The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-07-23
seTwlxT BEAR AND SMOKE.
The Plight OF Man who Was freed In
the Michigan Woods,

i
Last Friday afternoon Peter Nelson, a
Swede, who was ON his way to Grand Ma
rias, met with an adventure when about
fifteen miles from that place which nearly
resulted fatally.
Last Friday morning he started for
Grand Marias on the stage road with a
horse and blackboard. He travelled along
slowly and was probably about fifteen
miles from his destination when he heard
noise in the bushes and stopped to investi-
gate. He had Winchester along with
him, and taking it from the rig he stepped
of the road into the bushes. Two bear
cubs were playing together not more than
two or three rods from him.
They could not have been more than one
or two weeks old, and thinking he would
like to capture them alive he made a
few steps toward them. The cubs started
/ to run, and Nelson started in pursuit,
throwing aside his rife, thing which
a moment later he regretted doing, He
succeeded In heading one of the cubs off
toward the road, which he had nearly
! reached, when he heard a sudden crash be-
hind him, followed by an angry roar, and
turning, he beheld, to his horror, the moth
err Of the cubs not many feet from him.
All thoughts of the cubs vanished from his
mind. He thought only of his own safety.
With greater alacrity than he had shown
in pursuing young bruin, he started for
the road and reached it just In time to see
his horse make mad dash up the road.
Nelson knew that his only chance of escape
was in climbing tree. He had no time to
select q tree. but Skinned" up the first
one he came to, which was, fortunately,
large enough to bear his weight, but too
small for the bear to climb
! Hardly had he got we'll out OF the way
before his pursuer reached the spot more
enraged than ever at his escape. The ami
NAL paved the ground at the foot of the
4 tree, making vain and desperate attempts
to climb it, and accompanying these at
i tempts with roars of anger Nelson looked
4 on from his lofty perch with some alarm,
: aud wished he had his rifle for about one
i minute. The time was wearing away,
though slowly to him, and ne was becom-
ing tired. He wondered II he would be
4 compelled to remain there all night and
he wondered, too what had become OF his
horse. But the worst was yet to come
and it was not long before he realized this
fact.
Smoke had filled the air for some time
\ but as 1t caused him no Inconvenience ht
thought nothing of it, But it became
thicker and thicker and Nelson at last
found 1t hard to breathe On the grounC
there seemed to be not much smoke, anG
Bruin seemed to be determined to stay
The cubs were but a few feet away. Thu
wind became stronger and to the great dis
! may Of Peter Nelson the air was filled with
4 burned leaves and cinders. Bruin seemed
I to be getting uneasy too. But he coulC
: stand it no longer, as the smoke was suffo
eating him. So, taking his pocket knife
: he opened the blade and started to slid,
/, down the tree, thinking that possibly hi
would be allowed to go on his way un
molested, but determined to fight 1t out 1
necessary.
I The bear was then lying close TO th,
D ground but q short distance away. Mel
: son dropped from the tree when about hall
way down and started on run up the road
in the direction his horse had gone as fast
as his legs could carry him but he hat
Q gone but a few steps when he stumbled
and fell Before he could arise bruin wal
q up to him, and he received heavy blow
: on the back from the animals paw. AL
Nelson could do was to try and dodge tn,
;, blows aimed at him. Several times TIN
BEARS sharp claws pierced and tore hi
flesh. In the struggle Nelson finally sue
ceeded in reaching the spot where he had
Z iclL nIS w Winchester, anu Win great uea
Of trouble managed to pick it off tn,
/. ground. The pocket knife which he hai
thought of using proved useless to him il
defending himself But now, with a riff
in his hand, he felt as if he stood a goot
chance if he could only find an opportunit,
to use it.
The bear seemed to realize this fact, toe
for she made several attempts to knock /
out of his hands; but by lodging aroun,
Nelson managed to get in such a position
that he was enabled to fire three shots il
fIquick succession at the animal, two O
! which took effect.
Nelson then killed the cubs, knowing
they could not live without their mother
He found that the horse had broken loos
from the blackboard and run into tn
woods. The wind had changed and blow
( the smoke away by that time He did not
: however, go to Grand Marias, but "hoofed'
r it back.
His clothes were badly torn, and he wa
!, painfully, but not seriously, hurt from tn
wounds he received.-Newberry Democrat