South Branch Intelligencer

Strange Conduct of Bees.

On Friday of last week, says the Boon-ton, N.J. Bulletin, Dr. Webb sent his man with a team to Franklinville for a load of marl. The horses were a fine pair of animals, valued at about $400.

On the return, when near the dam, they had to pass a place, the owner of which had six or seven hives of bees. The day was very hot, and the horses sweating profusely, and it is supposed the odor of the animals offended the bees, for they came out in force and attacked them. The horses began to kick and rear, and all the efforts of the driver failed to get them from the spot. He then tried to unhitch them, but the bees came so thick and fast, that he was forced to abandon them, and he ran to Nutes' store, at Franklinville, for help. At the store, they covered the driver's head with four thicknesses of mosquito netting, and drew long gloves over his hands, when he returned to the team and finally succeeded in getting the horses loose and away. He had to scrape the bees from the animals with his hands.

They were so fearfully stung, that, notwithstanding a resort to every possible remedy, one died in about two hours, and the other the next morning.

A curious feature in the affair is, that on Saturday afternoon the bees were still so enraged that they attacked the house. When night fell, however, by a resort to sulphur, they were expelled.

On Sunday, the bees, with one accord, left their hives and again attacked the house, and the family were fairly driven out, and had to go to a neighbor's for shelter.