The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-31
1T WAS A BATTLE ROYAL.
A Mountain Lion and Cinnamon Beal
in q Fight to the Death.

a mountain Lion ana cinnamon Bear
in Fight to the Death.
From the Ontario Observer.
Last week In the light of the moon two
brothers, old prospectors and hunters who
have been in the hills for years and have
seen many strange and startling sights, re-
port having seen one of the most thrilling
and desperate fights they have ever wit
messed.
They were camping IN a canyon that comes
into the main San Antonio canyon from the
west, about one I'd one half miles below
the miners camp. They had been out
daring the day prospecting on the south
slope of Badly. and had started for camp
rear shutdown, when they killed deer,
which delayed them till dark. They hung
the deer in tree rather than pack 1t to
camp over the rocks in the dark, the place
where they left the deer being only short
distance from camp, In the west fork of the
canyon.
Their roaring and screaming awoke a
thousand echoes in the canyon, which made
the fight seem more dreadful still. 1t was
fight to the death. Struggling and ROLL
ing, biting and clawing, scratching and
screaming, did the monsters fight, only
breaking away from one another long
enough, seemingly, to regain their breath
and strength, when at it they would go
again with roar aud scream. Thus they
fought for over an hour, when, torn, blesd-
log and completely exhausted, evidently
dying, they rolled apart, only to lie and
snarI at each other. unable from their ter
rible exertions to do more. But there were
near worse enemies to them than they were
to each other.
They had hardly rolled themselves in their
blankets when they heard al unearthly
roar and scream, quickly followed by other
roars and screa ms, as though whole me
nagerie of wild beasts had been turned
loose. IL took them but fe" moments to
determine the cause of the disturbance. So,
dressing quickly and, taking their rifles,
they started TO see thefun. BY crossing the
canyon in which they were camped they got
to a point from which they could command
a view of quite Diece OF the western canyon.
When they gained the top OF the point
they saw Just below them, not 100 yards
away, what had caused the noise. They
could see the tree where they had hung
their deer, and just beneath the tree they
could ses the deer and two other animals, a
monster California lion and an immense
cinnamon bear. They had smelled out the
deer and had come for feast, each little ex-
pecting the other; but there they were,
fighting over the carcass to see which was
to be master Of the situation.
Quietly the two brothers, knowing there
was nothing to fear from the two exhausted
champions, leveled their rihes, and after
five shots had been fired the two mighty
brutes had ceased their struggles, having
gained what each had tried to do for the
other, for the two fighters OF Old Badly lay
dead. There lay q California lion tnat
measured eight feet four inches from Zip of
nose to tip Of tail, king OF his race. The
bear, a cinnamon, was monster OF his
snecies AS near as they could estimate he
wouli have weighed 900 pounds. Each was
q mass of cuts and wounds. The lion had
one fore leg crushed and mangled, as
though from bite. and the bear was cut
from muzzle to tail by the knife-like claws
OF his more active opponent.