Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-06-09
IT WAS A BATTLE ROYAL
A Mountain Lion and Cinnamon Bear I'm
a Fight to the Death.


In the light of the moon two
brothers. old prospectors and hunters
who have been in the hills for years
and have seen many strange and
startling sights report having seen
one of the most thrilling and desper-
ate fights they have ever witnessed.
They were camping in a canyon
that comes into the main San Antonio
canyon from the west about one and
one-halt miles below the miners
camp They had been out during the
oay prospecting on the south slope of
Badly and had started for camp near
sundown when they killed a deer
which delayed them till dark. They
hung the deer in a tree rather than
pack 1t to camp over the rocks in the
dark the place where they left the
deer being only short distance from
camp in the west fork of the CANYON.
They had hardly rolled themselves
in their blankets when they heard an
unearthly roar and scream, quickly
followed by other roars and screams
as though whole menagerie of wild
beasts had been turned loose 1t took
them but few moments to determine
the cause of the disturbance. So.
dressing quickly and taking their
rifles. they started to see the fun. By
crossing the canyon in which they
were camped they got to point from
which they could command a view of
quite piece of the western canyon.
When they gained the top of the
point they saw just below them not
100 yards away, what had caused the
noise, They could see the tree where
they had hung their deer and just be-
meath the tree they saw the deer and
two other animals a monster Cali
fornia lion and an immense cinnamon
bear They had smelled out the deer
and had come for a feast each little
expecting the other; but there they
were, fighting over the carcass to see
which was to be master of the situa-
ton.
Their roaring and screaming awoke
thousand echoes in the canyon
which made the fight seem more
dreadful still. 1t was fight to the
death. Struggling and rolling, biting
and clawing, scratching and scream
ing, did the monsters fight only break
ing away from one another long
enough, seemingly. to regain their
breath and strength. when at it they
would GO again with roar and scream.
Thus they fought for over an hour.
when, torn, bleeding and completely
exhausted, evidently dying, they rolled
apart only to lie and snarl at each
other, unable from their terrible exer-
tions to do more. But there were near
worse enemies to them than they were
to each other.
Finally the two brothers knowing
there was nothing to fear from the two
exhausted companions leveled their
rifles, and after five shots had been
fired the two mighty brutes had ceased
their struggles, having gained what
each had tried to do for the other, for
the two fighters of Old Badly lay dead.
There lay a California lion that meas
ured eight feet four inches from tip of
nose to tip of tail a king of his race.
The bear a cinnamon was a monster
of his species AS near as they could
estimate. he would have weighed [. 900
pounds Each was mass of cuts and
wounds. The lion had Que fore leg
crushed and mangled, as though from
bite. and the bear was cut from
muzzle to tail by the knife like claws
OF his more active opponent.