The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-02
SPARED FOR HIS LIFE
A Lumberman's Hot Battle with
a Pugnacious Bear.

a PuGnaclOuS Bear.
Bruin Was Handy with His Paws ana
Gave the yenturesSms Wood
man More Fight Than
de Wanted
Some time this spring-nobody has
get been able TO fix the date-John'
Moran, lumberman, of Ashland. Me-,
met bear in the woods and held
short conference with the same
Along in April, when the maple sap
had gone aloft to make new summer
suits for the trees and the bluebirds
were taking sky baths to put fresh tints
On their wings, Moran YVES going into
the woods to store away his sugar
troughs. He was a mile or so from
home, jogging along with his ak over
his shoulder and his dinner pail dang
ling from the ak handle, when sharp
turn in the path brought him up
sgainst great heInlock tree which the
wind had blown down.
Moran was feeling uncommonly well
that morning, and. not wishing to
make wide detour around the tree,
he put his hand on top of the rough
I bark and made ready for high vault.
With a caution born of experience,
he looked TO see where he would land,
and, as his head peered above the log,
something heavy and hairy shot up
from the other side and hit him square
" across the ear. As soon as he had
collected his wits enough to look about
him, he found he was under & small
spruce tree two rods back from the
log, and saw his dinner, consisting of
fresh roast pork and doughnuts, scat
tered about on the dead leaves in way
that made him feel sad.
Rubbing his eyes, he gave another
look, and saw a large bear sitting up
against the side of the log and over
hauling his dinner with the air of an
epicure. With his right paw the bear
held up one of Moran's doughnuts to
his eyes, and with it's left paw it was
gathering in all of the roast pork in
sight.
Moran's only weapon was a light,
sharp ak, with a tough ash handle.
Armed with this he approached the
bear boldly, and did not stop until
inst outside paw range. Then he made
several swift passes with his AK TO
learn how many boxing lessons the
bear had taken, end was not over
pleased TO find that he had met a wood
land boxer of great promise. Every
time he tried q blow with the edge OF
the ak the bear countered on the side
Or handle and avoided serious wound.
Eventually he struck with the fat OF
the ak, and was pleased to see the bear
cut it's paw half of in the counter.
The bear hit so hard that it might
have cut its own head off if it had not
dUcked adroitly at the moment death
was imminent.
Moran's next blow was given with
the force of catapult. and was aimed
straight for the bears skull. With
left upper cut the bear not only di-
verted the AK, but pulled it from his
hands and sent it flying far into the
woods. II was now MAJ against
lame bear, and Moran knew that the
Odds were all in favor Of the bear.
While Moran was feeling in his pockets
for a jackknife the bear again applied
the doughnut 10 its eye and examined
its manned paw.
Moran saw IL was of no use to fight
such cold blooded monster with
jsckl1nife. So he went around the tree
and started for his sap camp, which
was only 20 or 30 rods beyond. He was
pleased to see the bear following him
ct a distance, and fairly shouted with
pl-e when he reached the camp and
found his two-edged wood ak hanging
above the bunk. In a few minutes he
had stripped TO his trousers and under
shirt, and, swinging his ak aloft, he
made a dash for the enemy.
The bear ducked and Jumped ahead,
passing under Moran's arm and facing
about for the next play. Two quick
feifts were parried with professional
slil, and then came a sweeping blow
straight down from above. The bear
held out it's well foot, and the ax-handle,
drove it nearly to the ground. Lean
ing forward, the bear pushed up on
tAiC A01idACr dliu VIC upper CNkcs b&AAiC-
ing from it's teeth, entered the flesh
that held the bears nose to its upper
jaw, cutting cords and tendons until
the keen blade was hidden in the fur.
Moran hardly knows what happened
next. He heard the bear grovl n pain,
and saw the SKIN on the front Of the
head fuT1 up and roll back, Ike the
hood Of sn overcoat. Then a bears
head, bony, skinless and grinning,
emerged from the mass OF hair, and the
bear was after Moran baldheaded. 1t
was long, hard run over the windfalls,
through the svamps. and up and down
hill. Every time Moran looked beck
he saw that grinning skull. and the
terror put wings on his feet az be fed
for home, leaping among cradle knots
and yelling at every bound. When he
reached the house he was so grateful for
his escape that he never thought to
look for the bear. but just barred the
door and swore in a language that WA
unintelligible even 20 his own family.
st. Louis Post-lSspatch.
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