Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-12
SMILEY'S TOUGH FIGHT.

MIA A| AA O " V VI Ah AN$AA
 HE LAYS OUT TWO IMMENSE BEARS
 WITH A HICKORY CLUB.
 An Act of Carelessness Which Came Near
 Costing Man His Life-A Fight for the
 Carcass of n Deer-An Interesting Rem- iniscence Told by the old Hunter.
 On the top of Smoky mountain, at least five miles from any settlement or farm, in the midst of tic widest part of this rough, mountainous section, there is an old hunter named Job Smiley.
 Among the many narrow escapes he has had, one of the most interesting per haps is the account, as he himself told it, of his fight with two full grown black bears, in which, with nothing but big hickory stick, he comes off finally victori- ous, although terribly clawed and bitten. | This is the story as he told it himself: Twas out hunting as usual one day on one of the cross ridges of the Big Smoky when I got on the trail of a big buck, which I followed for two hours before l got close enough to shoot. When 1 did | 6Ct tAS Sl1duSO lIIS buSA '" dS aOOut seventy yards below me on a narrow shelf, which overhung a rocky precipice of fifteen or twenty feet. I drew bead on the buck and dropped him dead in his tracks. Then did very foolish thing -one never did before and never will again, and that was this: laid my gun down against a log, not even taking time to load it, and climbed down to the spot where the buck lay.
 THEY ALL GOT THERE.
 Igot there safely, and so did a couple of laundering big bears about the same time. They had den in the side of the mountain close by, and my shot alarmed them or they had been laying for the deer themselves. Well, they were there and so was I, and, unfortunately, 1 was without a weapon. l saw there was going to be trouble, and that I couldn't get back to my gun, so I looked about me quietly to see if could find anything with which to defend myself.
 Down close by my feet I saw big hickory limb, which had been broken off in some of the fearful wind storms so common on the mountain. The stick
 was about five feet long and nearly three
 inches thick. Now, you can just imagine that I got hold of that stick mighty quick It was fresh and sound, and an excellent weapon against one bear; but two-I had very serious doubts about the
 outcome in that case. This all occurred
 in good deal less time than it takes to tell it-in fact, in less time than that
 both brutes were coming at me with
 open mouths. waited until the first one rose to his feet, which they do when
 they are ill for a fight, when 1 gave him
 a rap on the side of the head that knocked him down. Then drew back my club just in time to strike at the other one. Somehow that bear knocked that blow off, and he did it so quickly that the , force I had given it came near making
 me lose my balance. As it was, the in-
 fernal brute gave me a swipe with his fore paw which tore my hunting shirt at
 the shoulder into shoe strings and ripped my hide and flesh clear across from the
 shoulder half way down my arm.
 l Before the bear could close in on me, however, 1 sprang back and drew up my , club ready for another blow. The first one had knocked over was now on his feet, and both of them having smelled the blood were in savage earnest, and il was now a fight to the death. They both came at me on their hind feet
 about six feet apart and about the same
 distance from me: As they got close enough to reach swung the big clut down on a level, and just as quick as possibly could I gave one of them 8 8 laundering poke square between the ! eyes. This was the fellow on my left Then swung the club to the right, anc
 got in pretty good one on the other ones neck. The bear I had struck be tween the eyes was badly hurt, as he laid right down and whined. l hap pened to turn my eyes in his direction
 and this gave the other one an oppor
 tunity, and the first I knew I wa
 knocked backward and came near fall ing, with the bear close upon me.
 z IN A TIGHT CORNER.
 There was no getting away this time a He had his fore paws around my left arn s and waist almost before knew it. For l. tunately my right hand was free, and shortened the club and battered hin
 over the head while he clawed and bit m
 on the shoulder and across the back. w
 had it forward and back, the bear tryin, . his best to get hold on my neck or face d while kept beating him over the hea' '- and body with the club. At last dow, @ we went on the ground; but just as + was going over fortunately struck tn O bear on one of his eyes and knocked i out. The pain made him loosen his hold
 and he never got another, for I got ol
 my feet as quickly as I could, an' :, brought that big club down squar :, across his throat and killed him. wa a pretty badly hurt and rather short o - wind, but I knew had better finish tn l. other one mighty quick, for if he got II : and fairly at me again would be wipe . out, so I jumped for him, and got clos
 to him just as he was getting on his feet
 Lord! how did batter that fellow!
 knocked him over and pounded him ur