The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-10-18
A BLACK HILLS ADVENTURE.
Mr.. Smiths Singular and Narrow Escape
From Wild Animals

From Wild Animals.
IDeadwood Cor. Cincinnati Enouirerl
few days ago man named Mont
gomery Smith, Mailing from st. Louis.
had two singular and narrow escapes
rolled into one. He left camp about
two miles up the hills to bring letters
here to post, and, in trying to shorten
the distance little, he lost the regular
trail and got into bad bit of country,
While hunting for the trail. he came
across fresh signs of Indians. and. while
hurrying out of the neighborhood. he
ran directly upon large brown bear
which was sleeping on the sunny side of
athlcket. The thicket was on side hill.
and Smith was going at a good pace
when he turned the clump. The bear
was so near when the man caught SIGHT
OF him that there was neither tire to
halt nor chance to turn out, and bruin
was cleared by flying leap. He made
a stroke at Smith as he went over. in
tllcting slight scratch on one leg. and
then set off after the miner with the in
tention of eating him for dinner. The
flight led over broken ground, up and
down ridge, and then along the base of
a broken ledge.
knowing that the bear would soon
overtake him, Smith had his ewes peeled
for some place Of refuge, and he found
good one. Close to the ground was
rift in the ledge made by part of the
rocks settling down or crumbling away.
and the bear was not q hundred feet
IN his rear. There was no time to
guess whether the crevice was big
enough to admit the man, and too
small to let the bear in after him, or so
small that the victim would be there
overtaken and devoured. He had
dropped his gun to aid his fight, and,
running at full speed, he made dive
and went into the creyice head first.
raklng enough hide off his shoulders
and back to make pair of baby shoes
The bear wasn't ten seconds behind
INN, and, as Smith reached the back end
OF the cave, which was not over six feet
deep, the bear put it's head into it's
mouth and tried to work in his body.
This he couldn't do, owing to his stout
shoulders, but for quarter of an hour
Montgomery Smith was doubtless the
worst frightened man in North America.
There was room enough for him to turn
around in, but ne was compelled to lie
at full length and look into the fiery eyes
OF bear which could get within four
feet OF him and wanted to come nearer.
Bruln didn't give up trying till he had
sadly cut and bruised himself against the
stones, and his snarls and growls put
more religious thoughts into Smiths
head than had ever lodged there before.
The bear couldn't get him, but neither
could he get the bear. He had nothing
to shoot with, neither food nor drink.
and yelling at bear to clear out and go
home has no effect in this rarifed atmos-
phere. The mouth of the crevice was
ten feet long, and Smith could look over
his trail for forty rods OF more, no mat
ter at what point the bear was
The animal was walking up and down
before the ledge, probably fishing for a
plan by which he might get something
better than roots for dinner. when the
miner caught sight OF three Indians
creeping along on the trail he had made.
They had, perhaps, followed it for mile
or more, and must have known that the
bear had the first claim. The redskins
had just come into view when they saw
the bear, the bear saw them, and Smith
saw the whole thing. The bear looked
in on Smith in despairing manner, and
then made bee line for the red men.
They fired at him once apiece and then
turned and ran, and after about three
minutes waiting Smith crawled out and
made 2:4O time till his breath gave out.