The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-03

! 81 set my traps the latter part of
september, Mr. Robinson went OH,
land visit them twice a week until
the season ends, which is after deep
snow and cold weather come. The
Ebears hibernate then and / spring the.
ftraps and leave them.
For bait | use most anything. They
like salt salmon, but more depends on
common sense In setting the traps than
ON the bait. They have certain places
| whore they cross the mountains, and
if you can find those places you are
/ likely to have good luck. / have
trapped many years, but | never had
much luck until the past seven years
THE bear business has helped me OUT
better than Sl0a the past fall
There is a bounty of $40 ON each
bear and the pelts are worth SIS or
more There ISM much demand for
bear skins in the fur market. though.
but You can usually find somebody who
wants a skin with the head mounted to
use as a rug. The meat | can dispose
of ut home.
''In the summer time the bears eat
. berries, nuts and roots, and occasion
ally they make q raid on some SHEEP
pasture. Only last fall they killed sew
+. cral sheep in an East Dover pasture.
The bears which Mr. Robinson ta,
y shot have ranged in weight from IL
q to go pounds but specimens weighing
S. more than 40o pounds have been shot
j short distance from West Wardsboro
Il la Stratton. Not all Of his trophie.
, have been taken in traps.
4 lie carries Il rifle on his trips but
t short time ago he happened to be il
III the ncighborhood of one Of his traps
! day earlier than usual and on yisitin!
I them found that one was holding
81 prize lie borrowed shotgun an,
y went up within 20 feet of Bruin befor
y firing Most bears in traps act Xix
: whipped dogs, " declared Mr.. Robinson
Il - bat this one haan t been caught lon
enough to take the sand out Of him an
was pretty scrappv. He rose NJ o
his launches and tried to put up
fight, but the drag held SO he eouldn
40 any harm.
Being a blacksmith, Mr. Robinso
makes his own traps, and when settin
them he attaches them TO drags. whic
arc heavy sticks or pieces of To-
When the bear jumps after the trap
sprung the drag yields little Othe
wise the bear might tear himself fire.
before the jaws of tho trap got a fir
hold
"We've got a little band in We,
Wardsboru that four of ms boys and
play in, Mr.. Robinson volunteers
II play the bass drum. Dorian and 4,
dis play eornets, Travis plays the = fl;
\ bass and Gregory plays trombon
View had quite q lot Of Jobs. Addi
wbe is .. can make the cbrnet talk
Mr. Robinson was born in We
Ward5boro Oct. II, 1870. son eff y
= ham and Catherine (Nai1el RobinSo
He always has lived in that part
the town. For ] Z years he has dol
- blacksmithine> most Of the time in Il
et village, but his shop is now on his far
al and most of the work ha does in tn
50 line now is to accommodate thqtneig
he borS. e.zI II
# White working in the Watcrhsr
= VT. asylum Mr.. Robinson met Mi
ar Margaret Curan of Ponghkeensie,
KS ". and they were married Dee. +.
.st 1909. They have EIGHT children: y
he rian u, Travis Il. Gregory l., Paul
y. Adds 9, John 5. Catherine 3. and He
~ ~ /.
He has three brothers, Fred, Aim
80. aud Eden. all Of West Wardsboro, Al
no four sisters. lila. wife of Frank
~, Raw Of Wilmington, Avis, of Bratt
mi boro, widow of Henry Waite, Clal
ON wife of William r. Nash Of Chicop
ed Falls. Mass. and Nora, wife Of Lu
Kendall Of West Wardsboro.