Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-03-21
A TERRIBLE ORDEAL.
A Hunter in the Grasp of a
Huge Grizzly Bear.
He Lies Still While the Brute
Mangles His Body.

There were two Americans in the
Santa Clara Valley of California at an
early -brothcri-namcl Howard
! and Michael Overackcr. They owned
largo farms, had n wide acquaintance
and were very popular. They were
also the best rihc-shots and the most
cool and successful hunters in tho
county. I have seen NJ chael, at n
turkey match, kill his bird at 600 yards.
They used to kill wild goose, coyotes,
mountain quail, and hare on the run
with their Henry rinc,. Sill, though
they had shot hundreds of door, antelope
and elk, they never went grizzly hunt
ing. At last, in 1868, in the San
Benito' mountains, Howard Ovcrackor
had his bear adventure. and tho details
aro very characteristic of the habits of
tho grizzly.
The elder Oycrackcr WAS then in tho
prime of life. extremely strong, why,
lean and quick in his motions. His
brother and Il man named Ferguson
formed the rest of the party. They
left camp and separated, taking nearly
parallel ravines. Howard was slowly
working his way through the donsc,
thorny bushes, called by Californians
chapparal, whom he suddenly camo upon
largo and old grizzly at close quarters.
The animal was less than twcnty feet
distant, aud at once, with i a rear Of
rage, threw himself upon Ovcrackcr.
The hunter. with that marvellous
rapidity which such men acquire, put a
bullet into his foe, threw out tho shell
and hal pumped another cartridge into
the rifle when the giant OF the vii dor
ness struck him. The blow deliver cd
with the right paw struck him on the
face and neck, hurled the gun into the
bushes, and fcllcd him to the ground.
Tho grizzly instantly caught him in
three plac ,s-onc paw over tho ribs,
breaking two, and tearing them loose;
tho Other paw on the ankles, ripping
and crushing tho flesh; the tcath and
jaws closed on the thigh, mangling tho
flesh anil tearing it from the bone.
Ovcraclscr, though perfectly conscious,
lay without motion through this
terrific assault.
The bear suddenly got his hold on
the thigh, and caught Overackcr by
tho shoulder, breaking and crus hing
the bones together. From tho fine
when he rose against the man to the
time when he dropped him bundle of
broken bones and torn flesh, he grizzly
had seemingly put forth ono trcmcn-
dous effort. Overnckcr said after ward he
was no stronger in the bears grasp than
a cat would be in his own. The bear
left him moment, walked about in n
circle, returned suddenly and bit pieces
of flesh rs largo marble from various
parts of Ovcracier's body, and then
took his final departure
Ovcracker, few minutes later,
seized the branches overhead and strur-
glcd to his feet, but, to use his own
phrase, call turned black" and his
companions found him half an hour
later. For weeks he was not expected
to live, but his wifc's nursing and his
magnificent constitution pulled him
through. Two years later Ovcrackcr
returned to the same region and shot
two large grizzlies without any assist
ancc. One of them received cirht
Henry rifle bullets before he succum bed.
This little sacrifice 10 his vanity being
accomplished, he hunts no more bears.
and even discouragcs tho light minded
sheer at the California grizzly. I asked
the veteran whether he would have used
a bowie if he had had it while in the
grip of the forest king. Ovcrackcr
smiled grimly: SIT was very large
bear-as large rs an OK. If John Sui
Ivan had been in my place, and had
driven a bowie through the bear heart
he would have been killed in the death
struggle. AS for revolver, it would
have been suicide to have tried it. But
if the bear had been fifty feet off when
l saw him. instead of twenty feet, 1
could have kept. out of the way long
enough to kill him"-M y. Post
FOL,