The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-01-28

Deer.
The Detroit Free Press says: "Perhaps
there is no one now living in Wayne
county more generally known than was
the late Peter Fralick, long time its
Sheriff, and for many years resident of
Plymouth. Mr.. Fralick, in his youth,
was powerful man, and a representative
pioneer, having both muscle and courage,
as well as an ardent love for the excite
ment of the chase. The following anec-
dote related by him to Mr.. j. Decker, of
Flint, twenty years ago, is as told by the
latter:
"A number of years previous, and
while Mr.. Fralick was as yet a young
man, in searching the forest around Plym-
outh for game, he deserted, at short
range, monster buck that stood con-
templating his approach as if Indifferent
to danger, or, it may be, confident Of its
strength to avert it. The hunter at once
drew bead on his game and fired, slightly
wounding the animal. To his astonish-
ment and dismay, instead of wheeling in
its tracks and endeavoring to escape, the
buck, with every hair erect upon its
neck, and eyes flashing fire, violently
stamped the ground for moment, and
then dashed full at the hunter, who had
commenced reloading his rifle. Fralick
realized in an instant his danger, and
with dubbed gun aimed furious blow
at the oncoming animal, but its force
was so far lost from its nearness as only
to check it for an instant, and dropping
his rifle, the hunter seized the now infu-
rated buck by the antlers, and endeav-
ored to throw him. Around and
around in giddy circle, amid crashing
brush and flying leaves, went Fralick
and his game, the latter striking out
with his sharp-pointed hoofs with light
ming rapidity, and giving the latter all
the business he could attend to i'm avert
ing the danger of being disemboweled.
The horrors of the hunters situation he
fully realized, and, with almost super
human strength, he kept the animal from
raising its head sufficiently high to allow
its death-dealing feet to reach his body,
but his lower limbs were in more immi-
nent danger, and the perspiration oozed
in streams from every pore. The contest
lasted, it seemed to Fralick, for full five
minutes, and, just as he began to feel his
strength giving way, he bethought him
self that, to throw himself upon his
back, he could maintain more even
struggle with his feet. This he accom-
plishcd, and then came shower of blows
upon his elevated cowhides, while on his
part he now and then got in kick that
made the animal snort with pain. AS
the deer changed round to get better
chance at the body of the hunter, so did
Fralick, with his back as a pivot, and
thus the fight was continued at all points
of the compass. Finally, as if yielding
the contest, the buck retrcated for rod
or so, and looking sideways at the pros
tratc man, stood paving the ground.
After resting moment Fralick cautious
ly essayed to creep to his gun, but in an
instant the buck was upon him, and
again he was forced to the defensive.
Again the buck retreated and again the
hunter tried to recover his gun, but with
the first motion he made in that direc-
ton the fight was renewed. This was
repeated until Fralick. now almost upon
the point of yielding to his fate from ex-
haustion, realized that his only hope was
in assuming perfect quiet when the ami
NAL should again retreat. This he did,
and after little the deer, step by step,
pausing, stamping, and watching him
over its shoulder, reached thicket OF
bushes, when it broke into run and he
saw no more of it. Pausing while to
recover breath and strength, MI. Fralick
at last, with difficulty, got to his feet,
and with extreme exertion made his way
home. Strange as it may seem, by his
desperate energy and strength he had sue
ceeded in preserving his body from harm.
1t had not received scratch. His lower
limbs also were but little injured, and
his clothing but little torn. Not so with
those stout cowhide boots, however; they
were curiosity that Mr.. Fralick pre-
served, it is believed, to the day of his
DEATH
"The narrator states that they were
shown him by the hero of the fight, who
declared that money would not buy
them. The fronts, from point far up
the leg, were cut in gashes toward the
toes, as if with sharp knife, and so bad
ly cut that had the contest continued a
short time longer they would have been
literally cut from his feet, and yet, strange
to say, the injury to his feet was so trifling
as hardly to incommode him.
eve have heard of several encounters
with wounded and maddened deer, but
seldom have heard of one so holly con-
tested and yet so bloodless as this"