The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-06-02
BEARS FIGHT TO A FINISH.
How This Hattie OF fsrutes Looked to a
Man Up Tree.

How This Rattle OF Brutes Looked to q
Man Up . Tree.
Professor Dyche, Of the state univer-
sity, is great hunter. and spends his
summers among the wilds OF the north
west getting specimens for the museum
Of the institution, writes Kansas cor
respondent ! During these trips be gets
acquainted with all the guides and
hunters Of the region in which he Is
hunting. and the result Is that when
any of these men get to civilization
they endeavor to call at the university
to see Dyche and his museum. One of
these men, George Ayers, tells story
of an adventure which he had in the
mountains Of Washington He lives in
a country where the grizzly bear grows
to an enormous size, and while he has
never been successful as hunter of
the animals, he has killed two or three
bears.
The story he tells is Of combat be-
tween two enormous grizzlies which he
witnessed from the safe retreat of a
tall tree, where he had fled from the
approach of one of the brutes Ayers
says. that it lasted long enough for him
to get over his scare and pay close at
tention to what is going on. He had
been hunting having started at day
light. and at 2 o'clock he was surprised
by meeting huge grizzly in his path
He did not have time to do anything
but climb d tree. and the old brute i'm
mediately laid siege to him and attempt
ed to reach up to him While this was
going on Ayers heard a noise up the
trail, and there was another bear COM
ing down toward his tree He thought
he was in for night Of it as the two
would keep him there until he was
starved or some one came to his assist
ance.
He was mistaken, however, for the
two bears were evidently not friendly,
and one of them undoubtedly thought
that the other was poaching on his pre-
serves, for the animals no sooner saw
each other than they roared and rushed
at each other, bent on fight.
Then ensued one of the widest scenes
ever witnessed in the mountains, a bat
tie between the kings of the forest
The animals fought with a skill that
/
many a previous conflict. They slir-
mished for position and boxed with the
dexterity of trained pugilists. Sud-
denly one made a savage rush at the
other and they were locked in an en-
brace that was terrific They roared
and howled and bit and clawed each
other in most horrible manner. The
whole place was torn up small trees
being uprooted in the struggle Of the
enraged brutes. By an awful snort
ono tore away from the other, and then
they began their sparring tactics again,
but it was evident that the first bear
had got much the worst of the tackle
Round and round they went again,
until q second rush was made, and then
came the most fearful death struggle.
4 It was evident that one OF the other
would be dead before the other would
/ give up the fight.
They fought sayagely, biting and
gouging, until one of the brutes fell
and the other got grip on his throat,
which soon ended the fight, and the
fallen bears life.l After biting and
clawing the fallen enemy until there
was no possibility of there being any
life left, the victor set to work to eat
| his fallen foe He then retired up the
| mountain, leaving Ayers alone. Ayers
then got down and skinned the dead
grizzly, and now has the hide with the
great hole in the hip to show that the
story is true. The skin measures eight
and half feet in length and is seven
feet across its broadcast place. Ayers
says the bear weighed not less than
two thousand pounds and was as large
as the largest bull He has had the
skin prepared for rug with the hole
in it, and this hole gives him the op-
portunity of telling his story. -Cdicago
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