The Shasta courier., 1868-08-08
Little Girl Three Years of Age Carried
off by a Bear.

We have to record very singular deliver
ance of girl about three years old, to its
parents, after being carried off by a black
bear, and a 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
Henry Flynn lives about forty miles east
of this place, at or near the lodging camps
of Ludington, and we believe he has charge
of one of the camps He started one morn
ing to take horse to pasture, about two
miles distant from the house, 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,
be pain view of it, where he put her
down.. and told her. to run home. He noticed
that the child was standing when he left her,
and on looking back after going little fur
ther, saw her playing in the sand. He soon
passed out of sight, and was gone about an
hour, expecting of course the child would
return to the house after playing few mo-
ments.
On returning home he made inquiry about
the child of its mother, who said she had not
seen the child, and supposed he had taken
her along with him. On going to the spot
where he left her, he saw huge bear tracks
in the sand, and at once came to the concu-
sion that the child had been carried off by
the bear.
The family Immediately made search
through the forest, which was grown up to
almost a 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, calling the child by her name,
and with aching hearts, would listen with
almost breathless fear to catch some sound
by which they could discover. their lost dar.
ling. Morning came and their search was
fruitless.
A couple of gentlemen looking at land,
came to the house, and, being informed of
the circumstance, Immediately set out to help
find the child. No doubt EXISTED as to the
fate of the little one by any, and if they could
only find where the bear had dispatched his
victim, they might then 90 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 wandered
about, and as they were passing swampy
spot where the underground 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 splash in the water which the
child said was the bear. On going to her
they found her standing upon log extend
ing about half way across the river.
The bear had undertaken to cross the river
on the log, and being closely pursued, left
the child and swan away She had receiv-
ed some scratches about the 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 be-
ing 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 run
against her like cat The men asked her
if she was cold in the night, and she told
them the old bear lay down beside her and
and put his 6 arms" around her and hugged
her to him and kept her warm, though she
did not like his long hair She was taken
home to her parents, who could scarcely ex-
press their joy at her safety.
The bear had been seen lurking about in
the vicinity, it is supposed for the purpose
of carrying off the chilli. The supposition
is that it is female bear, and, having lost
her cubs, came across the child and adopted
it.-Lndington (Mich.) Record, June 30M.