Connecticut western news., 1881-02-16
A SAVAGE ENCOUNTER.
Pennsylvania's Female Bear Hunter
 Her Latest Exploit.

Lottie Merrill, the female hunter of this section, says Damascus, Pennsyl- vania, letter, has just had another adven- ture worthy of record, and one which came so near costing her her life that she will probably in the future never resume her masculine sport. A few days ago, just after the great sleet storm which swept over the country, Lottie determined to go deer-hunting. Donning her snow-shoes, she started to cross Orig Swamp. dense mass of scrub aks and laurel. When she had reached the centre of the marsh she dis covered the footprints of a very large bear on the crust. She followed the traii ont of the swamp for about two miles, when she discovered the den which the animal inhabited. Entering the cave she found two little cubs on Q bed of leaves in one corner. The cubs were about the size of kittens, snd were easily captured.
 Lottie was just emerging from the cave when she was met by an immense she-bear. The bear had heard the cubs yell and was making all possible speed to rescue them. Before Lottie could draw her rifle to her shoulder the ami nal was upon her and grasping her in her paws gave her such 8 terrible squeeze that she tainted, when the bear, thinking her dead, released her grip. She fortunately rega ined consciousness quickly, and while the old bear was playing with her cubs the plucky hunter drew her rife and shot her in the side. The bullet did not strike the animals heart, and as the brute dashed at her again Lottie drew her hunting knife and with one bold stroke nearly severed the bears head from the body.
 | Lottie was just con graduating herself on her successful escape when the dead bears mate made his appearance. Lot ties rife was unloaded and she was to- tally unprepared for asecond encounter, but determined to fight it out." The struggle was long one. Fortunately the young lady was not encountered in her motions by petticoats, for in all her hunting expeditions she wears panta- looms of doeskin, with long blouse. When, finally, Lottie thought the bear was dead, she stopped over to cut his throat, and the animal, with one stroke of his monstrous paw, tore the clothing almost completely from her body. Dur ing the protracted struggle the bear had reached the edge of cliff fully hun dred feet high and sloping at an angle of more than forty-Gve degrees down to the Wallinpaupack Creek. As the ami nal grabbed Lottie he commenced slid ing on the slippery crust down this almost perpendicular slope. Lottie was carried with him, and every foot of the distance traversed added to their ve- locity. When they reached the foot oi the slope they struck against tree, completely killing the bear and breaking two of Lottie's ribs, her left arm and one of her limbs. She managed, how ever, to crawl about mile to house, where she received medical treatment. The first bear killed weighed when dressed four hundred and three pounds and the male one four hundred and eighty four pounds. Lottie, who is i'm proving slowly, has the cubs in hel possession, but she says it will be some time before she will take another expe. dition of this kind.