The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-07-15
From the Ludington ChIinn) Record, sOth uitl


We have to record q very singular deligerance
OF girl about three years old to its parents after
being carried of by black bear, and search of
about thirty-sx hours through the forest by the
excited parents. The facts, as near as we can
gather them, are substantially as fellows:
MIR. Henry Flynn lives about forty miles east of
this place, at or near the lodging camps of Mr.
Luddington. He started one morning to take
horse TO pasture, about two miles distant from the
house, and as his little girl seemed very anxious
to go, he put her upon the horses back, and let
her ride short distance, perhaps forty rods from
the house, 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 going
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 to the house after playing few moments.
On returning home be 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 had left her
he saw huge bear tracks in the sand, and at once
came to the conclusion that the child had been
carried of 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 searched 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. Morning ca.le and their search was
fruiiless. A couple Of gentlemen looking at land
came to the house, and being informed OF the cir
child. The gentlemen wandered about, and as
they were passing swsmpy spot where the M
deIgrowth 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 brush, 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 extending 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 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 bis 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 q cat. The men asked
her if she was cold in the night, and she told them
the old bear lay down beside her and put his
'arms'' around her and kept her warm. though she
did not like his long hair. She was taken home
to her parents.