Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-02-20
RoosEVELT's BIGGEST BEAR.

How the President Risked His Life
to Get "A Large Grizzly.
It was when ranching that his stead
mess with a gun in the face Of
charging bear was proved, says Nc
Clure's Magazine. 1t was then that he
got his biggest grizzly, whose skin IS
now priced as one of his best trophies
as we'll as a souvenir of a very excit-
ing incident in his life. He was camp
ing alone in the foothills of the Rock
les, and had wandered off with his
rifle in search of game. Coming sud
denly on huge grizzly he wounded it,
and the bear retreated to cover in q
nearby thicket. AS Roosevelt was en-
deavoring to locate the quarry from
the open the bear suddenly appeared.
He fired, but the bullet did not stop
the rush of the maddened animal.
Blowing bloody foam from his mouth,
the bear charged straight at Roosevelt
Il waited until he came to a fallen
tree" wrote the hunter, "raking him
as he topped it with ball which en-
tered his chest and went through the
cavity of his body, but he neither
swerved nor 1iinched, and at the mo-
ment 1 did not know that had struck
him. He came steadily on, and in an
other second was almost upon me.
fired for his forehead, but my bullet
went low, entering his open mouth,
smashing his lower jaw and going into
his neck. l leaped to one side almost
as 1 pulled the trigger, and through
the hanging smoke the first thing
saw was his paw as he made a vicious
side blow at me- The rush of his
charge carried him past. As he struck
he lurched forward, leaving a pool of
bright blood where his muZZle hit the
ground; but he recovered himself and
made two or three jumps onward, while
l hurriedly damned a couple of cart
ridges into the magazine-ny rifle
holding only four, all Of which l had
fired Then he tried to pull up, but
as he did so his muscles seemed sud
denly to give way, his head dropped
and he rolled over and over like shot
rabbit. Each OF my three bullets had
inflicted a mortal wound"
The President has we'll earned the
distinction of being p successful hunter
He has killed every kind of North
American big game And yet there is
far more discussion or the habits and
characteristics of wild animals in writ
ings than there is record of the killing
of game.
On just one occasion when living In
the west was Roosevelt in danger of
serious molestation. He was threatened
when that physical vigor for which
he had striven had come in full meas
ure. A big brawler, mistaking him for
a tenderfoot, cursed him roundly, and
pointing two revolvers at him, ordered
him to buy the drinks. Roosevelt. per-
fectly composed, made as If to comply
with the request. But as he got within
| reach of his tormentor, with a rush
born of his cleverness in boxing, he
delivered a blow on the mans jaw that
stretched him full lengJh on the floor
Meantime, the pistols had gone off
the bullets penetrating the ceiling and
doing no harm to anybody. When the
brawler opened his eyes he was ready
to surrender his guns and to cry for
quarter. Wherefore, be it said that
true to his laterday preacnment, Roose
Welt, was never spelling for a fight
but would not suffer an insult. A man
of his type is not often insulted.