Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-12-13
A MOUNTAIN SAMSON.
DAN HOLIDAYS BARB-HANDED FIGHT
WITH 4 BEAR.
SORES CT a NO.sd Hunter Of the Past Generation
General News From the Interior Of
the Sate

Os "
ing: About sixty years or more since there
Hvedi in Nicholas county one Of the strongest
men the county ever produced. Daniel
Holiday was a nan about forty years OF
age when l first knew him, in 1873. de
was at that period one Of the most noted
hunters in the country: tall, about SIX feet
in his moccasins; weight about two hum
dred and sixty pounds, rawboned n u
cular-aperfect type of physical manhood
One peculiar feature of Holiday was the
fact that the man had no ribs. Where his
ribs ought to have been there was solid
hone. His arms, chest and limbs were a
mass of muscle. i have known Holiday
to tie his right hand behind his back, and
with the free arm to throw W OF the
best athletes in the neighborhood. HIS
feats of strength were astonishing and OF
daily occurrence, but perhaps the one,
which, from its oddity, attracted the great
est attention, was his bare-handed fight
with a bear.
'Holliday had often ~laughingy said he
believed he could whip q bear with his
bare hands in q square pitched battle.
One day, while hunting in the MOUNTAINS,
he shot at and wounded a large buck, which
ran into the laurel brush. Holiday saw
that it was desperately wounded, and fol-
lowed it by the drops and clots OF blood on
the leaves. He had forgotten to load his
rifle, and was walking along the mountain
side trailing the buck, when he came to a
large tree which had been uprooted by q
storm, leaving a large cavity under the
%overhanging roots. In this hollow, which
was pretty well filled with leaves, n large
bear lay curled up asleep. The footsteps
of Holiday awoke his bearshlp, and he
arose on his launches and growled. When
Holiday came in sight the bear arose and
walked toward him growing. Just
before he reached Holiday he got
up on his hind feet and came at
him, his little, piggish eyes swapping
with mischief. Holiday threw his
rifle, which was unloaded, to the ground,
and prepared himself for n fair, square
fight with natures weapons. 1t must have
been au interesting sight to a spectator at
a safe distance man trying to whip a
big bear with his bare hands. The bear
walked up within reaching distance, when
Holiday struck him OH the nose, knock
ing his head to one side and making him
snort with rage. He followed up his adj
vantage and landed several blows on the
beasts sides and neck, paying very little
attention to the rules which govern the
ring. The bear, though like all of his
species, an adept at sparring, was not
quick enough to guard himself from the
blows of his human antagonist or to in
hict any injury with his terrible claws. In
about two or three minutes Holiday had
struck and kicked the bear until he had
knocked the breath of him. And
he seemed anxious to quit, when Holli-
day landed a terrible blow on his stomach.
This mode of warfare disguised the
bear, and he drew Off and lay down. BY
this time Holiday thought it time TO end
the affair, and reached for his gun. Before
he could load it the bear, who must have
gotten his second wind, got up and came
at him again in deadly earnest. This
time the fight was worse than before. The
bear made several attempts to strike and
claw Holiday, but the latter was too
| quick for him and gave him a fearful blow
on he ear, making him whine. Holiday
followed this up by kicking him and bang
ing him in the nose and any where he
could. The blows on the nose seemed to
have a decided effect, for it was not long
before the bear dropped on all fours and
retreated 10 the hollow, where he laid
down, whining like a whipped child.
Holiday then gu ickly loaded his gun and
shot him dead
A number of gentlemen representing
the ~incorpOratOrs Of the lanston Type
Machine Company, a company chartered
under the laws of this State, met in
Charleston on Monday and completed
their organization by the election of elev-
en- Directors, all of whom reside in Wash
ingtOn City. The Board of Directors then
met, and elected the following officers Of
the company: President, J. NJ. Wine; Vice
President, j. l.. Johnson; Secretary, Toll
bert LansOn; Treasurer, w. II. HOOke.
The capital stock of the company is fixed
at one million dollars, and the principal
office is in Washington, ID. C., with a
branch office in CharIestOwu.. This COM
pany owns the patents and machinery for
a new system OF printing, by which the
the office OF the type-setter is to be super
seeded by an automatic machine, which is to
make the type in the order in which they
are to be used, and set them up in galleys
justified and ready for the press. The
type are only to be used once, and then
Knocked into ''pi" and thrown into the
crucible to be melted and formed into
other type for the next process. The in
vention is entirely new in all its details,
and is q fundamental departure from the
methods in vogue since the first invention
O. movable type. the inventor, Mr.. Tai
best LanstOn, is an attorney of Washing
ton
As accident occurred on the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad, near Frederick Junction,
last Sunday morning, in which Captain
William Bast, of Martinsburg, an old and
trusted employee of the company, was in
iured. His train was standing on the main
track, when another freight came along at
q rapid rate, crushing into the caboose Of
Captain Basis train, wrecking il and pin
ming him against the rear wall Of the ca
bOoSe between that and a hot stove. His
body aud limbs we're severely burned and
crushed. The engineer of the approaching
train tailed to see Basis train or signal.
At the time the snow was almost binding.
Captain Bast was taken to Frederick, where
he has since remained. His recovery is
doubtful.
A little child 2years old of c. C.. Chap
man, of Point Mountain, Tucker county,
was burned to death last week. While its
mother and father were a short distance
from home, its mother heard it crying but
thought it nothing serious until its cries
became weaker when she went home only
to find her little darling burned so horri-
BILE it could Just appeal to MAJ to take
him. Helived but q few moments, after
his mother came to his rescue.
The Governor has released ]. p. Higgins
from q fine imposed upon him by the Ca
bell county Circuit Court for $40 and costs,
for alleged selling of spurious liquors with
out license. The reason for which the re-
lease is granted is because after the trial
grave doubts existed as to the correctness
of the evidence of the prosecuting witness