Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-09-14
A BABY AND A BEAR.
Old Bruin Steals a Child and Makes
Pet of 1t.
Chico Rac0rd

Chico Record.
Henry Flynn, who resides up in
the hills near Inskip, Cal, is in town
to-day, and had the following in
cident to relate, in which bear of
the cinnamon species abducted his
three-year-old daughter, not with
any desire to harm the child, but
through strange kind of affection.
1t appears that Mr.. Flynn started
one morning to take horse to pas
ture, about two miles distant from
the house, and, as his little girl
seemed anxious to go, he put her
upon the horses, back and let her
ride short distance, perhaps forty
rods from the house, where he
put het down ard told her to
run home. He noticed that she con-
tinued standing where he left her,
and, on looking back after going a
little farther, saw her playing in the
sand. He soon passed out of sight
and was gone about an hour, expect
ing, of course, that the child would
return to the house after playing a
few moments. On returning home
he made inquiry about her of it's
mother, who said she had not seen
her, and supposed he had taken her
along with him. On going to the
spot where he left her he saw huge
bear tracks in the sand, and at once
came to the conclusion that the
child had been carried off by the
bear.
The family Immediately made
search through the forest, which was
grown up to almost jungle, render
ing their search very slow. All day
those anxious parents searched for
traces OF their child; nor id they
stop when darkness came on, but
remained in the woods cal ing the
lost one by her name. Morning
came and their search was fruitless
A couple of gentlemen from below,
who are travelling through the
mountains buying stock, came to the
house, and being informed of the
circums ances, Immediately set out
to hunt her. The gentlemen wan
dered about, and as they were pass
ing swamp spot where the under
growth was thick, called the child,
or else they were talking loud, when
one of them heard her voice. He
then called her by name and told
her to come out of the bushes. She
replied that the bear would not let
h5r.
The men then crept through the
brush, and when near The spot where
she and the bear were they heard
splash in the water, which the chile
said was the bear. On going to her
they found her standing upon a log
extending about half way across the
swamp. The bear had undertaken
to cross the swamp on the log, and
being pursued left the child and got
away as rapidly as possible. She
had received some scratches about
the face, arms and less, and her
clothes were almost torn from her
body; but the bear had not bitten
her to hurt her, only the marks of
his teeth being found on her back,
where, in taking hold of her clothes
to Gerry her, he had taken the flesh
also. ~ 8
The little one says the bear would
put her down occasionally to rest and
would put his nose up to her face,
when she would slap him, and the
bear would hang bis head by her
side and purr and rub against her
like a cat. The men asked her if she
was cold in the night, and she told
them the old bear lay down beside
her and put his earns" around her
and kept her warm, though she did
not like his long hair. She was tax
en- home to her parents.