Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-09-07

wind he got two more r~ib-roasters which
knocked him flatter han a dry town in
Missouri. The last round hurt the
bear terribly and he howled with pain
and rage.
1t now PECAN to look as though tho
goats were going to have a walk-over,
but bruin, finding it hard lines to fight
three such pugilistic cusses in the open,
changed his tactics. He backed away
the length of his chain, which brought
him close to the fence and prevented
the hairy torpedoes from taking him in
the rear. When he got near the end of
his chair the bear laid down on his
back and brought his -four feet close to-
gether, making a huge, black, woolly
bunch, which the goats all charged at
once. The three goats arrived at their
destination about the same time, but
they were met in a different manner
this time. The claws of the bear flew
outward, striking two of his enemies,
ripping n of them wide open, while
the other received a terrible clawing
about the neck. The disembowled billy
struggled to his feet and made one last
effort for revenge He sprang at the
bear and struck him squarely in the
face. hut it was his last effort. Another
rip from the black paws and he was a
defunct billy. BY this time the bear
had been so thoroughly drubbed and
banged that he was in a sorry condition,
but his enemies were no better off. The
living goats were both badly cut up, but
their tempers were still peppery, and
they determined to fight it out, if it
took all summer. They now changed
their tactics, one taking one side Of the
bear and the other the opposite.
For a few minutes it was hard to tell
which was the bear and which was the
goats, as the Kaleidoscope twirl Of
horns, hair and wool were intermingled
in N miscellaneous bunch. When
business adjourned for a recess only one
goat toed the scratch-the other one
was lying across the body of the bear
dead as the reputation of a politician,
while the bear himself seemed to have
lost all interest in the affair and only
wanted to be let alone with nature.
Both animals were nearly gone, but a
few minutes rest brought them around
sufficiently to finish the game, and as
both were determined to conquer it was
soon brought TO a conclusion. With a
last effort the bear struggled to his feet
and half rose upon his launches, after
Twin aoAuC OhCucdu SodU, anu WdlUtu.
Hedidn'thave to waitlong; the last of the
billies was ready. The goat paved the
ground, gave a faint whistle of rage and
sprang at his fainting enemy, striking
him in the pit of the stomach and knock
ing him over on his back, where he lay
without a movement. 1t was now APP
parent that the bear was lone for, and
the partisans of the goat side Of the
fight gave a cheer of victory, and two of
them climbed the fence to sponge down
their champion, but when they pulled
them apart they found that both were
dead, the bear having had the life
knocked out of him in the last charge,
while the goats neck was broken by the
bears paw just as they came together.
The result of the fight was three dead
goats and one dead bear. All bets we're
declared off, but as everybody had en-
joyed the novel affair hugely, no dis.
satisfaction was expressed.