Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-08-25
Colnnel sheridan and His Bear.

While Colonel Sheridan was out for a
 hunt the other day, he had tussel with
 A bear which will probably last the bal
 ance of the season. His story IS as fol- lows: "I was just stooplng over to pick
 bunch of flowers, when I heard an an-
 gry growl somewhere behind me. Look
 ing around l saw big black bear com
 ing down the sIde of the mountain ont
 of clump of trees. It wasn't half an
 hour since I had come through those
 trees and there wasn't the sign of an
 animal. But bruin was there this time
 and rolling along toward me at pretty
 good gait. I started after my rifle and
 seized 1t, but the brute wasn'tmore than
 twenty feet away. I only had tune 70
 pull the trigger, without the ghost of a
 chance to take Hirl. 1 suppose in ny
 excitement l may have shot otf toward
 the sky as likely as at the bear. But 1t
 wasn't a second aiterward till the gun
 was knocked out of my hand vii blow
 which felt like a trip-hammar. The
 brute had raised itself on its haunches and was trying to hug me. Jumped back like flash, and as I did so l felt the animals claws ripping down my left shoulder and arm. The blood spurted out, but didn't feel any pain at that instant. Mechanically felt my right hand on the Colt in my belt, which l had never thought of before. The bear was then about eight feet away and WAS rearing up for another lunge. l guess it wasn't a second till the revolver was out of my belt and l fired. My eyes may have been shut fer all I know, Je- cause l can only recOllect seeing in dim sort Of a way a huge black outline in front of me. But the revolver went off and saw the thing drop. Then I sank down on the ground, and I gueSs 1t was several minutes before l moved. After a while l felt the blood trickiing down my side, and that reused me. I tore off some of my underclOthes and tied up my arm as well as I could. Then I got up and walked over to little mountain stream couple O: hundred feet away, and was washing the wound when Shoshone Dick and the guides came down. l guess they can tell the rest" Colonel Sheridan mOdestly re- piled.
 Col. Sheridan at once became the hero of the party. ShoshOne Dick re- lated how he and the guides were hunt Ing some distance further up the mountain and heard the shots. They did not think anything of them, as they knew the Colonel was hunting, but moved leisurely on to join him. When they emerged from the trees they saw the carcass of the bear, but no one was in sight, and they could not understand this. Soon. however, they espied the Colonel and at once asslsted in dressing his wound. The flesh was laid open for several inches, but he had already sue ceeded in stanching the flow of blood. The bear was then examined and it was found that the cartridge had entered just below the right eye, a most forum ate circumstance for Col. Sheridan, ds the revolver shot could hardly have proved fatal in any other spot of the ! Drute's body. The carcass was brought l into camp by the guides, and tonight l Tor the first time the members of the l party tasted bear meat. Most of them | pronounce it a little too strongly favored | Or their palates, but the Indian guides | mi the soldiers partoOk of it with relish. | While Col. SherIdan's wOnnd is not at l III dangerous, it Is nevertheless an ugly . ,ue and is quite painful. thouEh Surgeon . Forwood's care has done much to quiet | he inflammation. "I tell you." Col. said this evening, i've had enough bear hunting for this trip.