Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-12-22
GEARS TAKE LIBERTIES.
;, Alaska They Get Too Familiar
With Family Stores and Lone
Travellers.

"a pparS nave DCCh ISpol LNN iAA D. GEAN
4 ,umbers in all parts OF the Yukon this
GUNNER. and prospecting, surveying,
.o,ooraph and police patrol parties
sovo met many of the big fellows,
a,ritps Dawson (Alaska) correspond
ont of the Seattle Postlntelligencer.
The most unique bear story of the
4 so.son. perhaps, is that of a mammoth
GRIZZLY which has frequented one OF
eaetroad-houses between Yukon Cross
ing and Whitehorse. The fellow
learned that number of hams were
cached in the roof of a tWO-stOry road
house and performed the eAtraordi-
nary feat of scaling the high log house
to the roof by climbing UP the corner
simply by gripping the logs with his
powerful arms He scaled the place
many times and helped himself to
ham. The owners Of the house and
all Others connected with the place
were absent for the summer.
The bear tore the roof OF the road
house with his mammoth paws, and
then easily got through and reached
the hams He carried some OF the
hams into the woods, and there de-
youred them The fellow was caught
in the act time or two, and learned
that he could leap from the roof OF
the house to the ground with no in
Jury or apparent discomfort.
A policeman went to bag the foxy
old bruin He went to sleep and. as is
.,stomary when the cop is asleep,
Il e big thing came off. Bruin sneaked
y that roof, stole what ham he
wanted, turned over a bait that had
been set for him, and scampered off,
leaving the policeman sadly disap-
pointed when he awakened.
Mining Recorder Wadleigh. of MIL
Ter and Glacier creeks, received a
warm reception recently from two
mammoth cinnamon bears which he
met on the trail between Dawson and
Glacier.
Bears are so common in the district
that Wadleigh thought nothing Of It
when he sauntered down little hill
and sighted two shaggy fellows come
walking toward him. He expected that
when a few PAGES nearer they would
rise, give the customary turn of tail
and hustle off into the bushes.
Hello, old sports," said Wadleigh.
with friendly and fearless air
That salute was enough The CHINA
mons evidently thought Wadleigh a
long lost brother The two brutes
rose and made for him at double
quick pace. The mining recorder did
not even stop for mastery retreat. His
hat shot into the air, his hair became
erect. and with pop-eyes, he hit off
.m1ss yards at a stride as he steered
for the nearest tree Wadleigh had a
bottle of hoOtch and strange to say.
he held fast 10 the fluid during his
run But at the bottom of the tree he
dropped everything.
did scale that tree says Wad-
leigh. We'll, tried | had out
stripped the bears in the race and
was SO frantic | stripped every limb
of the lower end of that tree in the
first few wild dashes made to Get 10
the top 1t was an awful moment.
Ever second thoTeht would be
mineemcat TIE next, an! expected 10
find heavy weight fastened to mv
trousers every time @IT@ueG in that
wild seraiu5. IL. iiht ineo3.4!te to keep
at it was mi4ht.., When the De&rs got
within abou threa bc"nds OF She tree
desperation sEurred lie 10 one last
grand effort.
My startled soul drove me fran
tically to tho tas's NJ lifa was the
stake Every muscle. every fiber of
my being responded Every motion
and every moment was precious. A
false step or a slip might have meant
death.
Bruises TO hands or knees were
nothing | struck to that slippery old
tree, and up | went. The effort was
supreme, and | was triumphant AS
landed my feet among the firmer
branches of the tree the two husky
brutes arrived painting and wild-eyed
and looked yieiously up the tree
They made no fight to get me out.
Il dangled on the uppermost bough
and my heart was In my mouth with
fear that the tree would give way.
THE bears turned to- the bottle OF
hOOtch posed it with contempt, and
then turned away They ambled into
the bush. After a few hours becalm-
ing myself descended, sneaked about
and gathered my hat and grip and
then made tracks.