Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-11
#tisfetlantous 8eading.
BEARS AND HORSE FIGHT.
Jim Bells Wild Animal Was Backed to
Win, and Ee Did.


From the Philadelphia Press.
Fully $50 typical mountaineers, hum
ters, trappers and tarheel loungers
were congregated about Simpsons
store, the only place of business within
20 miles, when l arrived last Saturday,
saws a correspondent writing from
Simpsons Corner. Having curiosity
to learn the cause of the odd combina-
ton, I inquired of a long-limbed, red
headed, butternut hunter.
"Wal, stranger, there's goin' to come
off right away the gosh durndest fight
you ever saw right here at the cor
ners."
"Who are the contestants and what
are they going to fight for ?"
"Thar amt no who bout it. It's
old Jim Bells stalyun that's goin' to
lambaste Sam Carter's two big bars,
an let me tell you, stranger, it will be
a fight TO member for many a year,
an I'm a bettin' on the stalyun."
ga horse to do battle with two full
grown bears? Why, my friend, the
bears ought to be able to tear him to
pieces in jiffy'"
"Say, stranger, it's parent you don't
know that hoss. Why, that stalyun's
the biggest devil this side of ole
Nautchalah. There amt no livin'
critter on four legs can down him.
That stalyun's wiped out half a dozen
bars, killed a painter an near bout
cleaned out the creek of men and crit
tiers the last year. He's dang'us as
din'mite, an nobody can handle him
'ceptin' ole Jim's boy, Jack, an how'n
thunder he does it nobody knows.
Sum folks say he hip'ntizes the hoss.
Mebbe he does; anyway, he's the only
human that can handle him."
"Where can l find this terrible ami
NAL ?"
"Right over there in that pen," re-
piled my informant, pointing to a big
stockade of heavy timbers a short dis
tance down the creek.
When climbed up and stood upon
a wide shelf or string of logs which ex-
tended entirely around the 60foot
stockade and looked over at the occu-
pant of the pen was forced to con-
fess that the hunter had not exaggera.
ted, at least so far as the horse was
concerned. The animal I looked upon
was a wild stallion of the mountain
breed. common in the highlands OF
North Carolina.
Although not above 143 hands in
height, he was certainly the most vi.
cious and savage-looking brute of the
equine species I had ever looked at.
He was black as a coal, with long
name and tail and with limbs of per-
feet symmetry, and but for the man
ner in which he rolled his eyes and
curled his lips above his long glisten-
ing teeth as he snapped at the peo-
pie, on the shelf, making them dodge
down out of reach, he would have
been perfect beauty. AS it was, his
actions showed him to be devil in
carnate.
had scarcely taken all this in when
four men came up leading two tremen'
dous bears, either of which would
have tipped the scale at 400 pounds.
The crowd followed close behind, and
almost before the men had opened two
small gates at the bottom of the stock
ade to let the bears in human belt
encircled the stockade. The bears
were let in at opposite sides, and al,
most in flash there began the most
terrific and bloody battle I had ever
seen.
have witnessed in the Old North
State and in the mountains battles be-
tween catamounts and bulldogs.
Hhave seen a panther pitted against
dogs, bears and catamounts, and once
Witnessed battle royal in Texas, in
which two big bears and a panther
fought drove of peccaries, but in
comparison with the fight which fol-
lowed all of the above seemed placid
as schoolboy play.
The bears had barely time to straight
en- up after their entrance before the
black stallion gave snort of rage and
bounded toward the big bear, which
stood almost below my feet. Bruin
saw him coming and rose to his hind
feet, his little yellow eyes swapping
with rage and hunger. The horse was
too quick for him, however, for before
the bear could strike with his power
full arms the stallion reared up, drove
both forefeet squarely into the bears
face and neck, knocking him six feet
away.
Wheeling like lightning, the enraged
stallion gathered to kick, but before he
could launch out bear No. 2 came up
on a gallop, and just as the horses
heels left the ground the bear gave a
quick snap, catching the hide about a
foot above the fetlock, and tearing
away a strip of hide foot long and
an inch in width. With scream OF
rage and pain the horse bounded into
the air, clear over the bear, and whirl-
ed, it appeared, so quickly was it done,
almost in midair, and before No. 2
could face about the stallion's sharp
teeth closed over one of its ears.
A snap, a rip of tearing flesh and
one ear and a big piece of hide were
gone. The bear, growing with rage,
was on its hind feet in second, but
only in time to catch vicious kick
with both hind feet, which sent it over
on its back. AS before, the horse was
compelled to whirl about to face a
second enemy, for bear No. had got
ten on its feet and rushing to the fray.
Then, for two or three minutes, it ap-
peared-but which probably was not