Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1892 — Boy and Bear. [ARTICLE]

Boy and Bear.

Bears are thicker than blackberries in the district just now, states the Westminster Columbian, in fact, the crop is heavier than in years. On Friday last Samuel Wade, fifteen year old son of E. T. Wade, clerk of Surry municipality, went out to shoot a few brace of grouse while his parents were in the city on a shopping visit. The youngster was armed with an old muzzle loading army musket, but carried a few slugs in bis pocket in case of meet ing larger game. Sam had not been long in tbe bush when a bear and two cubs ran across bis track. Dropping a slug on top of tbe charge of the grouse,shot already in the musket, he took rapid aim and had the great good luck to instantly kill the old bear. Loading again rapidly he got a shot at one of the cubs and put an end to its existence. The other cub ran away, and the young hunter went to the nearest neighbor’s house for assistance. The farmer carried an ax when he went back to the spot with Sammy. Here they found the remaining cub suckling its dead mother. It would not leave and Sam dispatched it with the ax. The boy deserves great credit for his pluck In tackling tbe old bear single handed and poorly armed.