St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-06
GABE and The GRIZZLY
Bruin Blinded With a Bullet and a
Knife Thrust.
A HUNTERS BEAR FIGHT
Both Tumble Over Precipice and Re.
new the Struggle Below--Ten Shots
Fired.
Blackfoot. Idaho, Letter

Your correspondent has just received
information of one of the most fierce
and desperate encounters between a
hunter and a grizzly bear that has ever
happened in the West.
A few days ago Gabe Tucker went up
in the Wahsatch range of mountains to
kill some game. After bringing down a
large elk he dressed it, cut off some of
the choicest pieces and covered the re-
mainder so that it would not be dis
turbed by wild animals, intending to re-
turn and secure the balance.
He then Shouldered the steak, and
was walking along the side of the
mountain on his way homeWard, and
was only a few rods distant from where
out rushed huge grizzly from thicket
near by, and made toward Gabe in
twinkling. 1t was not the first time
Gabe had faced grizzly, for he had
killed many bear and knew no such
term as coward in their presence. So
he threw down his load quickly but
coolly, and hauled up his Winchester
and fired. Gabe had intended to break
the bears neck, but the closenesS of the
animal and the necessary haste in shoot
ing, caused the bullet to go wide of its
dilil, Dub III IOIG OUT Ile
BEARS RIGHT EYE,
and deprived the brute of half its power
of vision. The shot scarcely checked
the mad beast, for it rose on its feet, and
before Gabe could fire a second time the
bear struck his gun from his hands, and
it was sent spinning rods away, while
the force OF the blow made Gabe whirl
around for a moment as if he was top
in do Af lNAx To foII
some distance from the bear, yet he was
on his feet in twinkling, and braced
himself for grapple. Uttering horrid
growl, that fairly froze the blood of his
antagonist, the bear followed up his
stroke, and, with outStretched arms,
both hunter and bear clinched in a hand
to paw contest and fell to the ground roll
ing and tumbling over and over down
the steep, craggy sides of the noun
tain, the bear believing and roaring
with pain and rage, while the hunter,
who had drawn his sharp knife from its
sheath in his hunting belt, was viciouSly
plunging it to the hilt at every stroke
into the sides of the animal. Blood
quickly followed, besmearing both COM
batantS. The embrace of the bear,
though at disadvantage, were terrific,
thd Gabe nearly lost his breath during
ane frightful hugs, but it only made him
the more desperate, as he began to
think his time had come and he must
get in his work quickly. BY lucky
stab and slash of the knife on the bears
head Gabe cut the left eyeball of the
animal in two and completely
DESTROYED THE BRUTE'S VISION
AS the eyeball streamed from its
socket the bear became doubly enraged,
and catching the left side of Gabe's
head in his mouth he instantly tore of
an ear and part of the hunters scalp.
In moment more both Gabe and the
bear, tight in each others embrace and
fighting desperately, had reached a
fifty-foCt precipice. Down they went
whIrling and tumbling among the
brush and rocks below. The bear being
the heaviest struck first, and Gabe was
thus saved from instant death. The
hard shock caused both to loosen their
holds and bound several feet apart from
each other.
The bear was evidently stunned by
the conclusion, and Gabe was on his
feet first and out of the formers reach.
The grizzly'S wrath in endeavoring to
find his enemy was terrible. He ran in
various directions, tore the ground and
wreaked his vengeance on the bushes
by tearing them into shreds. Keeping
out of reach of
THE INFURIATED MONSTER
Gabe endeavored to find the knife which
he had dropped from his grasp in the
fall. AT last he discovered the missing
weapon, and, grasping the handle
firmly, he approached the grizzly and
plunged the blade into the latter's body
with all the strength he could summon.
The bear whirled in a twinkling, and
Gabe made narrow escape, leaving the
knife still sticking in the animals body.
The bear now plunged about among the
rocks and brush in the maddest agony.
Remembering his Winchester and re-
yOlver, Gabe made long detOur to get
above the top of the precipice to secure
them. On nearing the place he tainted
and fell SenSeleSS with exhaustion.
How long he remained in that condi-
ton he does not know, but thinks it
must have been at least an hour. On
coming to he was so weak from loss of
blood that he could only crawl to his
gun and revolver on his hands and
knees. The bears stroke had broken
the gun so that it was useless.
RESTING AWHILE
and recovering his strength he returned
below the precipice and found the bear
sitting up and rubbing for his eyes in
vain effort to see. Gabe opened fire, and
at each shot the bear would charge in
the direction of the sound, but being
SightleSS and the ground uneven he
would fall and tumble around in the
most reckless manner. Ten shots fill
iShed him and Gabe went home and Sc
cured help, and when he was hauled to
the hunters cabin he was found to
weigh 1,200 pounds.
The loss of an ear and part of his
scalp, besides being lacerated i'll vari-:
Gus other places, did not affect Gabe'si
courage and when seen by your CORE
SpOndent he declared that he is still a.
match for any grizzly that ever walked.
x-D,,,n