The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-17
THREE BEARS
L LACKING A PAW
And Rival CIafmants for tine Re-
ward Offered BY Sam Bel
knap. Who Lost . Sheep.

HARRTsBURo. Pa. April Is-sNobody
ever knsW where thoao thres footed beaFs
wandered In from. nor why OF hos they
happened To come along 20 startlinRly
simultaneous. said Joe Mseoalf. the
veteran woodsmAn Of Jack's Mountain.
but u any more Of them had shown up
that time there would have bean such q
mixup in the Jacks Mountain bailiwick
that . fellow citizen With . whole head
would have been q rarity
"A bear had come In one night three
yeArs before that time and stole one Of
Sam Babcocks sheep. sam az once Get
a trap tO catch the bear. Tho trap caught
the bear. but the bear tore loose. leaving
q forepaw In the trap.
Il met Sam coming In With the paw.
and the size Of IL impressed me 20 that I
got my gun and followed the trail Of the
bear that IL had belonged to. In hope 70
make good for Sam the sbortcomine OF
HE trap. The trail was easy enough 20
follow because Of the blood on Il. hUt
loss 4 where u entered the biR laurel
thicket and nobody ever found Il again.
Ny belief was that the beast had gone on
into the swamp and died.
Everybody agreed with me on that.
further than that and said that While
Sans biG bear had gone into the swamp
and died all right. its ghost had taken 20
walking abroad. That idsA got In start
from Flicky Jackman. who came 70 my
place one night q few months after the
diaAppearAncs OF SANS bear In great
trepidation and declared that no had
seen the bear spOOkinG along the edgs OF
the swamp. When I pooh-poohsd thin
Idea Fiicky nared up and SAID:
Why. didn't 80 hiWp Didn't see
him come oUt limpin' an stand mp on
his hind feet an hold M his right fore leg
with no raw onto 10 an swing 10, tell
you. Ioe. said Piicky Same bear haa
tah~a 90 spookinl
And thAtis tho ~ay the hslief got
started around the jacks Moantain coap-
Try that the ghost ~ the big three footed
hear was stalking abroad: and % did
seem Kind o. spooky. and no nalstAks. -
hear reputable citisens from dlssrent
rsr.s % tho dissr.S. Ss=sss - :=.a declare
they hat seen " on such and such ninht
Sasa Bab,ock himseh got 20 he believed
10. IN doubling. he came TO mo ops
mcrnihg and raid
II seen tho big hmpin' bear lass might.
Joe. and unless s,sooks est hungry and
pine Tor pOrk he amt s,Sook no nsore
than I am No was right over by my
TiG Pen. and he had pig fired In his sy~
90 sort a. naMh ana bloody thas thers
wasn't no way for my aoubain' that No
was xoin' TO climb night IN the pen and
Rie II. me OF no mo. b9e seein' thar I was
actin a. " was gpsn' 10 have somethln'
70 cay about 90 he changed In mind and
went OF toward the swamp. ezAppin' MA
testh and growlin' = kstls too sas9Y Zoe q
SRSo. IT,, I: az :. S S; "sn' Ana died
Then Sam aid hs wns wiIiin9 10 dive
ten doilan to any one who would hay that
.1IoaS about . o'oIeak that nisAs. a.
S Ss' ana SS s sS - g. T e. On M. ~ .
other sids o. Same pinos hoard = trs- !
nendoas rSpoFe somewhere nhaad % me, |
AMI then snw some ons onzns tearing !
around tho bend in TIE road and strsakinR
Z wssiSns - "a. e ~ Iss' we.ld carry hin.
recOsnizing ne. and I saw q was PFaily !
banl- He va white a. . sheet md HE |
81 essa ss@'s spool shrss soSssd bsar.'
= vas colain' bo1s fFom coon- hnnsin'.
snd riEht up yancar around ne band 4
! ssen tho bs@F RRt 0Wsr tho fence into TIE /
road NOT twenty tcoe away. Iewes llmpin' I
away with both baF'ls o. nay sun. lnasnd /
With coon ah0t, and whsn 1ha mankS /
cleaFad away the road was a. eanpeV /
o bear - the gun was o. puWdaF, ana \
tnSte yaent 10 more slgl O. beaF hayin'
6oen therO throS NscoMds before than /
theFS 49, o hahenin' m tho nhy
Il yeN4 On, go. - FtAllY anl6. eARrD
Saa1e any moro mgn % boaF hnging
Snn1 n NJ Fua4 than thsEo waa - huht-