Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1891 — WOMEN OF NERVE. [ARTICLE]

WOMEN OF NERVE.

Tiro Slsteis Kill a Bear in a Hand to Hand Fight. A family named McDonald lives wayback in tho wilderness on the Molus River, in Maine. It consists of the husband,Roderick McDonald, his wife, and his sister, both young women. They have a little farm in there, and keep a few cattle. Their most valuable possession in that line was a yoke of steers. One day Mr. McDonald was obliged to go to one of the settlements several miles away, and his business was to keep him over night. His wife and sister were loft alone to look after things during his absence. Jugt before dark a great bellowing washeard among the cattle in the burnyard. Tho sounds were of such an unusual character that the two women became satisfied that they were cries of terror. Mrs. McDonald, armed with a pitchfork, and her sister carrying an axe, hurried tothe barnyard. There they found an enormous bear, standing defiantly’ between tho prostrate bodies of the twosteers, each of which.he had felled to the ground and killed. The other cattle were huddled in terror in a corner of the yard. The bear growled and snarled and showed, his teeth as tho women approached, but, in spite of his terrible front and threatening attitude, tho sight of the steers lying dead on the ground was more than theplucky young women could stand, and they rushed with desperate intent on thesnarling bear. Mrs. McDonald charged with her pitchfork and thrust its sharp, long tines deepinto the bear’s neck. The boar gave a. howl of pain, and, striking the handle of the pitchfork a powerful blow with one forepaw, ho wrenched it from Mrs. .McDonald’s hands and sent it flying across the barnyard. Whilo the bear was doing that Miss McDonald pitched into himwith the axe, and at the first blow disabled one of his terrible forelegs. The boar turned on her, and she ruined blows thick and fast upon him as sho backed, slqwly away. Mrs. McDonald quickly regained possession of tho pitchfork and renewed her attack on tho bear. .Between the attacks of the two determined and plucky women the bear was so badly harassed that he made an effort to osoapo from the field, but tho women pressed him too closely. The battle wasnot of long duration, for the lusty blows of the axe in the girl’s hands and the deop and painful stabs inflicted by Mrs. McDonald with her pitchfork soon had their effect on tho bear, big and tough as ho was. und in ten minutes after the fight began he was stretchod dead by the side of his victims, tho two steers. Tho two nervy women laid their clothing nearly strippod from them by the claws of the bear, but beyond a few scratches they were not injured. They were not on the scene in time to save the valued steers, but their pluck in avenging thedeath of the cattle aroused so much enthusiasm and admiration at the settlement that a purse was raised among the lumbermen and hunters, with which another y’oke of steers was bought and presented to Mrs. McDonuld and her brave little* sister. —[New York Sun.