The Washington herald., 1908-03-01

And Almost KILLED by Wes Woodruff.
Thrilling Experients in
the Woods

Wes Woodruff. our experienced hunter
& trapper. who has made a good menny
wild beasts bite the Gust in his time. and
IS one OF the most notorious shots with
rifle in this neck OF woods. had a
thrilling experience n his line OF business
last Thursday. wich. In our opinion. ort
10 be a everlasting lesson 10 them who
handle fire arms and a sollun warning
20 them as don't who venture into the
woods with fur coats or hats on.
Bright and early Thursday morning
Wes took his gun and dog and started
on a tramp 20 make the rounds OF his
traps as ushual and went down Snake
Creek where he has some traps set FOR
mink and otter. but all he caught was a
muskrat's foot the muskrat having got
hungry and knawed his foot or after
being kotched. Wes set the traps agin
and desided he would cut acrost and
visit bear trap wich he had set at the
foot Of Sawridge Mountain erbout five
miles distant and caIkilated he could
visit the trap and get back TO BingviIle
erbout noon
Wes hadn't been TO this trap for two
days and thot Ike as not there was a
bear in Il. being as he had saw bear
signs in the vicinity witch made him set
the trap. Well. after a hard tramp
through the deep snow IVES arrived at
the place where he had sot the trap and
was disguised and surprised 10 find the
chain wich held the trap busted and the
trap gone.
Yves was a good cal existed over his
discovery. for he knowed no common.
every day bear could walk or with a
big trap like that and not say nothinS
erbout It, so he begin to folier the tracks.
After walkin a spell he begin to feel
hungry and sit hisseif down on a ole
log to eat his snack OF grub and to plan
out Jest how he should kin the bear and
to fgger how much the pelt would be
worth.
As Wes set there chewfn some meat
and givin the grissel 10 his dog. he
heard cracking Of dried limbs somers
and at the same time the dog begin
TO growl and bristle up his back. so
picking UP his rifel Yves sneaked along
lords little knoll and Deeked over.
There through a small clearing OF fr
trees Wes see something movin or az
a purity good clip and thinking Il was
the blamed thief Of bear with his trap
Wes blszed away To his CRATE sur
prise and eonsternashion the bear-who
happened 70 he Lon Peters. the stage
driver with his big bear skin coat on
answered Wesses' shot with charge OF
buckshot, wfch missed him but hit the
dog with a few OF the scatterfngs and
made him lite out for hcme as IL the
devil was after him. Wes was so dis
gusted because Lon wasn't the bear that
he expected he had that IL was all he
could do 70 keep from shooting back
again out OF sheer revenge. When Lon
saw he didn't hear emmy more shots
fred at him, he hollered out for the
one that took him fer a target to show
hisself. il he was man enuff. and Wes
hollered back who he was and aSt Lon
II his shot took eTeckt Lon sed II
did by breaking his T. D. pipe and
making him swaller erbout a inch Of
the pipe stem. Wes apOlcs,ised right
of and let Lon smoke his pipe all the
way home and also gave him a chew
when they parted. When Wes got home
and thot everything all over. he re-
allied that in all his yeers OF hGntin
and trappin that he never come so neer
takin human life before. and was that
weak and nervous that he took seven
nips Of licker before he fe,t as lively
and jockey as ever. and Wes aint whOt
you might call drinking man either.