Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-09-30
A CALIFORNIA A
A Bear Carries OF a Child to
Make a Pet Oft


Chico Call Record
Henry Flynn, who resides up in the
hills, neal Inskip. is in town to day,
and had the following incident to
relate, in which a bear, of the CHINA
mon species, abducted his little three
year old daughter, not with any desire
to harm the child, but through q
strange kind of affection. Ii appears
that Mr.. Flynn started one morning to
take a horse to pasture, about two
miles from the house, and, as his little
daughter seemed anxious to 20, he put
her upon his horses back and let her
ride a short distance, perhaps forty
rods from the house, where he put her
down and told her to run home. He
noticed that she continued standing
where he left her, and on looking back
after going a little farther, be saw her
playing in the sand. He soon passed
out Of sight aud was gone about an
hour, expecting, OF course, that the
child would return to the house after
playing a few moments. On returning
home he made inquiry about her oil
its mother, who said she had not seen
her, and supposed he had taken her
along with him. On going to the spot
where he had 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 had grown up almost a
jungle, rendering their search very
slow. All day those anxious parents
searched for traces Of their child, nor
did they stop when darkness came on,
but remained in the forest calling the
lost one by her name. Morning came
aud 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 circumstances,
Immediately set ont to find her. The
gentlemen wandered about, and as
they we're passing a swamp spot where
the underground was thick, called the
child, or else they we're talking aloud,
when ole of them heard her voice.
He then called her by her name and
told her to come out Of the bushes.
She replied that the bear would not
let her.
The men crept through the brush,
and when near the spot where she and
the bear were, they heard a splash in
the water which the child said was
the bear. On going toher they fou nd
her standing upon a log extending
about half way across a sluice. The
bear had undertaken to cross the
sluice on the log, and being
pursued left the child and
got away as rapidly1 as possible.
She had received some scratches
about the face, arms, and legs, 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 carry
her, he had taken the flesh also.
The little one says the bear would
put her down occasionally to rest, and
put bis nose up to her face when she
would slap him, and the bear would
hang his 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
laid down beside her and put his
arms around her and kept her warm,
though she did not like his long hair.
She was taken home to her patents.