The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-28
WILL MOOSE BITE
 ANWHO CROSSES
 M0NARCA'S PATH?
Rooseveltian Adventure in Quebec Woods Is
 Discussed
Would a moose bite?

Would a moose bite?
 There are those, as Sam Blythe
 might observe, who still believe that
 the Hughes candidacy died of gan- grene supervening on moose-bite. And
 the chief attribute, pictorially, of the
 head moose in the world is of course
 his bite-ability.
 Fuathermore, Theodore Roosevelt
 himself, as shall be shown, testif1es that once upon 8 time he had to shoot an infuriated moose who was charging him, apparently secure in the knowl- edge that Roosevelt had already se- cured his legal bag and couldn't shoot another. Which, of course, was poor dope on Theodore.
 Samuel Merrill, author of "The
 Moose Book" which has just been published by E. P. Dutton & Co.,, New York, does not say in so many words that the moose will not attack man.
 But he evidently has no great fear
 of the animal.
 "In common with some other crea- lures of the woods" says MT. Merrill,
 "the moose has gained 8 reputation as dangerous animal which his dis position does. not justify. Attacks upon men made by moose are very rare, even in the rutting season. The occasional authenticated cases of such attacks are generally due, in all prob ability to the moose in his passion mis- taking his adversary for another moose"
 This, of course, might explain the attack upon MT. Roosevelt. But to go Ton. M
 Appealing to Atkins. ''Wounded, and at close quarters,
 with all escape cut off, moose will, of course, attack a man as a measure of self-defense: a squirrel would do as much. ,3.
 "In many camping trips in the moose country, IT of which have been made in the open season, when moose hunting was the chief subject of con- versation beside the evening fire, the author has sought to learn the expe-
 rience of guides and other sportsmen | in this and similar matters. "Once, years ago, on the head wa ters of the Aroostook River, the after supper subject was the moose as a 1 dangerous antagonist of man. A A number of guides and others took
 part in the conversation, but none had
 ever been attacked. sia1 William Atkins was, as usual, si- lent. Atkins had had more experience 1 in moose hunting than any one else in
 camp, so sought to draw him out. "tHow Is it, William? I asked. l What do you know about meose at-
 lacking men?'
 2" Well, drawled Atkins, T expect I've been attacked by moose as many times as most any one
 | Adkins smoked busily for a minute or two, and we had to wait for the interesting details of his hair-breadth escapes. Meanwhile the smile that
 played around the. corners of his
 mophth h Tryi Tnryisht 1nlet.Ir maan almost anything. Roosevelt's Story. "Lots O times." said Atkins finally, l I've wished that the moose would get
 to chasin' after me, instead of leav- l in me to chase forever after them. But I've never yet seen a moose that wasn't mighty glad if he had a chance kto run away. There's only one dan- gerous animal in the, woods he ad-
 ded. That's a man with gun which he don't know how to use.'" Against this testimony of a guide who has spent many years in the l woods. after moose Mir. Merrill sets the story told by Theodore Roosevelt in Scribner's Magazine for February. 1918. .A
 -sMr. Roosevelt with two guides, was ] hunting from canot on lake in 1 the St. Anne River country. north west of Quebec. On the. morning of Sept. 19, 1915, he. shot a bull with
 antlers spreading 52 inches Late in the afternoon of the same day the r party, encountered another large bull on the same lake. The bag limit was ] was one moose, so the men in the ca- noe padded about, not for from shore.
 watching the moose. which in turn watched them.
 "eWhen we turned,' wrote MT. Roosevelt, The followed us back, and thus went to and fro with us. Where the water was deep near shore we
 he promptly rushed down to the wa ters edge, shaking his head and strik- ing the earth with his fore hoofs. We SlOuIcO dL IlIN, put WILL llO ClACSI"' . In Self Defense. f Altogether the huge black beast
 looked like a formidable customer, and was evidently in most evil rage and bent on man-kiling. For over
 an hour he thus kept us from the shore, running to meet us wherever we tried to go.'
 Finally the moose left, following a stream which flowed parallel with the portage trail which the party in the canoe must take to recah their camp After waiting few minutes the par ty landed and started up the trail. s" A couple of hundred yards fur :tfer on'-Mr. Merrill is quoting the Ecolonel-'the, trail led to within a few yards of the little river. As we reach ed this point a smashing in the brush beyond the opposite bank caused us to wheel, and the great bull came headlong for us. while Arthur called to me to shoot.
 "'With a last hope of Frightening him I fired over his head, without the slightest effect. At a. slashing trot he crossed the river, shaking his head, his ears back, the hair on his withers