A Bear Visits the Vagabond

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column, "A Backward Glance."  This article was undated, but later clues dated the incident as 1942.

It was reported: "SOMETIME in 1942 or 1943 there was a bear scare at Vagabond Village, truck and eating stop on U. S. route 24, 13 miles west of Defiance.  The owner at that time, Herb Benson, had a bear that escaped from its cage in front of the building.  Fearing that it might attack livestock, he called the sheriff of Paulding county to run it down and shoot it.

The PAULDING county sheriff and his deputy, however, were away, so he telephoned Defiance county Sheriff John K. Bridenbaugh.  He and Deputy Alner D. Ryan responded, taking along the 3-40 Krog rifle from the sheriff's office.  

The bear had gone to the river bottom back of Vagabond Village where Sheriff Bridenbaugh shot the animal.  Those in the picture are, from left, Herb Benson, then the owner of Vagabond Village; Deputy Ryan, Sheriff Bridenbaugh, Sheriff Bates of Paulding and his deputy, Jim Bridenbaugh, son of John, also there." 

Actually, the Defiance Crescent-News published a news article about this event on July 12, 1942.