Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-09-21
nlis(el!nusous.
A TRAGIC AFFAIR.

We translate, from the Quebec Canadian, the
following account of q fearful encounter with
a bear, in which the unfortunate hunter lost his
life
A most painful occurrence has just spread a
sort Of panic in the parish Of St. Raymond. A
man has been torn to pieces by a bear This
animal, on Sunday night, May 2Sth, had killed
and carried off COW belonging to a man Of the
name of Michael Cantin On the morrow, an
experienced hunter in that region, named James
Cantin, whose aim of forty years had brought
down bears, moose, and other large game of the
forest without number, prepared means to put
an end to this ferocious beast. 1t was sundown
before these were completed, and he had not had
time to go for his son to assist him in the hunt
The bear came, according to custom, to feed
upon the prey ne had secreted; and the nhab-
tants of the village heard the firing of a gun.
Fifteen minutes later another gun was heard,
the report sounding MS if near the woods and
as night was closing. third report was heard
CUulllR llOm Wltulu bltu III WAS
silent.
The people gathered together to meet the
hunter on his way home, ana hear from his own
lips the story of his encounter with the bear
But the night was begun and he does not come
The hopes OF the friends turn to fear, and they
resolve to fly to his assistance. They start with
lanterns, and proceed to the edge of the forest,
where their cries and discharges of firearms re-
main unanswered. They enter the wood and
scour it in various directions, but without seeing
or hearing any thing, They then turned home
ward, sad and dispirited, to resume the search
at dawn next day.
More than forty persons, who had been sum-
moned in the course of the night, met at day
break on the morrow, at the spot whence the
report Of the hunters first shot had proceeded.
bloody track led them on through the forest
and many who followed it came to the bear,
which they found lying dead in "a clump of
found They continl ed on their way, still keep
ing to the traces Of the blood on the ground,
which extended beyond the spot where lay the
animal, until, in the midst of dense thicket
they stumbled upon the unfortunate Cantin.
The soil trampled and torn up, the bushes bro
ken and down trodden the trunks of trees har-
by, the leaves on the bushes, and the face of the
earth CORY with the blood that had been shed /;
and the mutilated limbs of the deceascd-eyery
thing told of long and desperate conflict,
waged hand to hand between the unfortunate
hunter and his terrible adversary.
From all that could be gathered on this sub
ect it is surmised that the horrible tragedy took
pace in the following manner :-Cantin s first
shot had wounded the bear severely, and driven
him to the woods The hunter followed in pur-
suit, and fired a second time, but from the real
as in the first instance. Still this could moi
have been II mortal wound Then it was the
bear, finding that he was followed up closely
urged on by fear and rage, plunged deeper into
the forest, where, at length he laid down to re-
cruit his strength, or perhaps to die after the
custom of his species, the members of which
usually seek for some retired spot to breathe
their last. Accordingly, the monster selected
tho densest thicket to be found in the woods.
Animated by the noble ambition of the hun.
ter, who thinks he is slre of his game, and is
desirous of adding another to his numerous ex.
ploits, Cantin persesered in the chase, notwith-
standing the increasing darkness around him
Still, it must have been sufficiently light for him
to distinguish the CORY track of the bear but
I, it s highly probable that he stumbled suddenly
upon him in his secret retreat, and then in biz
rage, the animal reganed his strength for
> while rising, and confronted his pursuer, befor,
' he could escape. Still Cantin must have hat
Time to lire third shot, but so hurriedly tina
his shot could not tell efactually, the ball being
= found In his neck. Then he undoubtedly club
. bed his gun, and beat the animal on the heat
until the weapon fell shattered from his grasl
y ito the ground, where it was discovered by hi
friends. The man and the brute must hav
closed in the last fearful conflict which termina
ted so fatally. But dsarmed without knife
is and having nothing but his stout arm to oppos
"A to the fury of the beast, the brave fellow cour
IL ago could not save him from the tragic end
;. met with
When bear engages in fight he rises, and
{, sitting on his haunchcs, strikes his paw like
cat, while his enormous muscles indicate
strength that is almost inconceivable His CLAW