The Elbert County tribune., 1905-08-10

has had his life placed in jeopardy
by denizens of .he woods He was
once chased by n bear while he was
riding on the Black Forest Railroad
on his rail tricycle., the race being
np-and-tuck for two miles, and again
at night while ON his way, a-foot. to
lumber camp, lie found himself In
the midst OF 4 colony of rattlesnakes.
but emerged unbitten by chloroforming
the Gordon of reptiles.
But his last escapade. which occurred
one night recently, while he was on
another night trip up the forest branch
oh his tricycle., was probably the most
exciting of all.
DIR. Delaney, in all his experience as
n practitioner in the wilds of Upper
Lyeoming County, never carries arms
except those afforded by his surgical
Instruments. His railroad tricycle..
built specially 10 run on the narrow
{ guage railroad from Slate Run up TO
'the lumber camps eleven miles away,
is rubbertircd, aud spins along over
the rails rs quietly as a bicycle on
asphalt. Up grade he makes about
six miles IN hour, and on the trip down
from the forest he often rides at
speed OF twelve miles ain hour.
On the night in question, which was
quite starlight, when FIVE miles up
into The forest region, he beheld the
form Of what he believed to be a man
in The middle OF the track. At seventy
five feet away the rays from the head
light on his little car fell with suffi-
cient strength upon the object to dis
close the fact that it was not q man.
but monster black bear. 1t was in a
tantrum of fright and rage, and
chopped lis jaws with snaps that bod
ed no good for DIR. Delaney, who. by
this time had brought his machine
to n standstill and dismounted.
The distinct rattle of chain in the
vicinity of the bear told the doctor that
bruln was prisoner, and he guessed
Alright that the bear had been caught
in a trap. and in attempting, in his
fight with the trap and drag to
cross the railroad, the drag had be-
come fastened against the rail and
was holding the maddened bear fast.
By focusing the lantern light on the
bear DIR. Delaney could discern the
fact that the heavy steel trap was fast
on the bears front paw, and that the
chain which held him 10 the fastened
drag was about five feet long.
The bear at first wildly endeaVored
TO release itself that it might continue
its flight, Juggling at the chain until
1t looked ms though its paw would be
torn off its leg. Indeed, in one of its
frantic attempts TO gain its freedom the
bear clinched its jaws down over the
imprisoned foot as though TO chew it
off-a feat not unknown on part of en-
trapped black Lears. But finally the
animal gave up IFS endeavor to release
itself and, as though he We're respon-
sible for its plight ii plunged furiously
toward the doctor, and for a quarter
of an hour kept up its mad attempts
until utterly exhausted.
DIR. Delaney was in n quandary. The
telephone message which had sum
moned him up to the camp stated that
man there must have n doctor before
many hours or he would be dead DIR.
Delaney had six miles TO go yet, and
the only means of transportation over
the long, rough road was his tricycle.
car. He couldn't carry the machine
around the bear. so the only thing left
was to get the bear out OF the way.
His experience with the rattlesnakes
stood him in good stead. and he decid-
ed to try the same trick on the bear,
for in its exhausted condition he be-
lieved that lie might be able to success
fully administer chloroform. The bear
by this time was resting, worn out and
painting, on its hunkers. DIR. Delaney
cut stout stick about eight feet long
and knotted his handkerchief about
one end of it. He then took from his
medicine chest on the tricycle. car
pint bottle of chloroform. saturated
the handkerchief with the stuff and
showed it under the bears nose. Nat
urally enough, and as the doctor had
hoped, the bear snapped at the white
lump and soon had the thing in his
mouth. The chloroform affected the
animal even more quickly than the doc
tor had calculated upon, and at the
end of five minutes he made no re-
sistance 10 having the stick. with its
handkerchief resoaked in chloroform,
rubbed about his nose. In ten min
utes he was sprawled on the ground in
stupor. though DIR. Delaney waited
five minutes longer before he attempt
ed to approach.
He then determined that the bear
was helpless, and first, unfastening
the drag from the rail. he proceeded
to roll the numbering bruin off the
track. And then DIR. Delaney did
something Characteristic. Looking ut
the imprisoned brute, with its paw
pinched like in a wise in the sharp
toothed steel trap. he decided to release
it. With a long-handled wrench out
of the tricycle. tool box he pried open
the jaws of the trap until he could
draw the bears paw out of 1t.
Examining the leg where the trap
had snapped down on it, DIR. Delaney
felt satisfied that there Were no homes