The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-01-06
BRAVE MAINE WOMEN.
THEY DO NOT HESITATE TO AT
TACK a BEAR WITHOUT GUNS.

They DO NOT HESITATE TO AT
TACK a BEAR WITHOUT GUNS.
Armed with a Pitchfork and a 20
Female Inhabitants of Lumber Dis
trict Slay an Enormous Creature Which
Had Killed Two Steers.
II read about Mrs. Lewis killing the
two bucks in the Adirondacks, and about
Mrs. Becky Latimers deer hunting ex-
ploits in Pennsylvania" said a New
Yorker who has been hunting up in
Maine, 'tand now 1 would like to read
about the way some women up in the
pine forests have of showing their grit
and skill when it comes to dealing with
certain wild animals
"A family named Mcdonald lives way
back in the wilderness of the Molus
river. 1t consists of the husband, Rod
erick Mcdonald, his wife and his sister,
both young women. They have a snug
little farm in there, and keep few cat
tle Their most valuable possession in
that line was yoke of steers. One day
Mcdonald was obliged to go to one of
the settlements several miles away, and
his business was to keep him over night
His wife and sister were left alone to
look after things during his absence
just before dark great believing was
heard among the cattle in the barnyard.
The sounds were of such an unusual
character that the two women became
satisfied that they were cries of terror
Mrs. Mcdonald, aHmed with pitchfork,
and her sister, carrying an AK, hurried
to the harnyard.
"There they found an enormous bear,
standing defantly between the PROSTATE
bodies of the two steers, each of which
he had felled to the ground and killed.
The other cattle were hudd1ed in terror
in corner of the yard. The bear
growled and snarled and showed his
teeth as the women approached, but, in
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 her
pitchfork and thrust its sharp, long tines.
deep into the bears neck The bear
I 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.
4 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 E::rassed 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 OIL 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
i ANOTHER woMAN's BEAR.
In 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 rife like an old woodsman. She in.
sisted on making one OF party that had
formed to rout out and kill big beal
|. that had been located in swamp mile
or so from the cabin. She was stationed
, by the guide at a spot where in his judg
, ment the bear would not be likely te
come out when the dogs got after him
as he had no faith in a woman's ability
, to stand and shoot at a bear as il
bounced into sight out of thicket
! 9His Judgment was right, for wher
the dogs got on the track of the beal
Mrs. Baker heard them taking cours,
that would fetch bruin out of the SWAMP
at place where she would be unable tt
see it or get shot. But size wasn't ther,
to be fooled, and she started ON run
for the spot where the bear was evidently
!. headed for, and she got there before any
one else did. The bear, a tremendou
big fellow, as black as ink, broke through