San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-04
BRAVE MAINE WOMEN.
THEY 90 NOT HESITATE TO At
TACK A BEAR WITHOUT GUNS.

II read about Mrs. Lewis killing the
two bucks in the Adirondacks, and about
Mrs. Becky Latimers deer hunting ex-
PLOTS in Pennsylvania, said New
Yorker who has been hunting up in
Maine, ''and now | 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.
IA 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 snug
little farm in there, and keep few cat
tie. Their most valua Die possession in
that line was a 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 We're of such an unusual
satisfied that they were cries of terror.
Mrs. Mcdonald, armed with pitchfork,
and her sister, carrying an AK, hurried
to the barnyard
''There they found an enormous bear,
standing detiantly between the PROSTATE
bodies of the two steers, each of which
he had felled to the ground and killed.
The other cattle were huddled 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
gave 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.
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 harassed that he made an
effort to, escape from the field, but the
women messed 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 on 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 al.
miration at the settlement that purse
was raised among the lumbermen ami
hunters, with which another yoke of
steers was bought and presented to Mrs.
Mcdonald and her brave little sister.
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, 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 a party that had
formed to rout out and kill big bear
that had been located in a swamp a 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 TO
come out when the dogs got after him,
as he had no faith i'll a wOman's ability
to stand and shoot at a bear as it
bounced into sight out of thicket.
"His Judgment was right, for when !
the dogs got on the track of the bear
Mrs. Baker heard them taking a course
that would fetch bruin out of the swamp
at a place where she would be unable to
see it or get a shot. But she wasn't there
to be fooled, and she started on a run
for the spot where the bear was evidently