San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-01-05
MAN VS.. BEAR.
An Exciting Fight which Ended In the Beast
DiscOmfture.
From the Buffalo N. ~ News.

From the Buffalo N. " News.
An exciting and prolonged fight be-
tween bear and man took place in
this city yesterday afternoon, creating
great deal of excitement. On Satur-
day afternoon, Hellriegel Brothers, the
butchers, of IL East Seneca street, re-
ceived by express from Michigan
large specimen of the black bear fami-
ly, Weighing at the lowest calculation
200 pounds. The bear made the jour
ney from the west in the interior of n
large hollow log, and when it reached
its destination the problem of getting
the bear out of its natural cage seemed
incapable of being solved. Yesterday
afternoon bruin was taken to Messrs.
Hellriegel's store and then the difficult
ty seemed to be greater than ever. A
crowd gathered around the store, and
great interest was manifested in the
solution of the trouble. Some one
said that Jack Smith, who works as n
teamster for Schaffer Brothers, in Lloyd
street, could do the business. A mes
senger was dispatched for Smith, who
speedily appeared on the scene of ac-
ton. He is about five feet in height
and his manner shows that he was once
sailor. Smith is stout, chunky and
muscular, and wears an expression
which is a happy combination of the
thoroughly determined and devil-may-
care sort.
Smith, in an off-hand way, said he
would Elk the bear for them any way
they wanted it," When told that the
great desideratum was to get the bear
alive out of the log and chain him, the
ex-sailor remarked that he would do it..
wont you get hurt?" some one
asked.
"That's none of your business if I
do" was Smiths rejoinder.
After some parley it was decided
that the bear had best be dumped into
an ice-cellar under the store. This Gel
lar is 16x12 feet and 8 feet high. It
contains no windows nor outlets ex-
cent 2x4 aperture at the top, which is
covered by an iron grating.
The bear was shot down into this den
and bruin made himself at home. Jack
took off all his clothes except his panta-
looms and looked very much like q
prize-fghter as he stood alongside the
hole through which he would enter the
bears den. A candle was given him
to aid in Undertaking. the bear, which
could not be seen in the Egyptian
darkness which filled the cellar. Jack,
with the lighted candle between his
teeth, swung lightly to the floor of the
den. The intruder at once attracted
the attention of the bear, which, how
ever, did not at once begin to make
any demonstrations. Jack made a
poke at the bear, and with growl the
animal got up on it's hind feet and as.
sumed a pugilistic attitude. The fight
between them began. and it was a hot
and furious one. The bear fought and
spared in a manner which would have
put to the blush many would-be experts
His long claws were thrice buried in
the back of impatient and hardy Jack
who, though the pain was great, never
relaxed the hold he had just acquired
on the BEARS throttle valve. This was
at the expiration of nearly an hour, and
the sturdy member of the genus homo
was rapidly getting the better of his
brute antagonist. At this juncture
with mighty effort, which caused the
animals body to culver all over, the
brute threw off the sailor. AS JACK
made thrust at bruins throat with hi
right hand the maddened creature
clutched it and buried his teeth in thu
flesh. The sailor rallied. and in mo
ment his hand came out of the canni
balistic cavern, but a big piece of fiesf
was missing from between the thuml
and the first finger.
Smith in his turn grew angry, anc
during the remaining half an houl
which the strange contest lasted he
strained every muscle and mustered
every nerve to assist him in the task Of
conquering his obstreperous rival. The
bear would spar away for dear life, ant
would have buried his molars in the
mans face but for the lighted candle
which every now and then came so close
to his nose that the smell of burned
hair arose to the nostrils of those who
watched the fight from the man-holt
which afforded an entrance to the cellar
Jack finally got his fingers around the
bears windpipe and after desperate
and terrific contest choked the beal
into a state bordering on insensibility
The victory was complete.
Smith put on the collar and chained
the bear in the back part of the butch
er shop. He then put on his wearing
apparel and walked off. In the morning
he went to work as usual. He said tc
his boss, who commented on the injured
hand:
"You see, fought a bar yesterday
and beat it, too"
Smiths employers said to a Ne'c'
man that they were not astonished al
his fight with 5ruin.
The bear was to-day on exhibition in
the back part of Hellriegels store. j