Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-09
A DESPERATE BEAR FIGHT.
A RUNNING STRUGGLE OYER A
NILE OF GROUND.
Who Was Anxious go Secure
Two Lovely Little Cubs.
Lock HAVEN. Pa. Nav IL. 1888.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa, May II, 1888.
what do you think of bear Sight over
a mile long% was the somewhat surprising
inquiry made by George Barnes, Clear
field county lumberman, who was in this
place few days ago. g had one like
that two weeks ago." said he, "and l am
not particularly anxious to have another.
As near as / can remember it was some
thing like this;
e was out in the woods, couple Of
miles from the little town of Gozzam, look
ing around for railroad-tie and telegraph
pole timbers. l don't live in Gozzam, but,
after getting through my prospecting l
thought l would walk to that place and
see how things were getting along there
l was only an eighth of mile or Sc from
the road that leads into Gozzam, but be-
fore | reached the road | stumbled on two
little bear cubs lying as snug as could be
on the sunny side of fallen hemlock tree.
am no bear hunter. and | don't know
anything about bears If | had known
something of the ways of that animal |
dare say / would have been satisfied with
a few seconds admiring gaze at the Sleep
ing cubs and passed on without disturbing
their slumbers. As. it was, however, the
sight of these cute little bears aroused in
me desire to take them home with me
and give them to my two boys for play
things. The cubs weren't bigger than
Newfoundland puppies, and looked good
deal like them with their black shaggy
coats. Within half a minute after dis
covered the cubs had one under each
arm and was on my way again toward the
road. The baby bears, on being so uncere-
moniously awakened and so differently
handled than they were in the habit of be-
ing, made not a little opposition, and
kicked and scratched vigorously and ut
! tered peculiar cries. BY the time reached
the road, though, they had apparently be-
come reconciled to the situation, and snug
gled down as well as they could and went
right on with their nap. L couldn't help
| congratulating myself on my fortunate
capture, and laid out big plans for the fu-
| ture of the cubs.
81 know now that whenever you find
! family of bear cubs cozily slowed away in
some such place as found mine you may
set your mind at rest as far as any fear you
may have that the little ones have been
deserted by their mother. Their father
may not be within dozen miles, but it is
always safe to bet that the mother is
within call. l hadn't walked twenty rods
on that road toward Gozzam when | heard
| a big noise in the brush behind me, and
| looked back just in time to see a big bear
tumble out of the woods into the road and
advance toward me. looking almost as pom
derous and moving pretty nearly as fast as
a locomotive. The little bears in my arms
either heard or felt the contiguity of that
big bear, for they instantly woke up and
resumed their kicking, scratching and
whining. Although inexperienced as |
was in the habits and customs of the bear
family, it did not need formal introduce
ton for one to understand at once that
there were ties of consanguinity between
that big bear and the little ones that were
destined to make the situation a very
warm one for me, but | hated to give up
those cubs. / hung on to them and started
on as fast run as | could get out of my
legs. | am not a slow runner, but | could
feel that bear gaining on me at every
jump, and at last, glancing back over my
shoulder, | saw her not more than ten feet
behind me. 1t was only question of an
other Jump or two when she would be up
! with me.
II didn't know exactly what would hap
pen then, so | stopped, turned as quickly
as | could and faced the bear. She was
right on to me, and acting on my first i'm
pulse kicked at her with my right foot.
| had on a pair Of very heavy cowhide
! boots, and the toe of my right boot caught
the bear under the lower jaw. The blow
must have been tremendous one, for it lifted |
the bear clear off of her front feet and sent
her sprawliug to the side of the road |
turned and ran again, still clinging to the |
cubs which | determined to keep at all |
hazards. The old bear seemed considera- !
bly, dazed by my kick. l had put fifty
yards or more between US before she got
her head and took up the chase again. 1t
didn't take her long to almost annihilate |
that distance, and | became unpleasantly
aware that there was no use of my trying
to escape from her by running. / turned |
again, intending to repeat my effective as
sault with my boot. As the bear rushed at
me | kicked again. But the cunning old
brute was not to be caught that way again
She veered to my side as quick as a fash
My kick was delivered with all the force |
could summon, and finding no resistance
my foot went on up and threw me out OF
equilibrium, and down | went flat on my
back in the road so hard that il knocked
the breath out of me. In the fall / re-
leased the cubs of course, but the old bear
was on top of me before | could move.
| Fortunately for me her greatest anxiety
was for her cubs. One of them had been
| thrown to one side of the road and the
other to the opposite side. She ran to one
of them, nosed it around in front of her,
and then shambled to where the other one
was clumsiiy struggling to its feet She
got the little ones both together, and, APP
parently satisfied with regaining them,
edged them ahead of her back in the di-
rection we had come, simply casting an
ugly look at me, growing and showing an
ugly set Of teeth.
81 don't know what could have urged
me on, but was determined not to be de-
feated in that way, and scrambling to my
feet grabbed q big stone that lay at the
side of the road, and gave chase to the re-
treating bear. She heard me coming at
once, and although she was about entering
the woods with her cubs, where she would
have all the advantage, she turned her
face toward me, keeping her cubs behind
| her, and rising on her launches, waited
| for me to attack. | hadn't as much as a
jack-knife, as had discovered long before
| got mixed up in this affair with the bear
family, and that old bear defending her
young was about as ugly and savage
looking beast as l had ever dreamed Of
But my Dutch was up, and | was deter
mined to have the fight out. / got to within
ten feet of this furious animal when she
dropped on all tours and rushed to meet
me. The stone l had must have weighed
| fifteen pounds. | hurled it at the bear,
and it struck her square on the right eve,
and she went down as if she had been shot.
The cubs, evidently at a loss to know what
all this disturbance meant, followed close
to their mother, whining SO piteously that
my conscience smote me. My determine
ton to break up the family left me.
"'If the old bear isn't dead SAID l to
myself, I'll leave the cubs and get out of
here
81 soon found out whether the old bear
was dead or not, for had scarcely arrived
at my merciful resolve when she sprang to
her feet and threw herself against me, her
great forepaws striking me in the chest,
and her jaws open and so close to me that
| could feel her hot breath in my face. |
went down almost nc suddenly as sha had