Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-11-24
Braving Bruin In His Den.

One Of the most daring and perilous
adventures with a bear which has ever
transpired in the west, occurred twenty
miles west of this place. in what is
known as Hel's Canvon, near Bull
Springs, on Sunday, the llth inst. the
| reported details of which were so ex-
tremely conflicting last week as to make
the effort to give truthful statement of
with presented as taken from an eye
witness, and a participant in the excit-
ing scene. 1t is proper to state that
| reliable reports refute the early rumor
Of the bear killing the man, as it has
since been conclusively shown that, on
the contrary, the man killed the bear
The circumstances connected with the
miraculous escape of Hank Lovett from
the impassioned embrace of a full grown
bear, which had been rendered furious
by being previously wounded are briefly
as follows:
The presence Of one or more bear in
cave near Bull Springs being known to
Hank Lovett, William Smith, William
Wright and William Barnhart, residing
in that locality, the quartette of bear
slayers armed to the teeth, proceeded to
the vicinity of the cave for the purpose
of investigating the situation with a
view to the utter annihilation Of the
entire menagerie therein contained.
Hank, prompted by an irresistible desire
to determine the nature Of the situation
inside the cave, with more courage than
discretion, advanced TO the mouth Of
the cave 10 reconOitre, when to his sur
prise, and as may be easily imagined, to
his utter discontinue, met the head Of
the family at the door, full grown
specimen of the bruin family, weighing
at least six hundred pounds. No saluta-
tions were exchanged other than the
report of Hanks rifle, which was quick
ly followed by q proffered embrace on
the part of his bearship, which Hank
somewhat reluctantly accepted.
The situation was now regarded by
the balance Of the party, as well as by
Hank himself, as being somewhat criti-
cal, as the deadly struggle which was
now going on between the bear and
Hank, had every appearance of result
ing favorable to the bear. Hank called
Justify upon the boys to shoot, but his
close proximity to the bear rendered
such a course dangerously uncertain as
to whether Hank or the bear would be
benefited by the shot In the mean
time the bear had succeeded in getting
Hank down, and was amusing himself
by planting his huge teeth in Hanks
right arm, ankle and thigh, when, by an
almost super-human effort, Hank raised
the bear up TO a sufficient height above
him TO enable one Of the boys Smith
to shoot with comparative safety, which
he did, the ball taking effect in the
region of the heart, from the effects Of
which the bear died in few minutes.
Three other bears, who doubtless,
hearing the noise on the outside, were
curious to know what was going on,
then appeared upon the scene, which
were killed in turn as they came out
from their hidden retreat
Hanks injuries are not serious, but at
this writing he has not entirely recov-
cred, fact indicated by well defined
limp, which renders his step less elastic
than it was previous to his encounter
with the unfeathered bird called the
bear.
This is probably the most successful
raid that has been made upon the bear
family in the history Of the Hills, and
yet it is said there are still few bears
left in that locality, which, so far as we
are concerned, have permission to re-
man undisturbed, as we are not aware
of having lost any, and shall therefore
make no claim to any. Two of the
monsters were brought in on Saturday,
and submitted to the gaze Of our citizens,
some of whom had seen and killed
larger bears, under more exciting cir
cumstances, but no papers were pro-
duCed confirming the validity of their
8 atements. 1t is bearly possible they
may be true.
B. & M. SURVEY.