The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-03-06
A THRILLING BEAR STORY

\ COII SSpOuueNL OF the lines mon /
at Francis, a small village on the At
lantic Coast Line a short distance
from Palatka, writes an interest ting
nature story as follows:
Capt. James Vert Of Indianapolis. !
Ind, now stopping in this village, is /
very expert with the gun. and withal,
2 successful hunter. Most any old
thing is his meat-from a turtle dove
to the biggest black bear, that occas-
ionaIly makes a predatory visit to the
swamps and hammOcks in quest of "a
zorbacks. which also go there to feed
on the berries of the cabbage palmet-
TO. Some of these hammocks are al
most impeneTable to man, so inter
woven with vines and underbrush. I'll
was just such a place as this that
Captain Vert got into when he found
the bear. 1t was a large contract, but
the captain is a large man-and Incl
dentally it was a large bear. As Vert
was making his way slowly through the
entangled vines and bushes. as best he |
could, wondering all the time what he
would do l. he did see a bear in such
close and hamperad quarters, with no
chance to make a successful retreat. |
suddenly he heard a noise a little |
ahead Of him like the cracking of
sticks and as some large beast would |
make in chewing corn or hard seeded |
berries. BY a slight movement he saw
through the bushes only about three !
rods off just what be was looking for. !
But it was too near-he would have
been more comfortable if it had been /
about half a mile away He had a /
very acute realization that it was up |
to him to get for the vines and bush /
es. To yell like a Comanche Indian
was but an impulse, and soon aban-i
doned. To squat down and keep still, |
hoping the bear would move on. was
uncertain. He knew he had the BEST
gun in Florida, and on ordinary oc-
casiOns he knew how to use it-but
this was out of the ordinary.
Pretty soon the bear finished up
what palmetto berries there were and /
he began to wonder where he could /
get some more. The captain, at this
stupendOus moment, accidentally /
stepped on a stick, and the bear.
thinking it might be some unsuspect- |
ing raZOrback, concluded he would fin
ish up his dinner on pork. and he
started in this direction. The captain
saw that some killing was likely to be
done, but whether he or the bear was
going to do it was what he was most
interested in. But there was no time
work it out in his mind to a logical |
COnClusiOn-sOmething had TO be did" /
as the huge beast, magnified many
times by the temporary curvature Of /
the lens Of the captains eyes, was
cautiously advancing on what he sup
posed only a pig. 1t was now or new /
er with the captain, and by a supreme f.
effort he threw up his gun and emp
tied five cartridges from his maya
zine and then he braced himself for
close encounter. The bears vitality
is such that it may be mOrtally wound /
ed and yet be desperate in close COM
bat. Crazed with pain, the bear now
rushed at him like a half-grOwn tor
nado, but Captain Vert clubbing his
gun, knocked him down, but the bear
was soon up with mouth wide open
and long claws endeavOring to get the
captain in his embrace, all the time
keeping up such a terrifying roar that
it was heard by a man a mile of. Sud
denly the bear began to stagger, then
fell Ifeless at the feet of his victor
He weighted 465 pounds, and was
5 feet 8 inches from tip to tip All the
cartridges had taken effect
Captain Vert is going to have him
stuffed and shipped back to Indiana as
a trophy to hand down to his grand
children. This will make President
Roosevelt enviOus if he hears about
it, but the captain is now quite willing
to rest on laurels won" He will be
satisfied with deer hunting hereafter.