Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1906-03-07

One OF {ne1u WAS armed
! .NaltG a forty-fouc Winchester, the other
IsssA&ta a shotgun.
Shout half a mile from the ranch
fhey entersd q thicket. where they
knew the grouse were plentiful. They
advanced cautiously, parting tue
Bushes, expecting every minute to flush
e e:oyey into the scattering VDDees. when
Ahey would have Il good chance at
Thezn. 't}
They approached 4 large bowlder.
which was about the centre OF ne
s1Tcket, when young S~tokesberry. who
carried the Winchester and was i'll
ssront, discovered two or three II
bears playing around the bowldef.
without hesitation two hasty shots
brought down two OF them and a third
shot crippled the other, which raised
81 terrible yell.
Then out from behind the bowider
came something like a whirlwind--tne
smother bear-a monster silver tip.
breaking the fallen timber and tearing
The brush up by the roots. Stokesberry
gment up a sapling to the top OF the
howlder. the bear with a mighty roar
SITTER him. The boy with the shotgun
Slammed it against her side and pulled
Nle trigger. and then took to his heels
through the brush.
The shot did not stop the progress
OF the she bear. 1t only brought forth
another roar.
She kept on after Stokesberry. who
bad reached the top Of the rock. and
began to pump Al bullets into her as
fast as he could. But the ammunition
Egas too small and did not seem to do
much harm. 1t only enraged the huge
animal.
The rock was not tall enough to pro-
&eet Stokesberry, so he ran down the
opposite side and attempted to make
his escape by flight. and probably
twould have done so. but the fallen
kmber was a great tangle and the
brush thick. He hung his foot and
heIl. The bear was upon him before
he could rise. Then the bloody tussle
began. With one stroke of her paw
TIE Dear broke two of his ribs, and
grabbed him by the thigh With her
mouth.
Is But St~okesberry had held On to his
gun. There was only one cartridge i'll
1t, and that was in the ina caZine. From
some cause the bear let loose of his
thigh and grabbed him by the left
arm. Just above tie elbow. Stokes
berry. With his right hand and the
breech of the gun on the ground.
aged to spring jhe lever and throw
fiie SHELL into the barrel. and worked
ahe gun so that he GOT the mUzzle into
the bears mouth and pulled f}e tri"-
ger. 1t blew the top Of tie bears head
off, and she fell dead across the body
OF the young man.
IN the meantime the boy had made
all possible speed for the ranch, and
with two other men, we'll armed, came
back as quickly as they could. They
found the bear and the man as [ have
described, and thought both were dead.
But after pulling the big carcass Off
Of Stokesberry, they found that he was
still alive. They fastened to the ranch,
got a wagon, dispatched a messenger
1welve miles TO Carson for a doctor,
and used all the remedies they could.
which restored him TO consciousness
before the doctor arrived. He was ter
ribly lacerated and bleeding profusely,
and his case looked hopeless. But he
had nerve. and in a couple Of months
he wa able to walk about. He had
bit little use OF his left arm.
His friends killed the other wounded
4nuD and brought the four bears to the
rarrh. The old n tipped the scales
hide. but the shotgun, loaded with No.
6 shot. had made a hole about six
Snchcs square behind the left shoulder.
None of the shot went any further than
to the ribs.-Denver Post.