The Citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1903-1912, 1907-09-28
BUTTERWICK'S BEAR
BY Max Adeler

Butterwick was out in Colorado
last spring for month or two, and
Just before he started for the jour.
ney home he wrote to his wife con.
corning the probable time of his ar.
rival As postscript to the letter
he added the following message TO
his son. boy about eight years old:
Tell Charley I am going TO bring
with me dear little baby bear that
bought from an Indian"
On the night which had been fixed
by Butterwick for his arrival he
he did not come, and the family were
very much disappointed. Charley,
particularly. was cut up because he
couldn't get the bear
On the next evening. while Mrs.
Butterwick and the children were sit
ting In the front room, with the door
open into the hall, they heard some
body running through the front yard.
Tben the front door was suddenly
burst open. and man dashed into
the hall and upstairs at frightful
speed.
Mrs. Butterwick was just about to
go up after him to ascertain who 1t
was, when a large, dark animal of
some kind darted in through the
door, and with an awful growl went
bowling upstairs after the man. II
suddenly flashed upon the mind OF
Mrs. Butterwlck that the man was
her husband, and that that was the
little baby bear.
Just then the voice of Butterwick
was heard calling from the top land
ing:
Maria for Heavens sake get out
of the house as quick as you can, and
shut all the doors and window.shut
ters."
Then Mrs. Butterwick sent the
boys into Partridge's. next door. and
she closed the shutters. locked al
the doors, and went into the yard &c
await further developments. When
she got outside she saw Butterwich
on the roof, kneellng on the trap
door, which he kept down only bS
the most tremendous exertions
Then he screamed for somebody &c
come up and help him, and Mr.. Part
ridge got a ladder and n Ratchet, and
some nails, and assembled. Their
they nailed down the trap-door. ant
Butterwick and Partridge came dowr
the ladder together. After he hat
greeted his family. Mrs. Butterwici
asked him what was the matter, ant
he said.
"Why. you know that little baby
bear I said I'd bring Charley? Well
I had him In a box until got on th'
train up here at the depot. And ther
I thought I'd take him out and Leaf
him around by the chain. But thu
first thing he did was to fly at m,
leg. and when ! Jumped back | ran
and he after me. He would've eater
me up In about a minute. That in
fernal Indian must have fooled me
He said II was cub only two months
old. and Il had no teeth. | believe
it's fullgrown bear"
II then became very interesting
question how they should get thai
bear out of the house. Butterwich
thought they had better try to shoot
him, and he asked lot OF the neigh
bors to come around to help with
their shotguns. When they would
hear the bear scratching at one OF
the windows they would pour In q
voiley at him, but after Kidding
every shutter on the first floor. they
could stlll hear the bear tearing
around In there and growing.
Then Partridge said maybe q
couple OF good dogs might whip him
and he borrowed bulldog and u set
ter from Barney Maginn and pushed
them through the front door. They
listened. and for half an hour they
could hear most terrific contest rag
ing,
Then everything became still, and
few moments later they could hear
the bear eating something and crack
Ing bones with his teeth,
At last Butterwick thought he
would try strategy, He procured q
huge iron hook with a sharp point
TO It, tied Il to a rope, and put three
or four pounds OF fresh beef on the
hook. Then he went up the ladder
opened the trapdoor In the roof
and dropped In the bait. In Few
moments he got a bite. and all hands
manned the rope and pulled. wher
out came Partridge's bulldog, which
had been hiding In the garnet. but
terwick was disguised, but he put
on fresh bait and threw In again
and in about an hour the bear tool
hold and they hauled him out anc
Knocked him on the head
Then they entered the house. In
the hall the carpet was covered with
particles OF dead setter. and In the
parlor the carpet and the windows
had been shot TO pieces, while thu
furniture was full OF bullet-holes
The bear had smashed the mirror
torn up six or seven chairs, knocked
over the lamp, and demolished all th'
crockery in the pantry. Butterwici
gritted his teeth as he surveyed the
ruin, and Mrs. Butterwick said she
wished 10 patience he had stayed II
Colorado. However. they fixed things
up as well as they could, and ther
Mrs. Butterwick sent into Partridge