Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-09-16
THRILLING ADVENTURE WITH A
4.-l.... BEAR,

THRILLING ADVENTURE WITH A
..e7l.... BEAR.
A citizen of New York sends to the
Evening Post of that city the following
copy of a private letter from a friend in
Colorado, which letter was not written
for publication;
l,e' My Dear Friend: have just re-
turned from my first venture out of
doors. My stride is short, and my pace
is not yet swift, put have managed to
get n few yards from my cabin and re-
turn again, and l feel able now to tell
& you fully of myvery recent unpleasant
ness with the bear. | was out pros
pecting and had just left T., and was
walking unconcernedly at the base of q
! very high cliff AS l stepped aside to
avoid tree, beheld to my surprise a
bear Standing motionless and looking
as demure as the obelisk. She had not
. yet seen me, so / attempted to retreat
without disturbing her, but, after NOV
ing back short distance l looked and
saw the bear in the spot had just va
: Gated, standing on her launches look
Z, ing at me with countenance which
Z lacked amiability. | did not then know
its sex, or that she had two interesting
a cubs, but supposed it to be an old male
Bruin, that would use the same discre-
ton as myself, and retire in good order
Gas soon as his curiosity was satisfied.
&Yet l hurried away, and, soon hearing
1.-THE brush cracking, stopped to listen,
hoping to discover that she, too, was
running from me, but the great noise
q made by the dashing water in the
creek over the rocks prevented my dis
i tinguishing her direction for a moment
-, or two. When | saw her it was too late;
she was bearing down upon me with all
- her speed. l saw at a glance that
was in for it, as there was no tree near
enough that l could climb to escape
-, her, so, in the absence of anything else
-- to do and to fill up the time, ran down
the hill with my best speed. OF course
she could run three rods to my one, and
in looking back to take in the situation
b ] caught my toe in some underbrush,
tuand turned somerset or two. The
impetus of the bear caused her to run
oyer and fifteen feet beyond me before
she could sop. had fallen upon my
face, with my head quartering up the
hill, so j threw my arms over my head
& ard waited for the bear to proceed in
her own way, having read how MINI
rods have been treated when they
'splayed 'possum." In moment she
sostood over me, her head about over my
shoulder She growled a little and
X then very delicatey took hold of my
shoulder-blade, turning me over ON my
back. Then she walked round me and
= took hold of my lett leg at the hip
joint, fortunately taking the contents of
my pocket consisting of ten sharp me-
tallic cartridges and my glasses for ex-
amining stone) in her mouth, which
made her a good mouthful neverthe-
less her tour tusks went into my flesh,
one cutting cash an inch and half
long and directly across the femoral
artery, but not deep enough to sever
it. She then left me for a few mo-
ments and returned with redoub-
led energy; catching me by the
right thigh, she sat back on her haunch-
es and shook me terribly. 1t was then
first saw her cubs; they came whin-
ing around, not seeming to enjoy the
sport. She would go to them second
and return to me and give me another
shake" Thus she caught my right
thigh three times, once lust below the
knee, taking the entire leg in her mouth
back of her tusks, shaking me as one
would dishcloth. In this last bite she
" broke the skin in but one place, leaving
tusks, and pressing so hard that the
flesh was started from the bone, so that
the doctor thought at one time the
wound would have to be opened, and
j, from this ! suffered most. Again she
returned to her cubs, and thinking she
had gotten through with me got upon
my feet but had no sooner done so than
she came at me again. | was then near
a large tree. and having thoroughly
tested the 'possum tactics without sue
cess, j determined to abandon them. /
lodged round the tree. She made q
fearful plunge at me, but, like the priest
and the Levite, "went by on the other
side" Thus eluded her several times,
but from exhaustion, my right leg torn
totpieces, and faint from loss OF blood, !
Stumbled and fell. Again she was
Upon mei i moved my left hand
toward my small sheath knife; she
aeaught my arm just above the wrist,
fracturing the bone. This seemed
to satisfy her; the cubs were fright
ened by our performance around the
tree, and TO her young doubtless owe
her.withdrawal and perhaps my life
Atlast got upon my feet; the beal
was not 10 be seen. took few steps
Ito try my strength, and after hurried
mfchpoiy VI my conuillOn IOunu my
right arm 'uninjured and my left Les
comparatively so. could bear my
weight upon my right leg. but had lit
tie use of it, and The slightest turn O
the foot or unevenness OF the grounf
rendered il entirely useless. The CAM
had been moved that morning, and
supposed it to be near the mouth o
the creek where first met the bear
so struck out diagonally toward tn,
creek. My progress was very slow
the ground being covered with brusl
z land fallen timber. had to rest OF
every log came to, then throw m,
y,well foot over and lift the injured owe
with my hands. This exertion cause,
the blood TO flow more freely. / tie,
my suspenders round my leg, but wa
too weak to draw them tight enough Il
stop the blood from flowing. / coul,
60 only q few steps at time; my shoe