The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1891-08-19
FIGHTING GRIZZLIES.
EXPERIENCES OF A MINER IN THE
JAWS OF AN ANGRY BEAR.

JAWS OF AN ANGRY BEAR.
'he Shaggy Monster Lacerated the Hunter
Most FrightfuIIy and Then watched over
the Body Until Satisfied That Life Was
Extinct.
The name Of a well known citizen Of
Humboldt county on the Russ House
register few days ago recalled to his
friends the story Of a desperate fight
with grizzlies III the early DAYS.
II was in the fail of 1851. and three
starving men crawlcd through thick
growth Of HUMBOLDT county timber and
found themselves facing eight monster
grizzly bears. Goaded to desperation by
hunger the men determined to attack the
teroclons animals The heart of Thomas
Seabriug failed as the Httle party drew
near the bears and he sought shelter by
climbing tree
The other men, S K Wood and Isaac
Wilson threw prudence to the winds
and advanced to within fifty wards Of
the bears. Wood fired his rifle and fine
nearest bear fell, biting and tearing rae
ground as though in the agouies Of death
While Wood was reloading his rifle
wilson brought down bear.
Five Of the grizzlies rctreated No y
ravine, but one SHAGGY monster remained
with her fallen companions. She sat
erect ON her launches and turned hen
eyes on the men as if daring them to
battle
Wilson, awel by her aspect. ran for
lree, while Wood tried to reload his gun.
but found himself unable to ram the BAH
down on the powder While in this pre-
clcament the grizzly that had not fed
rushed at him. Wood succeeded in yet
ting into small buckeye tree, and used
ms gun to beat the bear off as she at
tackled the tree with the intention of
shaking him out.
IN THE JAWS OF A GRIZZLY.
While he was engaged in fightinc off
this bear, Wood, to his horror, saw the
animal he had wounded rise and rush to-
ward him. No blows that he could in
fiict on the wounded animal could check
her. At the first spring she made the
tree broke and the bears jumped for
Wood. He gained his feet and made
with all speed down the mountain. where
another small tree stood about thirty
yards away. He reached the tree with
the wounded bear at his heels. and seiz-
ing the trunk, he swung his body around
50 as to give the bear room to pass him,
which she did, plunging headlong down
the mountain about twenty yards.
Before Wood could, with his failing
strength, swing himself into the tree the
second bear bounded up and seized his
right ankle. By this time the wounded
bear returned, and as Wood fell she
snapped at his face. He lodged, and she
caught his left shoulder
Then commenced terrific struggle
The maddened animals tagged in oppo
site directions at Woods ankle and shoql-
der, and he was in imminent danger of
being torn to pieces He fought as best
he could, but each exertion he put forth
only intensified the rage Of the bears.
When he was almost faintiug with
pain the bear that had not been wounded
dropped his ankle and trotted slowly
after his companions up the raviue. Then
the wounded bear let 90 her hold on his
shoulder. Wood sank back on the
ground, and lay perfectly quiet as though
dead, hardly daring to breathe The
grizzly stood majestically over him,
watching for the slightest movement.
and snarling with rage The pain that
racked the mans frame was frightful.
and he risked his life in an effort to as
sumo an easier position
RESCUED IN BAD SHAPE.
At the first movement the grizzly,
roaring furiously, rushed at him. She
showed her nose close to his face and
shifted at him, but Wood was again mo
tionless, and the bear, raising her head,
gave vent to unearthly screams.
Wood, knowing that his life depended
on it, remained motionless, and the bear
trotted after her companions up the
ravine.
When heattempted to rise Wood found
chat his right hip was dislocated and his
left shoulder chewed to the bone, while
his clothing had been stripped from his
body and his flesh had been chewed in a
hundred places. Inch by inch he pain.
fully dragged himself from the spot. I'M
til Seabring and Wilson, accompanied
by David A. Buck, the latter of whom
had been left to guard the camp, found
him and carried him to their quarters.
At this spot the party remained twelve
days, subsisting on the meat Of the bear
that had been killed. They Were lost in
the mountains. but finally Wood. despite
his agony, insisted upon being tied to
horse and accompanying his friends in
search for path to civilization. During
the ten days that followed, every step of
the horse that Wood rode caused nm
speakable torture TO the rider, but Wood
bore it like a martyr, and an occasional
groan was all the complaint that escaped
his lips
Finally they found road out of the
mountains and reached the farm of Mrs
Mark West, thirty miles from Sonoma
where Wood was cared for, and in SIX
weeks was able to join his friends in San
Francisco
The injuries inflicted 10y the grizzlies
made Wood a cripple for life and event
ually were the cause of his death. and
it was his son who told of this fight with
the grizzlies. San Francisco Examiner
Welcome Visitors.
First Little Girl-Aunt Maud and Aunt
Clara visited us yesterday and they
brought me a doll.
Second Little Girl-Aunts are nobody !
Pooh, Anybody can have aunts visit |
EN-. We have angels, real angels, visit |
our house. Some were there last night