Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-09
IN A BEARS MOUTH.
A Colorado Mans Desperate Hand-tO
Hand Fight with a Mad Beast.


| Central city (CoI.) Register CaR
One of the most desperate encounters
| between man and brute that have ever
| taken place in this section occurred yes
terday morning in Mammoth Park. Man,
moth Gulch. William Parenteau. fore
man of the Gunnell mine, had started out
for a Sabbath DAYS sport and reached fba
park rather early. During the night
light snow had fallen and the mountains
We're covered with light and deli
cate coating of white, which was
indeed, all that the hunter could
desire, for it left the trail of man or beast
plainly visible. Mr.. Parenteau soon struck
a bear trail. Before he had gone fifty
yards he heard a slight noise to his left,
and quickly turning around he discovered
large female bear and well-grOWn cub
She seemed TO be hesitating for the
moment whether to give fight or not. The
mother and cub were not over twenty
yards from the hunter, and his decision
was made up as quick as a fash He
would kill the old one and take the
chances of the younger running away.
His rifle was at his shoulder in an instant,
but as his finger touched the trigger. the
bear made a lunge at him, and the ball
went wide of its mark, missing the now
lnfurlated animal entirely. He threw his
gun aside, and jerked from its sheath a
long hunting knife. Unfortunately for
him the bear caught the hand in which
the knife was clutched as it was de-
Scending.
Parenteau thought that it was over with
him, but the bear seemed to be anxious to
get her victim around the neck and give
him death hug, so she released the hand
and got her paws on both shoulders Pa
renteau doing all that he could to keep out
of her embrace. In the meantime he was
applying the knife with all the desperation
of a man who knew that he was in the
very clutches of terrible death. The
bear gave him a fearful slap in the face.
lacerating the flesh and almost binding
him. She was now fairly bowling with
pain, as the knife would sink up to the
hilt with every thrust. In the struggle
Parenteau felt his left thigh give away
or leaving its socket, and he knew that
the struggle could not last much lOnder.
The pain and loss of blood We're telling on
him rapidly, but he determined to sell his
life as dearly as possible. Whenever an
opportunity offered he buried his trusty
knife in the body of the bear, who showed
some signs of weakening. His left knee
cap also received a terrible injury, and he
was almost crazed with pain. Finally he
saw an opportunity to drive his knife
home behind the left shoulder of his
enemy, and she lOosened her hold at once.
She stood over him for moment, with
the blood gushing from eighteen wounds,
and then falling over on her side, expired /
1t was some moments before Parenteau
could gather up strength enough even to
try to move. He presented the appear
ance of having been through a slaughter
house. His wounds and the blood from
the beast, which had been squirting out
upon him like water from a fountain, in
deed caused him to present a sanguinary
appearance. He was unable 10 pick up
or carry his gun, but finding a stick close
by he hObbled and crawled along until the |
saw mill was reached, some two miles
distant. A messenger was at once dis
patched to Central for DIR. Ashbaugh, and
he soon responded. The wounds of the
injured man were dressed and he made as
comfortable as possible.
Phil Parenteau, a brother of the wound
ed man, has arrived from Mammoth Park.
He says that his brothers. injuries are
much more serious than at first reported
The bear got his head in her mouth and
actually ehewed on it for few moments.
The bridge of the nose was literally
crushed and shattered into small particles
of bone. A cavity was created through
which the walls Of the throat can be |
plainly seen. There is deep incision be- |
tween the head and the termination of
the spinal column, and the scalp is lace |
rated and shockingly torn in a number of !
places.