The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-23
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A BRAVE WOMAN's FIGHT.
Attacked by Two Bears in Her Cabin,
She Killed Both With an Ak.
From the New York Times.

Kingston, N Y. March IA tale of
mothers intrepid bravery and devotion has
Just come down from the hills. Up in the
Catskill mountains, where the woodsmen
are Just beginning to break out from their
winters embargo of ice and snow comes
the story of a mother who, single handed
fought two hungry bears to a finish, that
her babe might live
Aleck Mcleod is a woodsman who lives
in little cabin in the widest portion of the
Southern Catskills, near Peakamoose
mountain. One morning in the latter part
OF January, afterca n1eavy fall of snow, he
found fresh bear tracks in his door yard.
Calling his dogs. he took his rifle, ami,
with visions of fresh meat in his mind,
followed the tracks of the two bears that
had visited his cabin.
After her husband went away. Mrs. Me-
Leod went out into the yard for an armful
of firewood. While at the woodplle she
heard her house dog bark fiercely, and al
the same time the cries of her little boy
calling to her With what proved to be
wonderful forethought, she seized an ak
from the woodpile and started for the cabin
on run
Half way up the ladder leading TO the
loft of the cabin she found her little boy
Sammy, and at the foot of the ladder a
huge black bear was looking up at the
screaming child and swapping its huge
jaws together viciously. over in the cor
ner the cradle. which had contained her
sleeping baby, had been upset, and the
child lay on the floor Between the child
and a second bear stood the brave little
fox terrier, barking fiercely and swapping
at his giant adversary. Mrs Mcleod
shouted to her little boy to run up into
the loft. A kick from her foot knocked
the ladder down as soon as he did so. Then
she sprang between her baby and the sec
ond bear. Aiming a blow al the bear with
the ak which she held in one shand. she
seized her baby with the other and threw
1t back upon the bed Then began the
battle for her own life and that of the
baby. Both bears attacked her.
One of them, standing. on its hind legs
advanced toward the intrepid woman. As
it came within her reach she sliced off part
of one of Its sides with a blow from the
AK, causing 1t to retire. AS the bear turn
ed always from her to attack the little dog
which was swapping at II in the rear, the
second bear advanced. She used her ak
with telling effect upon 1t, burying the
blade in Its neck twice, and finally hitting
IL squarely between the eyes, so as to
split its head open and end its life.
The first bear, momentarily drawn off
by the dog. then returned to the attack
1t crowded her into a corner, and clawed
her clothing from her body, and knocked
the AK from her hand with a blow from its
great paw. Just at this minute little
Sammy. who had been witnessing the
fight from overhead, cried out to the little
dog, which again assailed the bear fiercely
on the flank AS the brute turned on the
dog, Mrs. Mcleod recovered her ak, and,
with fortunate blow, killed the second
bear.
The combat had lasted but about five
minutes, yet in that time the interior OF
the cabin had been almost wrecked As
soon as she realized that she had conquer
ed and that danger to her and hers was
past, the brave woman tainted. few
minutes later, and before she recovered
consciousness, her husband followed his
baying hounds into the cabin. He had
followed the bear tracks for a circuit OF
about a mile back to his own cabin door.