Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1899 — GRAPPLE WITH A BEAR. [ARTICLE]

GRAPPLE WITH A BEAR.

VMglastu Panaer Has a Horrible W Experience In • Deadfall t f Ambrose Larsen, of Sebome, Wash., carries four toshes taken from jaws of a brown bear, which crashed the man's arm, inflicting indescribable agony. Larsen, while on his waff to San Francisco for surgical treatment, stopped at Tacoma, where be was seen by a reporter of the Dally News, to whom he described the terrible struggle. In the latter part of September two of my pigs were killed by bear*. I bunted and waited for the marauders, but could not meet them. Then I built a deadfall, plating it directly In the only trail they could reach the pig-pen by. Sept 28, on visiting tbs trap, I found an Immense brown bear In It, the largest I bare ever seen during a lifetime spent In the woods. The log of the trap had fallen across fho bear's haunches and broken bis back. He was alive, however, and full of light I put two bullets from my Winchester into its bead, and the bear turned over as If dead. I got down Into the pit to see the best means of getting to work at skinning the animal. In doing this it was necessary for me to pass my right arm under the bear's bead. No sooner had my band tonebed his head than, with a snap, he caught me .by the arm, just above the elbow, sinking his tushes deep to the bone. At the ’same time he sent bis claws Into the leg :«f my right boot. Fortunately, I bad brought my Winchester into the pit with me, and had leaned It against the side, as It happened, within reach of my left hand. The bear had me securely pinion* d, and I could feel his tushes crunching the bone of my arm. Getting the rifle-stock between my knees, I managed to work the loading jlever with my left hand, and plating Ithe muzzle of the gun fairly into the right eye, fired. The shot sent jthe big brute into its dying throes. Like m vise Its jaws settled down on my crushed arm, until it seemed that flesh And bone must sunder, and as if the weight of the bear’s head and shoulders would tear the arm away. Getting another cartridge into the rifle by the same tactics as before, I shoved the weapon as far down the brute’s throat as my failing strength would allow, and fired. The bear was undoubtedly already dead, but only a slight relaxation of Its jaws followed the second shot. I could not free my arm. The bold of the claw on my boot, however, relaxed. With this advantage gained I dropped to my knees, and using the rifle-barrel as a lever, forced the animal's jaws open. At last I managed to free myself. With my relief my grit gave ont, and I fainted. The next I knew my wife and a neighboring rancher were beside me In the pit, endeavoring to stanch the bleeding from my arm. My wife had become alarmed at my long absence, and knowing my errand when I left home In the morning, had made her way to the bear deadfall Unable, on account of her feeble strength, to raise me from the pit, she bad walked three miles to the next cabin to ours to procure a neighbor’s assistance.