Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-22
A HUNTERS NARROW ESCAPE.
Killed Bear as It Was Chewing His
Arm.
From the Denver Post.

| From the Denver Post.
| One evening while was sojourning in
| Wyoming a couple of my young friends
| went out into quaking asp thieket after
grouse. One Of them was armed with a "A
Winchester, the other with shotgun.
| About half a mile from the ranch they
entered the thicket, where they knew the
grouse were plentiful. They advanced
cautiously, parting the bushes, expecting
| every minute to flush covey into the scat
| tering trees. when they would have a good
| chance at them.
They approached a large bowlder. which
was about the center of the tIlicket, when
young Stokesberry. who carried the VIM
chester and was in front, discovered two or
three cub bears playing around the bowlder.
Without hesitation two hasty shots brought
down two of them and a third shot crippled
the other, which raised a terrible yell.
Then out from behind the bowlder came
something like a whirlwtnd--the mother
bear-a monster silver tip, breaking the fall
| len timber and tearing the brush up by
| the roots. Stokesberry went up a sapling
| to the top of the bowlder. the bear with a
mighty roar after him. The boy with the
shotgun damned 1t against her side and
! pulled the trigger, and then took to his
heels through the brush s-.es4
| The shot did not stop the progress of the
she bear. 1t only brough forth another roar.
She kept on after Stockesberry, who had
reached the top of the rock and began to
pump "A bullets into her as fast as he
could But the ammunition was too small
land did not seem to do much harm 1t on
| ly enraged the huge animal.
| The rock was not tall enough to protect
Stokesberry, SO he ran down the opposite
| side and attempted to make his escape by
| flight, and probably would have done so.
but the fallen timber was a great tangle
and the brush thick. He hung his foot and
| fell. The bear WAS upon him before he could
| rise.
| Then the bloody tussle began. With one
| stroke of her paw the bear broke two of his
ribs. and grabbed him by the thigh with her
mouth
! But Stekesberry had held on to his gun.
There was only one cartridge in It, and that
was in the magazine. From some cause the
| bear let loose of his thigh ard grabbed him
| by the left arm, just above the elbow.
! Stekesberry, with his right hand and the
breech of the gun on the ground, managed
| to spring the lever and throw the shell into
/ the barrel, and worked the gun so that he
! got the muZZle into the bears mouth and
| pulled the trigger. 1t blew the top of the
| bears head Off. and she fell dead across
| the body of the young man.
| In the mean time the boy had made all
| possible speed for the ranch, and with two
| other men, well armed. came back as quick
| ly as they could. They found the bear and
| the man as l have described, and thought
| both were dead
| But after pulling the big carcass off OF
| Stokesberry, they found he was still alive.
They fastened to the ranch, got a wagon
| dispatched a messenger twelve miles to
| Carbon for a doctor, and used all the RENE
| dies they could, which restored him to
/ seriousness before the doctor arrived. He
| was terribly lacerated and bleeding profuse-
| ", and his case looked hopeless But he
| had nerve, and in couple of months he
| was able to walk about He had but little
use of his left arm.
| His friends killed the other wounded cub
and brought the four bears to the ranch.
The old one tipped the scales at SO pounds.
| I afterwnrd bought ire hide. but the shot
gun, loaded with No shot, had made a
hole about six inches square behind the left
shoulder None of the shot went any
further than to the ribs