, 1888-12-27
------as.-
sUIsLAW's BRAVE GlRI..
Her Many Adventures While Carrying
.. the United States Mail.

Nhhuy huVeutuTes WI hI0 varying
... the United States Mail.
"The pluckiest girl in Oregon" said e1-
Senator John Thompson of the UmpIur
valley to an Examiner reporter at the Pal
ace recently, "is Miss Minnie Westman of
Eugene. She carries tbs United States
mail from the head of the Suislaw river
up the Coast range to Hale, distance of
twenty miles. There she meets her father,
wko carries mail by stage further on.
This twenty miles which, every day
Miss Minnie goes over, Is the widest re-
gion Of Oregon. II is right in the heart
Of the rugged Cascade range and Is inhsb.
tied by bears, cougars, panthers and
mountain lions. These do not intimidate
the brave girl, however. She carries the
mail ON horseback, and always has with
her her trusty revolver. Minnie is q viva
cious, black-eyed little brunette of 20
years.
''Once, while climbing the nights toward
Hale from the Suislaw, . great big bear
stood up in the road in front OF her and
snuffed the air. Minnie happened to be
looking the other way and did not see him
but her horse did, and, wheeling suddenly
in fear, he threw her Off
ARISING, she saw the big bear. He
was not forty feet of. She turned. recap
tured her horse and mounted him, and
WIN hluOu 0iluSutty pACooCN kVhbI luC
bear, who stood and blinked and looked
ugly at her. She rode fast, got through
and made the upcouinR stage all right.
Another time she was riding fearlessly
along the Suislaw river. with her mail.
sack Tapping against her herse's side,
when she saw huge catamount stealing
along the great Ii MD OF an overhanginu,
tree, She had almost got up to the lim'.
when she saw the catamount. She backed
away from the tree, and drawing her re
volyer courageously discharged 1t at the
catamount would bulge, but that time she
planted ball in him, and he fell fro m the
tree. but got away in the brush at the
roadside. ....
"Next time Minnie had job on her
hands IN the shape of two tramps. They
were tired. they said, and they would like
her horse to ride. glimpse at the brave
girls shining little gun convinced them
that they didn't want any horse, and they
made tracks out OF there. ...
The worst experience she ever had,
however. was one day in July last. She
espied pretty little black cub just at the
elbow of the Suislaw, where the steepest
part of the upgrade commenced. The
little fellow was SO cunning that she could
not refrain from getting Off after him, the
more especially as he was alone and she
was afraid he would die.
''She had no sooner dismounted and ap
preached the cub. than IA wild snort wa:
heard, and looking up she saw the Ole
bear scrambling up for her as fast as she
could come. If you know what an old
bear is that has cubs, you know
what this girl knew at once, that they arr
not pleasant customers to meet. She raj
away "a fast as she could, being dragged
by the horse, who needed no encourage
ment, and who came near wrestling tn
hitching strap from her. Luckily, sh
was not followed. f af4 go
miss Westman has had number o
other adventures, but has always man
aged to get out OF them in good shape
She makes this lonely twenty miles ever
day, and has got to like the excitemen
of it. tas -n -
81 believe she is the only gin carrying
the matt in the United States, and | an
certain there is nobody in the bnsines
who has wilder route. But the wit
animals do not alarm her at all, and rail-
or shine, snow or storm, she makes he
lonely way up the mountains along tn
Suislaw. San Francisco Examiner.