The Great Apple-Thieving Bear of Seattle

Several days ago, on account of how a large black bear was in the habit of visiting Captain L. K. Marshall’s apple orchard near the city daily to steal fruit, and how intimidated the neighborhood had become, two boys, Ralph Hopkins and Fred Kelly, who are said to have been guilty of the best marksmanship, at last went to fret about the bear. Yesterday, little Fred Kelly ran to the camp where his mother and sisters were preparing lunch and shouted: “Oh, mamma, that old bear is up in the orchard again, eating apples!” Captain Marshall, hearing this, and loading his Winchester, followed Ralph Hopkins, who trotted up the steep on the far side of the orchard. The bear was standing on his hind legs, snatching apples from the branch with his paws. While these engines of war approached, the two hunters were enabled to get within thirty yards of him. Before he had covered the ground with bullets, he maneuvered entirely through them. Captain Marshall blazed away with his 45-70 caliber Winchester. The ball entered the body of the bear just behind the shoulder. He sprang into the brush and rolled over and over down the hill. Ralph Hopkins, fearing the beast was not done for, followed the bear, pumping three bullets into him before he reached the foot of the hill. When the animal stopped rolling, he turned his head and shook one of his paws at the spectators, as much as to bid them good-bye. He then fell to the ground, and before he could rise, Captain Marshall planted a ball in his brain, and his apple-stealing days were over.