Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-12-17
BRAVE MAINE WOMEN.
THEY DO NOT HESITATE TO At
TACK A BEAR WITHOUT GUNS.

Armed with q PItchfork and an Az, Tw'
Female Inhabitants of a Lumber Dis
trict sIay an Enormous Creature whicl
Had Killed Two Steers
81 read about Mrs. Lewis killing tn
two bucks in the Adirondacks, and abou
Mrs. Becky Latimer's deer hunting ex
plots in Pennsylvania, said New
Yorker who has been hunting up il
Maine, 'and now | would like TO real
about the way some women up in tn
pine forests have of showing their gri
and skill when it comes to dealing witt
certain wild animals.
"a family named Mcdonald lives wa,
back in the wilderness of the Molu
river. 1t consists of the husband, Rod
erick Mcdonald, his wife and his sister
both young women. They have snu,
little farm in there, and keep few cat
tie. Their most valuable possession il
that line was yoke of steers. One da.
Mcdonald was obliged to go to one o
the settlements several miles away, anC
his business was to keep him over night
His wife and sister were left alone Il
look after things during his absence
Just before dark great believing wa
heard among the cattle in the barnyard
The sounds were of such an unusua
character that the two women becam,
satisfied that they were cries of terror
Mrs. Mcdonald, armed with pitchfork
and her sister, carrying an Ak, hurried
to the barnyard.
''There they found an enormous bear
standing defantly between the prostratt
bodies of the two steers, each of which
he had felled to the ground and killed
The other cattle were huddled in terror
in corner of the yard. The beal
growled and snarled and showed hi:
teeth as the women approached, but il
spite of his terrible front and threaten.
ing attitude, the sight of the steers lying
dead on the ground was more than the
plucky young women could stand, and
they rushed with desperate intent on the
snarling bear.
THEY KILLED THE BEAR
''Mrs. Mcdonald charged with he1
pitchfork and thrust its sharp, long tines
deep into the bears neck. The bear
gave a howl of pain, and striking the
handle of the pitchfork powerful blow
with one forepaw he wrenched it from
Mrs. McDonald's hands and sent it fly
ing across the barnyard. While the bear
was doing that Miss Mcdonald pitched
into him with the ak, and at the first
blow disabled one of his terrible forelegs.
The bear turned on her and she rained
blows thick and fast upon him as she
backed slowly away. Mrs. Mcdonald
quickly regained possession of the pitch
fork and renewed her attack on the bear.
Between the attacks of the two de-
termined and plucky women the bear
was so badly harassed that he made an
effort to escape from the field, but the
women pressed him too closely. The
battle was not of long duration, for the
lusty blows of the axe in the girls hands
and the deep and painful stabs inflicted
by Mrs. Mcdonald with her pitchfork
soon had their effect Oh the bear, big
and tough as he was, and in ten minutes
after the fight began he was stretched
dead by the side of his victims, the two
steers. The two nervy women had their
clothing nearly stripped from them by
the claws of the bear, but beyond few
scratches they were not injured.
- They were not on the scene in time
to save the valued steers, but their pluck
in avenging the death of the cattle
aroused SO much enthusiasm and ad-
miration at the settlement that purse
was raised among the lumbermen and
hunters, with which another yoke of
steers was bought and presented to Mrs
Mcdonald and her brave little sister.
ANOTHER woMAN'S BEAR.
I'm that same Molus river wilderness,
but nearer the headwaters, lives during
the summer and sometimes as late as the
middle of November, if the weather is
not too severe, a family named Baker.
They are Boston people, but on account
of the health of one of the family, who
is benefited by the spruce and pine air of
the region, they spend most of the year
in their commodious cabin in the Molus
woods
Bakers wife is a pretty woman of
about thirty, and has learned to handle
the rifle like an old woodsman. She in
sisted on making one of party that had
formed to rout out and kill big bear
that had been located in swamp mile
or so from the cabin. She was stationed
by the guide at spot where in his judg-
ment the bear would not be likely to
come out when the dogs got after him,
as he had no faith in woman's ability
to stand and shoot at a bear as it
bounced into sight out of a thicket.
His judgment was right, for when
the dogs got on the track of the bear
Mrs. Baker heard them taking a course
that would fetch bruin out of the swamp
at place where she would be unable to
see it or get shot. But she wasn't there
to be fooled, and she started on a run
for the spot where the bear was evidently
headed for, and she got there before any
one else did. The bear, tremendous
big fellow, as black as ink, broke through
the thick brush on the edge of the swamp,
and was putting in his best licks across
the opening for cover on the other side.
But he never reached cover. Mrs. Baker
put one rife ball close behind his left
shoulder and another through his loins
When the guide, Mr.. Baker and another
member of the party came tearing to
the spot, Mrs. Baker was sitting on the
carcass of the bear as cool as cucum-
Der, and with mock disgust exclaimed:
You're nice lot of hunters, l de-
clare! If it hadn't been for me this
bear would have been mile away in
the woods before you stupid things knew
what had become of itr"-New York
Sun.
Family Jars.
"a pleasant smile and voice at the
morning meal, neat costume with
knot of becoming ribbon at the throat;