Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-07-14
A Little Girl Three Years of Age Car
ried off by Bear-Marvelous Recov-
cry of the Child after Searching Thir-
ty-six Hours.


ty-six Hours.
We have the record of a very sin
gular delivery of girl about tire,
years old to its parents, after being
carried off by black bear, and :
search of about thirty-six hours
through the forest by the excited
parents. The facts, as near as we
can gather them, are substantially as
follows:
Mr.. Henry Flynn lives about for>
ty miles east of this place, at or near
the lodging camps of Mr. Ludington,
and we believe has chrage of one OF
the camps. He started one morning
to take horse to pasture, about two
miles distant from the house, and as
he was ready to start, his little girl
appeared and seemed very anxious
to go with her father, who, in order
to please the child, put her upon the
horses back and let her ride a short
distance, perhaps forty rods from
the house, but in plain view of it,
where he put her down and told
her to run home. He noticed that
the child was standing where he left
her, and on looking back after GO
ing a little further, saw her playing
in the sand. He soon passed out OF
sight, and was gone about an hour,
expecting, Of course, that the child
would return home after playing a
few moments.
On returning home he made in~
quiry about the child of its mother,
who said that she had not seen the
child, and supposed he had taken her
along with him. On going to the
spot where he had left her, he saw
huge bear tracks in the sand, and at
once come to the conclusion that she
had been carried off by the bear.
The family Immediately made
search through the forest, which
was gwrown up almost to jungle,
rendering their search very slow
All day these anxious parents search
ed for some trace of Their child, nor
did they stop when darkness came
on, but remained in the woods calls
ing the child by her name, and with
aching hearts would listen with all
most oreathless fear to catch some
sound by which they might discover
their lost darling. Morning came
and their search was Ruthless.
A couple of men searching for
land came to the house, and being
informed ofthe circumstance, imme-
diately set out to help find the child;
no doubt existed as to the fact of
the little one by all, and if they could
only find where the bear had dis.
patched of its victim, they might
then go home with the assurance
that they were never to see their
child again, but until some trace of
her was found, there was hope.
The gentlemen alluded to had won.
dered about, and as they were pass
ing a swampy spot where the under>
growth was thick, they either called
the child or else were talking loud,
when one of them heard the child's
voice. He then called the child by
name and told her to come out of the
bushes. She replied that the bear
would not let her. The men then
crept through the bush, and when
near the spot where the child and
bear were, they heard a splash in the
water, which the child said was the
bear. On going to her they found
her standing upon log extending
about half way across the river.
The bear had undertaken to cross
the river on the log, and being closes
ly pursued, left the child and swan
away. She had received some
scratches about her face, arms and
legs, and her clothes were almost torn
from her body, but the bear had not
bitten her to hurt her, only the marks
of his teeth being found on her back,
where in taking hold of her clothes
to carry her he had taken the flesh
also.
The little one says the bear would
put her down occasionally to rest,
and would put his nose up to her
face, when she would slap him, and
then the bear would hang his head
by her side and purr and rub against
her like cat. The men asked her
if she was cold in the night, and she
told them the old bear lay down be-
side her and put his arms " around
her and Rugged her to him and kept
her warm, though she did not like
his long hair. She was taken home
She was taken home to her parents,
who could hardly express their joy
at her safety.
The bear has been seen lurking
about in the vicinity, it is supposed
for the purpose of yet carrying off
the child. The supposition is that it
is female bear and having lost her
cubs, came across the child and
adopted it. Steps are being taken
to capture the bear. - Ludingtor'
(Mieh.) Record, 30ah.