Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-09-12
TERRIBLE FIGHT WITH A BEAR,
Wonderful Pluck of a Father and
Son

Wonderful Pluck of Father and
Son.
TFroin the Emory British Columbia) Sentinel
Alexander Embree and his son Walter
are living together on the old mans farm,
about four and half miles from the
Wentworth station. A fortnight ago,
while father and son were standing in the
field, Mr. Embree noticed the sheep run
ming, and, on turning toward thefoot OF
the mountain, be saw all enormous bear
slowly creeping towards his horses, which
were feeding on the hillside He i'm
mediately sent his son for gun and an
ak BY the time the latter returned the
bear was wi hin twenty feet of one OF the
horses, and evidently about to spring
npon til unsuspecting animal. Mr.. En-
bree was now about sixty yards from the
bear, which, on preceiying that he was
observed, sat up, and as soon as Mr En-
bree fired, sprang forward, rolled over
and then ran away. The dog followed
him, the father and son keeping on the
trail by the bloody track left and the
| sound of the dog up the steep and dim
cult mountain side as it was almost I'M
possible to get through the windfalls and
growth in some places They had, how"
| ever, only gone abouta mile or more when
they he. I'D he 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 moment the dog checked him,
and MIR. Embree fired at what he sup
posed to be the back of his shoulder, but
| It proved to be he brute enormous head,
and he only struck him on the lower jay
breaking off part of the jaw, and one
lower tusk and part of the tusk on the
other side, and that, no doubt, saved their
i lives. Mr. Embree instantly loaded
i AGAIN, but when the monster sprang upon
him the cap did not explode. he then
used the gun over the brutes head, the
second blow leaving only the barrel In bis
hand and that appeared to produce no
more effect than riding whip in the
hands of child. At this point in the
conflict the bear pushed hard upon his
foe when log from behind Mr.. Embree
tripped him and he fell backward, with
monster upon him. The bear was abont
taking Mr.. Embree's head or face III his
mouth, when the latter hrust his right
hand in the bear mouth and caught
the root of his tongue, but unfortunately
his arm coming out across the animal
mou h, the monster shut it upon the arm
and crushed both bones; in the man s own
words, ''as esaily as you would break
pipe emu The son now came to his
rescue by dealing the brute tremendous
blow on the hack of the head with he
edge of the ak, but so thick was the mon
sers skin and fur that it only made a
small cut.
| Leaving the father with his mangled and
helpless arm, the beast tnrned upon the
son. He first struck the AK, knocking it
about thirty feet out of the young mans
hand, and then siezing him by one knee
"shook him. say S he ia her ''as bull
terrier would rat, throwing him, with
one shake. nearly ten feet" Without
even a knife, the father sprang upon the
back of the bear, and thus diverted the
bear from his son. Twice this dreadful
game was played urn about by the father
and son each in his turn attacking the
brute to save the others life. While
they were under the bear he held them
, down with his front feet, and attempted tC
r tear them with his hind heel. but it was
5 too long and only tore the ear h under
, them. The final struggle was fearful
5 The bear had the young man undernea tt
him and in attempt to crush his head be
, meath his enormous Jaws for the want o
, the lower tusks he was only to able to teal
the flesh from his forehead down over hi
eyes and holding the skin of his forehead
= and eyebrows in his front teeth shook tn
) Young man voilen ly. At this momen
/ the old man caught sight of the AK ant
f taking it in his left hand began to strike
l., the bears head, the ak often ming clos
J, to his son face in the deadly struggle
]. and after having given the brute ten blow
. with the ak rom his one hand the bea
released his hold from the sons face, an
fell from blow between his eye and ca
q dead upon the bleeding.body OF the youn
d man, who during he last struggle hel
d a firm grip of the bears tongue. An
II now the father, with one finger bitten o
and his right arm crushed, had help m
II wounded son home, the latter having bot
g knees fearftIily mangled, and his face bit
~ ten and torn.
3 The writer visited the sufferer on Sabb;
even ng, and found them doing very We
!. indeed, though they will not be able
r work this year on their farm. The fathe
r. is an old bear hunter, but he never saw s
Is large bear before. From his hind feet
. the top of his head was eight feet, so thu
N when he stood up he was quite out of the
'e reach His skin weighed fifty pounds al
5 5, his foot was five inches across the heel an
"a eight inches long. Never did father ar
n son show more pluck in defending; eaC
a other from fearful death. The first sh'
r the ball passed through the bars live
to lungs and within two inches ofhis hear
ne carrying away part of the shoulder bla'
~ on its way The Indians say the be
ut must have been about welve years old.
re EI - a. Z