Year: 1876

Encounter of a Mother and Daughter Win


Bear-A Terrific Struggle, Ending In


Victory for the Heroines.


Two women, mother and daughter,
named Butler, living on the spur of the
Catskills of which Mount Prospect is
the termination, recently had an encoun-
ter with bear, in which was manifested
O heroism worthy of those early days of
American history when the settlers were
compelled to be continually on the alert
against ferocious beasts and still more
ferocious Indians.


Mrs. Butler is woman about thirty
five, and her daughter Jennie is sixteen.
It is the custom of the father and hus-
band to be absent in the woods some
times two or three days, leaving his wife
and daughter alone with good watch
dog and rifle in the cabin. About five
o'clock one day, the daughter, Jennie,
was preparing the evening meal for the
hogs, which were squealing in the pen,
a log inclosure short distance from the
house. A sudden change in the cries
emitted from the sty, and the furious
barking of the dog, Joe, caused both
mother and daughter TO run to the door
of the cabin and look out. What was
their surprise to see large black bear
with shote weighing sixty or seventy
pounds, tucked in under one fore leg
and trying to climb out of the inclos-
ure. The Buffers had lost three hogs
already by the inroads Of bears or other
animals, and the women resolved to res
cue this one if possible. The dog was
making q great fuss on the outside of
the pen but was afraid to Jump inside
and attack the bear. Mrs. Butler seized
a heavy maui, used in driving wedges in
the logs, and her daughter snatched the
ak from the woodpile and thetwo moved
at once to the pen. They both jumped
inside the inclosure, emboldened by
which the cog also leaped over and
commenced harrassing bruin in the rear.
The women rained blows heavy and
quick on the bear, which presently
dropped the pig, and, turning on the
dog, had him in his embrace in twink
ling and crushed him to death. The ef-
forts of the women to dispatch the bear
were redoubled. The bear was now
raging with fury, and advanced with his
Jaws distended upon the girl, who was
welding the ak numerically. With one
sweep of his great paw he struck the
weapon from her hands, and the next
instant had pressed her into corner OF
the pen; but the, terrible blows that
were showered upon him by Mrs. But
Ter with the maui forced him to leave
the girl before doing her any great In
Jury. He rushed furiously upon Mrs.
Butler, who managed to elude his grasp
and retained possession of her weapon,
which she used to good advantage. She
shouted to Jennie to hasten to the
house and bring the rifle and shoot the
bear. The girl jumped from the pen,
her clothing nearly all torn from her
person, and hurried after the gun. The
blood from the wounds inflicted on the
bear by the az and maui poured on the
floor of the pen and over the shaggy
coat of the monster. Round and round
the inclosure the contest waged, until at
last the bear struck the woman's weapon
with his paw and sent it flying out on
Gu0 STOuuus hO EiOooSee AAS' OooeANA
into corner, where she dropped in a
crouching position and placed her hands
over her eyes, expecting to be torn to
pieces the next instant. just then her
daughter returned with the rife. She
pushed the barrel through chink in
the log and fred. The bear staggered
on his launches and fell back dead. The
ball had entered and passed clean
through his heart, as was afterwards
ascertained.


With the removal of the great tension
on her nerves, Jennie fell ifeless to the
ground, and it was long time before
her mother could summon strength suf-
ficient to climb out of the pen to her
aid. She finally got her into the cabin
and succeeded in restoring her to con-
seiousness. Neither of the women were
hurt to any great extent, the daughter
having the flesh torn under her arm
where the bear seized her, and being
considerably scratched about the body.