The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-24
ssoa gatf1Iige'ltl.sss' 't. d
.sIosARcH l[l, Ia oF THE sIERRAs.
A Man and Bear Conflict, in Which the
Man Conquers.

On Thursday Of last week, Mr. Nathan
Rogers. who owns and lives upon
|, rancho in the mountains, about mile
! above West Point, near the North Fork
of the Mokelumne, had the most terrific
encounter with grizzly bear we ever
J. read OF. The details of the occurrence,
as narrated to US, are substantially as fol-
lows Gray squirrels are quite numerous
s in that vicinity this season, and after din
ner Thursday, Mr.. Rogers went out for
an afternoons sport shooting them. He
was armed with light rife, and fortu-
nately had upon his person a large knife
which he occasionally carries. Grizzlies
are no strangers in the vicinity, and
Rogers had frequently seen their tracks
while hunting his stock; but as it is yet
3 teo early for ravenous beasts to be driven
out of the higher mountain ranges by
the snow, he felt no apprehension from
that source. Mr.. Rogers proceeded
leisurely along, meeting with such good
success in cunning that by 4 o'clock his
4 game sack was we'll filled, and as he was
1 a couple of miles from home, determined
] to retrace his steps, In leaving the tim
bered ridge upon which he had been
shooting, Rogers had 70 cross patch of
i comparatively open country, the only
growth it supported being species of
furze and an occasional bunch of chapar-
\ raj. He had gone but short distance,
when, in descending into little blind
.rayine, he came upon huge grizzly
feeding upon the carcass of sheep. 1t
4 is needless to add he die not proceed any
further in that direction. The bear was
not over 20 feet distant--a space Rogers
had not the remotest desire to diminish.
4 Man and beast discovered each others
presence at the same moment. Rogers
is resolute man, splendid marksman
and we'll Injured to the dangers and ex-
perience of backwoods life; but, as with
!. a full knowledge of the characteristics Of
the ferocious animal facing him, he re-
allied his situation, hope died away in
his breast. For a moment he stood
: irresolute. His first impulse was to run; !;
but his better judgmens told him if he
did so, and should be pursued by the
grizzly, escape would be impossible. and
s he would be taken at disadvantage in
the struggle which must inevitably fol-
low: Dreadful rs was the alternative Of
5fac;ug his terrible enemy, it was his only
hope, and Rogers firmly resolved to
! stand his ground, and if the worst came
to the worst, to at least sell his life as
dearly as possible. There was chance
:, that the grizzly might not attack him if
{ he retained q bold attitude, but whatever
hopes Rogers buisded upon that founda-
tion we're speedily dispelled by the bear
: giving low growl, dropping his mutton
J: and advancing toward him.
The hunters heart leaped to his throat
as the, threatened struggle became an un-
ayoilatle certainty, and the agonizing
sthought. that its result might leave his
wife widow and his children fatherless
Snearly unnamed him. The weakness
was but momentary, and then, with
every muscle and nerve in his body
drawn To its utmost tension, the man
awaited the cnset of the beast with as
much coolness as though his life was not
at stake in the unequal contest. As the
grizzly slowly came toward him and had
cot within distance of about fifteen
steps, Rogers threw his rife to his shoul-
= der, and with a steady aim, planted a
bullet in the bears breast, just inside the
point of che right shoulder. The animal
was hit hard, but no xty-to-the-pound
bullet ever stopped grizzly. With a
growl so ferocious that it resembled q
roar, the infuriated animal rushed for
ward to the attack. Throwing aside the
now useless rifle, and drawing his knife,
S Rogers braced himself for the death
struggle. As the shaggy monster reared
upon its launches, its great, black, con-
yex head towering two feet above Rogers,
the latter involuntarily threw up his left
arm like pugilist on guard. The bear
seized the arm in its mouth, and throw
ing its great paws over the shoulders of
the hunter, hugged him in an embrace
SO cruel that his eyes seemed starting
from their sockets, and the blood gushed
& from his nostrils. Rogers right arm was
free, and he drove the long blade of his
knife TO the hilt in the side of the grizzly,
close to the shoulder. The'blade reached
vital point, inAicting fatal wound,
\ but its immediate effect was only to in
S crease the grizzly's ferocity. 1t Rugged
Rogers the closer, its long, sharp, chisel-
pointed claws tearing gaping wounds in
the unfortunate mans back, while with
sickening sound the bones of his left
! arm were, crunched and ground to pow
der in the yise-like jaws of his terrible
antagonist. Wild. with the agonies of
his wounds, Rogers piled his knife with
the energy of desperation, driving it
! again and again into the vitals of the
: bear, literally carving it alive, while the
latter, with claws and teeth, lacerated its
human foe in the most frightful manner.
1t was, indeed, struggle to death.
Rogers, weak from the loss of blood, and
half delirious from pain, now fought
more from intuition than anything else,
having only vague consciousness that
his life depended upon putting an end to
that of the bear. The terrible wounds
y of the grizzly were also commencing to
tell upon its vitality. Rogers senses
were not so dulfed but that he could dis
Z tinguish that the grizzly was gradually
relaxing its hold, and the ray of hope
the knowledge afforded him stimulated
him to renewed exertions with his knife.
The bear endeayored to support itself de-
spite its cruel wounds, wavering for an
instant, and then, with low moan that
sounded almost human in its expression
of pain and despair, the huge monster
toppled over, dragging the man with it,
the latter falling partially underneath.
2 Summoning ell his remaining strength,
( Rogers plunged his knife into the griz-
zly's abdomen, the hot life blood and
viscera spouting full in his face. The
bear relinquished its hold, and Rogers,
torn, lacerated, and bleeding, crawled far
igenough away to escape being rent TO-
the grizzly. Although victorious, Rog-
.ers' condition was critical in the extreme.
He was mile and a half away from
home, so weak and faint he could scarce
" stand, and i'll danger of bleeding to
death before he could reach help. His
left arm hung crushed and life!ess at his
side, his left. scapula and clavicle were
broken. the blood trickled from the ter