The Portland daily press., 1896-05-09
TAYLoR's TWO BEAR FIGHTS.
He Seems to Have a Genius for Getting
Mixed up in That Sort of Thing.

tFrom the San Francisco Examiner.)
Fallbrook, CAL, April 15-Henry Tay-
Tor. an old hunter famous among the
mountains Of San Bsraardino county
and San Jancinto Valley. has had in the
past week his second narrow escape from
death In ten months, while fighting hand
to hand with bears.
Since last September Taylor had been
unable to visit his hunting grounds
away mp in the mountains until last
Thursday on account of injuries inflicted
on him BY bear that attacked him un-
expectedly. Up to that time he had
killed seven bears during the season of
1885, and he was following his dogs,
which had struck the trail OF the eighth.
Taylor WAS at some distance behind,
whom he was suddenly confronted by an
immense bear that rose up ont of the
brush and which the dogs had not scented
in their eagerness on the trail of the bear
they were following. Before Taylor
could raise his gun to his shoulder the
bear was upon him, and with one elbow
Of his forepaw felled him to tho ground.
AS he lay half stunned on the ground
the bear began tearing at him with his
teeth and claws, and by the Iime Taylor
had recovered himself and began strug-
Cling to regain his feet, his clothing
from the neck down was torn in shreds
and his flesh was terribly lacerated. To
get upon his feet Taylor had to turn over
on his hands and knees, and as he did SO
the bear struck both fore paws between
his shoulders and sank her long, sharp
claws through his heavy hunting clothes
and buried them deep in his flesh. AS
Taylor rose up the bear ripped her claws
down his back and stripped his clothing
down to his heels, and gashed the flesh
in half dozen places to the bone the en-
tire length Of his body.
Gaining his feet, Taylor turned to at
tack the bear with his knife, but the
bear thew herself bodily upon him and
bore him to the ground again, falling
upon him and knocking the bro t1 from
his body. In the fall the knife was
knocked out Of Taylor's hand and far out
of his reach. The bear held him as in
a wise, and the hero of many contest in
the woods gavs himself up for lost. At
that moment be heard the yelping of his
dogs, and knew THAI they were approach
ing. A second later another bear passed
within ten feet Of where Taylor lay hel p
less in the clutch of the she bear, and
as it did not pause to take part in the
fight Taylor knew that the dogs were
close on it's track. The bear had scarcely
passed when the dogs oams up, and at
once attacked the brute that had their
master at her mercy.
The bear forsook her victim to defend
herself against the dogs, and while they
were engaging her Taylor dragged him
self to where his gun lay, and rising up
to sittlng posture, he fired, sending q
ball through the BEARS brain, killing her
instantly. Taylor then fell back helpless
and half fainting to the ground. His
dogs, by their continuous yelpiDg and
barking, attracted two other hunters who
happened to be In she vicinity, and they
came to Taylor's aid. They carried him
home, and his life was for long time
despaiFed Of
| Hs recovered, however, and although
not yet strong, started on his first hunt
| ing trip last Thursday since his fight
with the bear. He went out for the pur-
pose of finding deer in the snow that is
found in patches among the pine forests
above the snow line in the sierras. of San
Bernardino county. In the locality where
he had had the narrow escape in Septem-
| Der, much to his surprise, he struck the
fresh track of bear that had Fhuffied
thorugh the snow.
Taylor could not restrain himself from
following the track, and only few rods
ahead he came upon the bear in hollow
in the woods 1t tried to get away, but
was so handicapped by the wet and melt.
Ing snow that its progress was slow. He
made his way within few feet of the
bear and sent G ball into it's shoulders.
Bruin fell in the snow, and began to
bleed freely from Its wound. He fired
again as the beast struggled in the snow,
and, knowing that he had given the big
l oAii1lu LIS uShbu WOuuuy Ao SbOCO VUl6G-
ly in his tracks watching it die. Sud,
denly the bear sprang to his feet, and
with one plunge through the snow threw
itself bodily upon the hunter. As In his
September fight, Taylor WAS taken en-.
tirely by surprise and was unprepared fol
the attack. He went down heavily, and
the bear fell with its entire weight upon
him and began ripping with it's claws
and swapping and tearing with its teeth
at the hunters breast and legs. The beal
raised Its head to catch Taylor by the
throat, but he prevented that by thrust
Ing his arm between the open jaws o. the
unfuriated but rapidly weakening brute
The bear closed it's jaws on the arm
and In spite of the protection of the heavy
Clothing, orunched through the bones al
II they had been brittle sticks. The greaI
pain coming SO suddenly upon Taylor il
bis weak condition caused him to faint
lie does not know how long he was I'M
conscious, but when he came to the beal
was lying dead In the snow by his side
ana he was drenched with It's blood al