Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-11-26
NO.. 2S4.
Mistellaneous.
A BEARS FIGHT FOR LIFE.

STRoUDsBURG, Penn, Nov. 10. A lum-
herman named Daggers, in the employ OF
a firm at Tobyhanna, in the upper part Of
this (Monroe) county, had thrilling adj
venture in the woods. four or five miles
from that village, on Thursday last, with
a bear that he had wounded, and that he
escaped alive is considered something
miraculous, even among the old hunters
of that wild region. Bears are still plenty
in the woods of the Pocono Mountains, the.
scene of Dagger's adventure. On Wednes-
day, lumbermen eturning from tho woods
saw a large one near a swamp at the foot
of Burnt Chestnut Ridge. Daggers, be-
inga successful hunter, started out in
search of it on Thu sday. His dog took
the track about noon, and chased the bear
out of the swamp and up the ridge. 1t
took to deep crevice in the rocks, from
which Daggers sought to eject it by re-
sorting to the usual mode of smoking the
den by building fire at the entrance.
Another opening that led to the retreat
chosen by the bear was not seen by the
hunter. and when the smoke filled the
cave it left by that opening, and was not
discovered by Daggers until it was some
distance up the ridge. He fred at it and
hit it, but the wornd only accelerated the
speed of the re,rc atiDg animal. The dog
followed it closely, and forced it to climb
a large tree on the top of the hill. 1t
crouched in the crotch of two large limbs
80 or 40 feet from the ground Daggers
fired at it, and the effect of the shot was to
cause the bear to loosen his hold on the
tree and come tumbling heavily to the
ground, but not to inflict a fatal wound.
This placed the hunter in great peril,
for the bear was frrious fro l its wounds,
and attacked Daggers at once, giving him
no opportunity to reload his gun. The
dog sprang fearlessly at the bear, but was
crushed to death in an instant, without re-
tardng i'm the least the advance of the bear
on the hunter. 1t rushed at Daggcrs with
dstended Jaws He struck it with all his
strength over the head with the butt of his
gun, which was shivered to pieces, and
apparently had no effect on the bear.
Daggers kept the barrel of the gun in his
hand and drew his hunting-knife. AS the
bear rushed upou him, he showed the gun
barrel in its mouth and plunged his knife
into its vitals. That fortunate stab was
what saved the hunters life, for in the
terrible struggle that ensued he was un-
able to inflict any other wound on the ami
NAL.
The bear wrenched the gun-barrel from
Daggers's hand, and with blow of his
fore paw knocked the hunter to the ground.
In the fall Daggers dropped his knife.
The blow stunned him for an instant, and
his face was much lacerated by the claws
of the bear. He arose barely in time to
escape the clutch OF the bear and could
not recover his knife. He saw that the
bear was bleeding so fast from the knife
wound that its shaggy hide was red from
its breast to its feet. Daggers backed
away from the bear, with the intention Of
dodgng behind a tree and then escaping
to safe distance, knowing that bruin
would succumb to his wounds in a COM
paratively short time. In retreating. how
ever, his heel came in contact with some
thing that tripped him up, and he fell on
his back among the scrub-oaks. The bear
Jumped upon him before he could get up,
and sank its claws into both his shoulders.
The fall hurt the hunter, and the weight
of the bear almost crushed the breath
from his body Daggers says he thought
his time had come, and in desperation he
thrust out with small stick he had bro
ken off by catching hold of a scrub oak as
he fell The stick entered the bears left
eye and put it out, causing the animal to
Jump upon his launches with howl Of
rage and pain. Daggerss sprang to his
feet, but before he could take step the
bear grasped him by the shoulders. A
desperate struggle ensued. the bear en-
deavoring to get the hunter in its hug, and
Daggers putting forth every effort to pre-
vent it. Finally. by the tearing loose of
his clothing under the sharp claws of the
bear. he escaped once more. The flesh on
his shoulders was badly torn, and Dag
gers grew faint from the pain. The bear
followed him up so closely that that they
were again in hand-to-hand contest.
The bear was visibly growing weaker,
and the hunters strength was also gradual
lv leaving him. He tried to run but could
not, and the resutnow depended on wheth-
err the hunter or the bear gave out first.
For several minutes they struggled to-
eether among the scrub-oaks uutil Dag
gers felt that he could hold out no longer,
although the bear staggered and fell. and
rose with difficulty. The hunter took two
or three quick steps to one side and fell to
the ground unconscious. He does not
know how long he lay insensible, but when
he revived he tried to get up and could
not. He dragged himself to the foot of
hemlock tree and rested his back against
the trunk. Almost within his reach, the
great bear lay dead. But few minutes
after Daggers regained consciousness, he
heard the voices of some men who were pas
sing along the brow of the ridge. He
shouted to them. They proved to be two
wood-choppers from the Tobyhanna Mills.
They rendered him all the aid in their
power He was suffering more from ex-
haustion than any injury he had received.
In an hour he was able to start home. The
wood choppers carried the carcase Of the
bear in hanging ON pole between them.
1t was the largest bear that had been killed
in the Pocono region for years.