Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-15

on the trail by the bloody track left.
and the sound of the dog up the steep
and iiiiicult mountain side. it being nj
most impossible to get through the
windfalls and underground II some
places. They had. however. only cone
about mile or more when thev heard
the dog returning with the bear on his
own track. On standing still for
few moments, the bear came within
forty feet, apparently raging mad. for
a moment the dog checked him. and
Mr.. Embree fired at what he supposed
to be the back of his shoulder, bur II
proved to be the brute's enormous
head and he only struck him on the
lower jaw, breaking off part of the
tusk on the other side, anu that no
doubt saved their lives. Mr.. Embree
instantly loaded again. but when the
monster sprang upon him the cap
failed to explode. He then used
the gun over the hrute's
head the second blow leay-
ing only the barrel in his hand. and
that appeared TO produce no more ef-
feet than u riding whip in the hand 81
Il child. AT this point in the conflict.
the bear pressed hard upon his foe. and
4 log from behind Mr.. Embree tripped
him, and he fell backwards with the
monster upon him. the bear was about
taking Mr.. Emhree's head or face in
his mouth, when Mr.. Embree thrust
his hand in the bears mouth and
caauht the root Of his tongue but I'M
fortunately his arm coming out across
his mouth, the monster shut it unon
the ann and crushed both bones in Mr.
Els own words ''as easily as YOU would
break a pipestem." The SON now came
to the rescue by dealing the brute 4
tremendous blow on the back of his
head with the edge OF the axe, but his
skin was 50 thick that it only made d
small cut. Leaving the father with his
mangled and helpless arm the beast
axe, knocking it about thirty feet out
OF the young mans hand, and then
Selling him by one knee, shook him.
says the father, as a bull terrier would
a rat, throwing him with one
shake nearly ten feet. Without even Il
knife the father sprang upon the back
of the bear and thus diverted the brute
from his son. Twice this dreadful
game was played turn about by the
father and son, each in turn attacking
the brute to save the others life. While
they We're under the bear, he held
them down with his front feet and tried
to tear them with his hind heel, but it
was too long and only tore the ground
under them. The final struggle was
fearful, the bear had the young man
under him and i'll an attempt to crush
his head between his enormous Jaws,
for the want of the lower tusks only
able to tear the flesh from his forehead
down over his eyes, and holding the
skin Of his forehead and eyebrows i'll
his front teeth, shook the Young man
violently At this moment the old
man caught sight Of the axe and
taking it in his left hand be-
gan to strike at the bears head the axe
often coming close to his sons face III
the deadly struggle and, after giving
the brute ten blows with the axe with
one hand, the bear relaxed his hold OF
the sons face, and fell With cut be-
tween his eye and ear, dead upon the
bleeding body Of the young man, who.
during the last struggle, held a firm
grip of the bears tongue And now
the father, with one finger bitten OIL,
and his right arm broken, had to help
his manglod son home, he having both
knees fearfully mangled, and head and
fn., hitten and torn, The writer visited
the sufferers on sabbath evening, and
found them under the judieious treat
ment ofDr McDougald. doing very well
indeed. but they will not be able to work
this spring on their farm. The father
is an old bear hunter, but he never saw
50 large n bear before. From his hind
feet to the top Of his head was eight
feet, 50 that when lie stood up he was
quite out Of their reach, His skin
weighed fifty pounds, and his foot was
five inches across the heel, and eight
inches long Never did father and son
show more pluck in defending each
other from u dreadful death. The first
shot the ball had past through the
bears liver lungs, and within two
inches Of his heart, carrying away part
of tire shoulder blade on it, way The
Indians say the bear must have been
about twelve years old.
H. NJ. n. -