The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-07-08
auaersOu gute1Itgeuees.
A GIRL WHO KILLS BEARS.
Miss Phoebe Patterson and Her Hunting
Exploits.
NeW York Sun.

Patterson, OF MeuuuCluo CouuVy, do
the leaned up against the Intel of the
log cabin among the giant r%edwoods.
eve killed IL, and one of them was
a grizzly. With that gun? Yes.
It's a pretty good rifle, but you have
to raise it a little highin taking sight,
and the stock is a little loose. I'm
going to send itoverto the gunsmith 8
before long
Miss Patterson looked the woods
woman she is. She had on a little
SLOUGH hat, a hunting jacket, and a
| 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 n Phoebe
| Patterson, and she has NO equal as a
bear huntress 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 high
snarling from behind the house. Now
it was OWNED that these came from
''the pets
"Mother DON like to have me keep
them" she went on, but they, re
really no harm in the world" She
opened a little corral gate and walked
in to where three small bears were
trudging up and down at the end of
short chains with that ceaseless mo-
ton which a bear takes up when in
captivity. The animals glanced at her
as she entered and ceased their growls
They looked expectantly.
sob, you've had your breakfast
said she, as if talking to so many chill
dren. "You cant have any more un-
til 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
smoothed his rough fur and pattcd 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 pref
ty dark face. Her eyes danced ro-
guishly as she watched the antics of
the other two, who shrugged their
shoulders and looked very cross.
"They are jealous said she. Then
she bestowed her favors evenly and all
were happy, the happiest being the
one who had the most immediate
cause, the larger one, to whom she re-
turned with pretty caresses.
II feel as if I ought to be good to
them all because I was mea enough
to kill their mother. Not that I would
have shot her had I known she had
children to look out for. Oh, no !; !
am not so cruel as that. But how
could ]. tell? And she made at me
so furiously, too! You see, | was up
the creek last spring. I had been out
with the rifle for three hours and
hadn't seer a thing to shoot at, when
I ran almost into the clutches of the
biggest black bear I ever saw. Most
bears, except grizzlies, will turn and
run when they see you coming, es'
pecially if you have a gun. They
seem to know what a gun is every
time. and they actually seem to know
the difference between a shotgun and
a rife. Anyway, they'll get out quick
er if you are carrying a Winchester.
"But this she-bear made right fol
me-. I had come upon the beast SO
suddenly that I didn't think about
shooting right on the spur Of the mo
ment, but was more for running. ]
jumped behind a small redwood just
in time to a v myself a stroke from
her paw and my skirt caught on adeae
branch, one of those short, sharp
branches that are always catching
persons skirts. This held me tight
for an awful second, and I actually
felt that big bears breath upon my
face, Ugh! I was scared. But il
wouldn't do to get excited. I made
quick jump and tore a hole in thu
skirt, which set me free; but the beal
had one paw on my shoulder and
just thought I should never see thu
old log house again. But the bea'
did not mind the tree, and so banged
into it so hard that it loosened he,
hold upon me and I sprang out behine
another tree and raising my rife pull
ed the trigger. I couldn't have miss
ed that bear had I wanted to. Sht
was right up against the muzzle. Sht
fell without even a kick. Then
heard some low noises from behind
hollow log, and there were these three
little r~ascals summing themselves ant
playing about as if nothing had hap
pened. OF course I couldn't really
have helped myself about the killing
of their mother, but I felt so sorry TO,
the dear little baby bears that I brought
them home by tying a long piece o.
leather around their necks and sort o.
shaking them along. That's the Skin
of their mother up there by the win
dow Of the house. Somehow I didn't
want to sell it. I shall make a biz
rug to put down in front of the FIRE
place.
"About the other bears I killed
Oh, there isn't any story about then
to speak Of; that is, except the griz'
ely. All the other bears just happen
ed to come my way while I was out
shooting, and they just didn't so any
further, that's all. AS I said, most Of
them took to their heels as soon as ]
came along, but I an pretty good al
long-range shooting, and dropped
them. I bagged three in n day,
That was a great days sport, wasn't
it? don't believe there's a man in
this canon that has ever done any
better. But bears are getting scarce
up this way. The city hunters are
learning how to kill them at last
They used to get one Of our men tc
go out and kill their bears for them,
but they know how themselves now,
some of them. There are three hunt,
ers that come up here from San Fran
cisco every season, and they kill four
or or FIVE bears apiece. They don't
do anything with them, except to cut
off a few steaks, and / don't think it's
right. They ought to bring in the
hides, but I guess they're too lazy to