3.50 pound
grizzly face to face upon anar-
row ledge overlooking a precipice,
with a sheer descent Of 10000 feet,
and hurled the wretched grizzly into
The dark depths below with one blow
from his powerful fist Some hunters
vary the formula by swearing that
they used their bowie knives, while
still others are weak enough to hint
that they may have shot the bear with
m explosive bullet from a high-power
rifle at a good safe range.
However, l will tell you a bear
story which will have the novelty Of
truth, not that we would for a mo-
ment doubt the stories Of great deeds
with bars 0 fthe other fellows. fan
cy that the true version Of most Of
these stories lies along similar lines
at was my first bear hunt in the
woods of Maine. | had a guide,
brano new bear rifle, bowie knife
Ratchet, and hunting suit complete
from heavy waterproof boots to a can.
vas hat. With such an outfit any
story about bear killing ought no.
to be disputed by reasonable men wh'
can tell a real live bear from a jack
pot.
81 became separated from m,
guide and was making my way bacl
to camp about five miles through tn
thick forest. | wa dog tired.
wasn't thinking about bears, hedge
hogs or anything else, except m,
sweetheart, and was counting tn
days when | would get back to civil
cation. My complete hunting outfit
hadn't attracted so much as a bab,
wildcat, and ! was beginning to dim
ly realize that the great bear storie
j had heard at home and the club
after all, were nothing but elasti
stretches Of well-cultivated and fer
tile Imagination.
q had just made up my mind tina
my fancee would be better please
with a sunburst than with a ring
when l heard a noise a big oak tire
under which | was passing, whic
sounded to my unaccustomedearslik
eighteen tons Of brick falling mil
upon a tin roof. l glanced up, an
there was a big black bear as large an
threatening as a thunder cloud i
a squat. He was falling down frol
the top Of the tree limb by linn
humpty-bumpty, directly upon m
head.
"Did i pause, gracefully and skill
fully raise my trusty rifle and sho,
off both ears and each paw with Sc
arate shots while he was yet in ii
cir, as a trick marksman hits gla
balls? That is what | ought to ha'
done, according to the regulate
bear story. But | didn't. l was t
amazed TO move, and gawked up
chat bear as a countryman looks in
q city window. Down he came like
fash Of black lightning, gruntin
snarling, growing and whining. B
fore | could dodge he landed upon /
md sent me spinning about 80 feI
while he rolled over and over like
huge rubber ball.
"Run? Gee whiz, but you Dug
to have seen us scamper off in OPT
site directions, toward the camp, a
the bear toward a deep creek. Dea
on a white horse could not ha
caught me. l lost my rifle, bow
knife, canvas hat and Ratchet, a
never did find them, though the gui