Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1877 — Desperate Fight with a Wounded Deer. [ARTICLE]

Desperate Fight with a Wounded Deer.

Dr. J. M. Bailky, who has been absent from town for some weeks working out his assessment on a number of mines situated in the -Ruby range of mountains, returned home last evening From him we learn the particulars of a thrilling adventure, in which one life was lost, and the doctor himself narrowly escaped a frightful death. One evening as the doctor was returning from his mines to camp he noticed a number of deer tracks in the snow, and when near camp saw a large deer slowly approaching him. Being armed with only a small five-shooter revolver, he concealed himself behind a slight rise in the ground, and when the deer had come within a few feet of him suddenly sprang to his feet, and, taking aim, shot the surprised animal in the shoulder. The deer immediately turned and ran as best it could, leaving a trail of blood on the snow, by which it could be followed. Darkness coming en the doctor was forced to give up the hunt, and returning to camp engaged the services of two Indians to assist him in securing the wounded animal. Early the following morning the trio started out, the Indians arnied with rifles and the doctor with his five-shooter. The trail was easily found, and but a short distance from where the doctor had left it the preceding night the wounded deer was found, evidently having been nursing his wound during the night. Perceiving his pursuers, the animal started off ofi a slow run, and after making a detour of the valley for about fifteen miles, started for the hills, which were thickly covered with a low growth of cedar. Here it was thought the hunters would have no difficulty in “bagging” their game, and Dr, Bailey, who was a sliort distance ahead of the Indians, was momentarily expecting to come up with the deer, which had then disappeared from view. Suddenly a cracking of the. bushes was heard, when the stag, which had become enraged at the cjose pursuit, appeared in sight—not now as one whose life was being hunted down, but on the offensive, ana, charging upon the party, caught the doctor on Rs broad antlers, and before he could realize the situation he was tossed in the air by the maddened beast and sent rolling over the ground, though, fortunately, not sustaining much injury. One of the Indians, seeing the turn, affairs had taken, fled; but the other, paralyzed with fear, seemed rootra to the spot, and to him the deer next paid its attention. Rushing upon the terrified man and catching him on the terrible weapons nature had supplied it with, the luckless Indian was sent whirling through the air a distance of about thirty feet, and fell flat on his face on the frozen ground. As soon as the doctor could gather himself up, he sought safety in flight, but the animal, perceiving the Intention, started in pursuit, and heoarely had time to climb a low cedar tree before he was again brought face to face with the beast. Having lost his pistol when the deer made its attack, he was left without any means of defense save a common jack-knife, and bringing this into requisition he endeavored to stab the animal in the eyes and thus escape; but the deer was equal to the emergency, and successfully parried off the blows with his antlers. Seeing nothing could be accomplished in this way, the doctor cut a branch from the tree, and tying the open knife to it by means of his handkerchief, again commenced the attack, this time more successfully, for a well-directed blow severed a j'ugular vein in the animal’s neck, and the fight wasover, but not without one more desperate attempt on the part of the brave animal, which immediately on receiving its death wound drew itself up, its eyes flaming like balls of fire, and seemed preparing itself for one more charge, when it fell to the earth dead. The doctor descended from the tree, and noticing that the Indian who had been attacked was lying on the ground, hastened to him and found him in a dying condition. One of the antlers had penetrated the abdomen, the other the region of the spinal column, the antler breaking off and leaving a portion of it, about three inches, in the Indian’s body. The other Indian had come up by this time; a fire was built and preparations maae to remove the wounded man to his camp; but he diedin few moments afterward and was buried on the spot. The fight with the animal lasted some time; and it was late the next day when the doctor returned to camp. The Indians returned and secured the carcass of the deer and had a jollification over the event, seemingly unmindful that one of their number liadlostnis life in the terrible encounter which the wounded stag had given its-pursuers. The antlers of the deer, the knife used by the doctor, and the broken piece taken from the Indian’s body were brought into town by Dr. Bailey, and are now on exhibition at the Palace saloon.— Eureka {Cal.) Senii. nd. '

Tub quantity of pins , now produced daily in England is 50,000,000, of which Birmingham produces 87,000,000, leaving 18,000,000‘as the production of London, Warrington, Stroud and Dublin, where pins are also made. The weight of wire consumed annually in the pin Manufacture of England is about tons (one eighth of this is iron wire, used in the manufacture of mourning and hair pins). The brass wire consumed amounts to 2,500,000 pounds, which at lid. per lb. in money value reaches the sum of £114,588. The iron wire consumed is 844,800 pounds, its value £7,183 6s, 6d., slid to be added to these amounts are the wages, paper, ornamental envelopes, boxes, wear ana tear of machinery, manufacturers’ profits, etc. Mourning, hair, entomological. and japanned (i. e. stuckun row pins), realize a larger profit than pins sold by weight Taking it altogether, the pin manufacture of tf»e United Kingdom is' not over estimated at the aggregate amount of £220,000. The weight of pins produced annually in America; allowing fifty working weeks in the year, is st f >-d to be from 850 tons to ,500 tom p r annum, or 1,J2Q,000 lbs.— Dritiek Ira e Journal '■ ’ll i ’ II ■ 1 The number of able-bodied men In New York out of employment is estimated at 50,000, or about enough to clear the Rio Grande of Mexican'cattle-stcalera for twenty miles bate.r-Ddreit Erm Preu.