Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-08-10
CHASED BY GRIZZLY
And Thrown by a Rattlesnake,
Cyclists Had Narrow
Escape.


Two cowboys from Grand Junction,
Col, W. @. Caughan and J. @. ras-
lier, arrived here yesterday ON bicy-
cles, having started on fifteen-hun
dred mile ride to Alberta, N. W. T.,
in April last, says a Great Falls
Mont. letter to the Denver News.
They recount thrilling experience
with a grizzly bear and a rattle
snake.
Near Crazy Mountains they were
riding along the trail about dusk,
when, rounding bend in the road,
they almost ran into the bear and
her cub, which were crossing the
trail. Fraslier's wheel almost struck
the cub, which emitted a squeal of
fright, as it half tumbled out of the
way. The old bear was slightly in
advance of the cub and had not heard
the silently approaching men. When
the cub squealed she whirled around
with a roar and made for the wheel
men. The cOwpunchers declare that
their hair stood on end with fright,
and they pedaled with all their
strength. Fortunately for them the
trail they were on was down grade
and they managed to get several feet
the start of the old bear Caughmi n
was in the lead and Fraslier's front
tire was close to his rear one. The
old bear was coming with a rush and
straining every muscle, as they were.
They could hear her terrible growing
and the quick pad pad of her feet on
the ground as she came on. FTaslier
had revolver in his pocket, but he
was unable to use it on the wheel.
There was no use trying to disno Mt
and make fight, for the grizzly was
too close and apparently gaining at
every jump. Their only hope was to
pedal with all their strength.
They said they thought their eyes
would pop from their heads and their
pressure of blood. Their knee sock
cts panied and the strain on their
arms was almost unbearable.
Although they were going at
frightful speed, they said their Feet
seemed made Of lead, but that terri
BILE red mouth, with cleaning. gnash
ing teeth, spurred them on. Ahead
they could see that the trail took a
greater dip, and their one desire was
to reach that point and maybe the
greater incline would give them suffi-
cient speed to get away from the Zero
cious beast. Caughman declares they
were practically all in when
the dip was reached and they shot
over on to the greater incline with a
last effort. Their machines fairly
bounded through the air, and then
their greatest danger was to avoid
being thrown. They had apparently
outdistanced the grizzly, for her
growls could no longer be heard, but
neither dared look over his shoulder
Both o. them had lost their pedals,
and their machines were beyond their
control. The bicycles were only
striking the high places. Finally
Frazier's machine struck a soft spos
of sand and he was hurled through
the air about thirty feet, and the fal
rendered him unconscious. A hun
dred yards further on Caughman was
thrown, bat not hurt. He fearful,
made his way back to the place Of
Frazier's fall. half expecting to set
the grizzly chewing on him, but the
bear was not in sight, and after sew
eral minutes work brought his part
ner back to consciousness. Both were
in terribly exhausted condition, bu!
managed to make their way back to
ranch house, where they spent the
night.
Later in their trip Caughman had
nirrow escape from being bitten by
rattlesnake while riding along the
road. He did not see the reptile un-
til it ratified, but it was then too late
to stop or swing ont of the way, and
he had to keep straight on. The
angry snake struck, but fortunately
the moving wheels and not the pedal
ing legs of the rider attracted the
snake, and his fangs were sunk into
the pneumatic tire of the wheel. The
reptile was whirled around and
crushed between the forks and Caugh-
man took haeder. He thought him |
elf very lucky, and now carries the |