The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-07-02
GIRL KILLS BEARS.
Miss Phoebe Patterson and her
Hunting Exploits.
From the Ne1C York Sun.

how" said Miss Phoebe Patterson OF
Mendocino county, as she leaned up
against the Intel of the log cabin
among the giant redwoods. 'Ive
killed eleven, and one of them was a
grizzly. With that gun? Yes. It's
a pretty good rifle, but you have to
raise it little high in taking sight,
and the stock is q little loose. I'm
going to send it over to the gunsmith's
before long"
Miss Patterson looked the woods
woman she is. She had on little
hat, hunting jacket, and short skirt.
She was just the kind of woman that
some Britons on arriving in California
expect to meet at every turn. But
there is only one Phoebe Patterson,
and she has no equal as a bear hunt
ress in the whole West. She looked
rather small for her age, 10, but she
declared that she was still growing.
"Would you like to see my pets?"
she asked, and of course her caller
said he would be delighted. He had
heard some low growing and some
high snarling from behind the house.
Now it was OWNED that these came
from "the pets"
"Mother don't like to have me keep
them," she went on, "but they're really
no harm in the world" She opened
little corral gate and walked in to
where three small black bears we're
trudging up and down at the end of
short chains, with that ceaseless mo-
ton which bear takes up when in
captivity. The animals glanced at
her as she entered and ceased their
growls. They looked expectantly.
"Oh, you've had your breakfasts"
said she, as if talking to SO many
children. "You can't have any more
till noon. Here, Romeo"
The largest of the three sat up on
his hind legs and looked at her with a
bearish grin on his face as she smooth
ed his rough fur and patted his head.
Don't be afraid of them. They'll
not bother you if you don't touch
them. She leaned her head over the
black brute and let him kiss her pretty
dark face. Her eyes danced roguish-
ly as she watched the antics of the
other two who shrugged their should
ers and looked very cross.
They're jealous" said she. Then
she bestowed her favors evenly and
all we're happy, the happiest being the
one who had the most immediate
cause, the larger one, to whom she re-
turned with pretty caresses.
81 feel as if l ought to be good to
them all because l was mean enough
to kill their mother. Not that | would
have shot her had | known that she
had children to look out for Oh, no;
I'm not so cruel as that. But how
could tell2 And she made at me so
furiously, too! You see, it was up the
creek last spring. l had been out
with the rife for three hours and had
Mt seen thing to shoot, when ran al
most into the clutches of the biggest
black bear l ever saw Most bears,
except grizzlies, will turn and run
when they see you coming, especially
if you have gun. They seem to
know what gun is every time, and
they actually seem to know the diff
ference between shot gun and rifle.
Anyway they'll get out quicker if you
are carrying Winchester.
"But this she-bear made right for
me. | had come upon the beast 80
suddenly that I didn't think about
shooting right on the spur of the
moment, but was more for running.
| jumped behind a small redwood
just in time to save myself a stroke
from her paw and my skirt caught on
dead branch, one of those short,
sharp branchest that are always catch
ing persons skirts. This held me
tight for an awful second, and 1 actu-
ally felt that big bears breath upon
my face Ugh. was scared. But it
wouldn't do to get excited. l made a
quick Jump and tore little in the
skirt, which set me free; but the bear
had one paw on my shoulder and l
thought should never see the old
LIGHTHOUSE again. But the bear did
not mind the tree, and so banged in
to it SO hard that it loosened her hold
upon me and l sprang out behind
another tree and raising my rifle pull
| lo0 tho tripOor oo,,11r,% have