Submitted by Roger Harvell Thanks Roger!

From the journal of Jeholda J. Sams (which is owned by the Newberry Library in Chicago)

Chapter 38 is titled OLD BLAIR WALKER'S LAST BEAR HUNT

'In an early day there were a great many bear hunters among us and one of the first as well as the most noted was Old Blair Walker and his brother Andrew. They killed on all occasions and too numerous to mention. They were great hunters of other game than bear, but their bear hunts were their favorite sport.

I was personally acquainted with Blair for 50 years or more. I heard one of his brothers say that when Blair died, he would be found dead on a bear chase, and sure enough he was.

He and his brother Andy went out in the Buffalo and Sylamore mountains on a bear hunt and was out some three or four days. They had very good luck killin bear, and the last morning the broke camp and had gone a short distance when their old start dog jumped a bear. The two brothers started at a gallop on their horses after the dogs and bear. It was not more than half mile to the steep hollow in order to get them. They were riding as fast as their horses could take them, for an old bear hunter folls away no time when he hears his dogs treed. On the run Andy heard some noise behind and looking around he saw Old Blair falling off this horse. Andy turned his horse back but before he could get to Blair, he was dead.

So there he was, his brother dead and the dogs with a bear treed. Andy told me of all the cases he ever had this was the hardest to decide what to do, as there lay his brother dead and he could not bring him back to life again. At least he concluded to go and kill the bear, which he did and come back to where his brother was, bringing the bear with him.

He took Blair's horse and hitched him by his dead rider and starts to tie Blair's start dog by his side, but concluded to see if she would stay without being tied, which she did. He now goes home, which was ten miles away, to get help. The next morning a crowd went back and when they got there the corpse, horse and dog wall all there, just as Andy had left them.

Now comes up trouble again. The old favorite dog sees the crowd coming and meets them about thirty yards from the corpse and horse, hair turned the wrong way, as good as to say 'you shan't come any closer'. The coaxed and scolded and tried to give her something to eat, which done no good.

Finally they took a rope and made a noose, hung it on a stick and all gathered around her and slipped it over her head and tied her to a bush. They then layed the dead man across the horse, then one man led the horse. Andy then untied the old dog and she went to her old master lying across the horse and smelt all around him. The crowd went home with the corpse, the dog right at their heels of the horse all the time. When they got home she followed her master's body into the house and they all stepped back, when the old dog stepped up to her dead master and sniffs around him and then lay down by him. Then tried to get her to eat, but she would neat only a bite or so. The old dog lay there until they got ready to bury the old man. When they started with him, the dog went right behind him and when they layed him the grave the dog stood on the edge looking in, she then stepped off until they covered it up. She stayed there some time after all had left and she howled some of the lonsomest howls you ever heard; she then went to the house and they got her to eat at last.

This all happened in Baxter Co. Ark., near the place called Lone Rock, on the south side of the White River.'

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