The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-08-25
STRANGE ADVENTURE
WITH A BEAR
Pelting with Potatoes
Made Him Mad.
Beans and Barrel Too Much For
Bruin.

loss to nearly every farmer In Ridge
way. The bear must be alive. So
read the poster.
Darn fool" said the people at the
country store. WHO does he think
is going to catch the bear alive? Why
shouldn't he be satisfied with the
bear dead?"
Don't you know, Cyrus" said one
of them, che wants that bear for a
circus because he believes the bear
is unusual In size and cunning"
The conversation during the whole
evening was on the five hundred dol
lars reward, and the bear. All of
them agreed that no one In that vii
lage would be the winner. Nobody in
the place had a bear trap, and who
was going to take chances in hand
to-hand fight with big, ugly. fero-
cious bear to capture him alive?
Jonas Kelley, after discussing the
subject with the rest of the crowd
until very late in the night, finally
rose and announced that he must be
going home, as the next day he was
going to Wilmington, the shire town
ten miles away, with some farm pro-
ducts. Not for a moment did he then
think that any such adventure as
that which took place the next night
and in which he was the chief actor
and hero would occur.
He thought longingly about the five
hundred dollars reward and gladly
would he have made some sacrifice OF
time or material to get it, but to cap
ture- a real, live, savage bear and
bring him alive into the village would
be a pretty dangerous affair. Ac-
cordingly, Kelley started early the
next morning with his son Charles,
young man about twenty years old.
Along about eleven o'clock thai
night one of the neighbors was
aroused from sleep by Mrs. Kelley
who, in a state of alarm, announced
| that her husband and son had not YET
returned home, and she was afraid
that something serious had happened
to them Neighbor. Johnson called
out three or four other nearby neigh
bors and started off with team In
search of Kelley and his son. They
drove about four miles but met Meth
err a person nor a team. However,
they kept on and soon heard off at
distance, voices in very excited tones,
The searchers FASTENED rapidly on,
and after another mile or so, saw a
man in the road, moving as though
he were leading something. They
drove nearer and soon found Kelley
and his son. Their horse being great
ly frightened, one of the men got out
and walked toward the other two.
Kelley was leading bear and his son
was behind, urging the reluctant AMI
NAL along.
The situation as it appeared to the
searchers was a strange and most
ludicrous one.
What could the man and boy be do
ing at that late hour out in lonely
Ing at strange looking creature held
securely by stout piece of rope?
AS soon as Jonas saw who they
were lie W 6CI dii tuO AopSo
they had In the wagon and come
quickly to his aid. The astonished
rescuers then bound the bear 80 that
he could not move, except at a walk.
Two of the party took hold OF the
ropes to lead the animal and the 9TH
ers went behind to drive him. With
much difficulty, dragging and witch
ing the bear, they finally got home,
nearly tired out, they confessed.
Bruin in safe quarters, and the men
all In the house, Kelley told his ex-
citing story of the days adventure.
Charles and | left home quite early
this morning, and having business at
a number of different places along the
road, it was noon before we had COW
cred much more than four miles of
our proposed trip. When we reached
the old spring five miles from here,
we got out to eat our luncheon and
to feed and water the horse. After
eating our repast and leaving the
horse to finish his dinner, Charles and
[ went over to see Frank Turner, an
old acquaintance, who lived on a
cross road about mile from the
spring. AS 1t was getting late In the
day before we left there, Turner
agreed to take my products to the VII
lage the next day, 80 we decided not
to go any farther, and set out again
for home. When we got back to the
spring, 1t was almost dark. Imagine
our surprise when we found our
horse killed and partly devoured by
some wild animal. 1t did not take
us long to understand what had done
the mischief. The ravager of the
reighborhood. the destroyer for which
the five hundred dollars reward was
offered had been on the spot, and the
poor horse, harnessed and attached
to the wagon. unable to defend HIM
self against his assailant. had fallen
victim during our absence, to the
fe rocious brute. We were now left In
a helpless predicament. What was to
be done?
Before we had time even to plan
doing anything we saw big black
bear making his way toward us as II
he meant business. We had no
weapons of any kind for defense. Our
nearest retreat for safety was the
wagon, and that was quite distance
away. Charles quickly made his way
up a tree and | fastened for the
wagon, the bear following closely af-
ter me. | made good all right and
stood up on the seat. The bear then
seemed puzzled over my alert move