Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-06
DEATH THREE WAYS.
THE THRILLING EXPERIENCE OF A
PROSPECTOR.


Bear and . Crow Indian-An Escape
That Was Little Short Of the Miraculous.
He Got the Bears Hide.
IT had some pretty close calls in the old
DAYS fighting Indians and bears single
handed" says Colonel Burrows OF Mon
tana, "but once was cornered by griz-
zly, a centiped and Crow Indian, and get.
ting out of that corner l had the closess
shave of my life, guess. Twas prospect
ing along the foot of the Rockies one sum-
mer.
lone morning I started to follow up
small ravine that had discovered tho day
before, along the banks of which were some
very scant outcroppings of silver. l got
80 interested in examining specimens OF
rock that pushed on, quite forgetful OF
time and distance, until feeling OF emptl-
ness warned me that it was noon.
1T was a hot day, and when had I'm
ished my dinner l was sleepy. lay down
in the shade Of a tree to take short nap,
knowing that l would wake up i'll less
than an hour which would give me plenty
of time tn get back to camp before dark.
l took off my coat and put it under my
head, rolled up the sleeves of my flannel
shirt and made myself as comfortable as
possible l had been asleep possibly 10
minutes when peculiar tickling sensa-
ton on my right arm caused me to wake
Suddenly. Fortunately for me did not
spring up with start.
"Opening my eyes, looked first at my
arm where had felt the tickling. AS
did so my heart stopped beating for min
ute, it seemed to me, and / felt cold
sweat starting out of every pore. Half
way up my arm was a full grown cent?
ped crawling around on the bare flesh.
Il could see the venomous insect with
out even turning my eyeballs, and lay
perfectly still How did it don't know.
1t seemed to me that there was ton OF
weight on my chest holding me down,
and although it was a scorching hot day
was soon rs cold as if had been lying in
an icebox. The centiped would crawl to
where my shirt sleeve was rolled up, then
crawl all around the arm, back to the
wrist and then back again. He must have
made the circuit 20 times, and the strain
on my nerves was telling on me fast.
Suddenly new danger appeared be-
| fore my staring eyes. heard q rustling OF
leaves, and moment later huge brown
bear, gaunt and hungry looking, walked
out of the bushes and came straight to-
ward me.
"Then gave myself up for good, and
half closing my eyes I tried to think of a
prayer to say. The bear walked straight
up to me, and beginning at my feet began
| to smell and push me with his nose. The
| centiped saw the bear coming and crawl
ed around on the under side of my arm
and stopped. Every instant expected to
| feel the sharp sting of the insect, and L
was trying to nerve myself up to let the
| bear finish me in short order rather than
suffer the torture of the slower death.
But the bear looked me over, pushed
my arms and legs about and licked my
face Still the centiped did not move.
The bear stood there for several minutes,
it seemed to me, but at last appeared to
make up its mind that was dead, and he
would leave me to the coyotes. Then he
turned and numbered off in the same di-
rection from which he had come.
but the deadly centiped was still on
my arm, and by this time was so weak
as to be in danger of rolling over in utter
| collapse Then u sudden warning of a new
danger gave my nerves another shock.
1.-THE bear had gono less than so feet
away when heard the sharp crack of a
rifle on the other side of me, heard the
hiss of bullet as it flew over me and saw
q bunch OF fur fly from the side of the
| bear The animal had been hit just back
of the left shoulder, but the bullet did not
! even knock him down. With growl of
rage, the big shaggy monster turned and
came toward me with a rush.
II was certain that the shot had been
fired by an Indian, and if there was any
fain6 hope of escape lin gcring in my breast
before it rapidly vanished. Tho centiped
hid been startled by the shot and was now
| running down my bare arm.
~ quickly made up my mind that If
my time had come had rather be shot by
an Indian or torn to pieces by the bear than
| to be stung to death by the centiped.
| With bound 1 sprang to my feet, and
to my intense relief the centiped dropped
from my arm to the ground without sting
ing me. But l forgot to grab my gun rs
| rose, and when l got to my feet the bear
was SO close did not have time to stoop
aud get it, In fact it was only by quick
! leap to one side that l escaped the clutch
Of the grizzly as he rose to his hind feet
and made lunge at ne with paws out
stretched and mouth wide open.
AS leapcd aside and faced about
| caught SlSnU Oh aInurueFOuS lOOhlHS CrOW
Indian, who stood, rifle in hand, not less
than 30 yards away. The Indian was evil
IDENTIFY not aware of my presence until
jumped up from the ground, and had his
rifle raised for second shot at the bear.
! He was so startled by my sudden appear
| ance that he lowered his rifle, and instead
Of taking a shot at me ran away as fast as
he could go.
l''But was not yet out of danger by
any means. The pain of his wound made
the bear frantic. Growing furiously, he
| turned and made another rush at me. He
was now between me and my rifle, and
my only weapon was long hunting
knife, which l carried in my blet Glanc-
ing back over my shoulder for second, 1
discovered another and serious danger /
was within 90 feet Of the bank of the
ravine, which was directly behind me. A
stumble or slip of the foot would carry
ME over the brink, which meant fall of
100 feet, to strike on the rocks below.
Gas lodged about to avoid the savage