The Bear That Wouldn't Die: A Hunting Trip Nearly Ends in a Man's Jaws

Special. — Charles Mouneer and E. T. Weathers, of this place, while at work about six miles up the Snohomish river, had an exciting experience with a bear yesterday. As they were going to their work after noon they sighted a large bear so near to them that they thought they could kill him with a gun which Weathers carried, a 44-caliber Winchester. The gun had four or five cartridges in the magazine, and Mouneer carried the cartridge belt. Weathers shot the bear three or four times, when he was supposed to be down. As the men approached him he rose and ran. They followed. As the gun had been emptied, Mouneer took off the belt while pursuing, and handed it to Weathers. Two or three times the bear fell and rose again as the men followed him. Finally he seemed to be so nearly dead that when within a few feet of him, Mouneer called to Weathers to fire again, as the gun was again loaded. As he spoke the brute arose and bounded toward Mouneer, who, on account of logs, etc., in the trail, could not well retreat, and, thinking the bear would stop before reaching him, tried by hollowing and gesticulating with his hands and arms to turn the bear in the opposite direction.

The bear was not so easily frightened as was supposed, and still advanced. When within a few feet of Mouneer the bear rose upon his hind feet and struck Mouneer a stunning blow in the face with his paw, which threw the man to the ground, with the bear upon him. Bruin grabbed Mouneer by the fleshy part of the arm, again in the leg, and also stabbed him by the right breast and lifted him clear off the ground, each time holding on with his teeth until the flesh gave way and let the man drop to the ground.

When the bear raised his head, with Mouneer in his mouth, caught by the breast, Weathers had reached a point where he could get a shot past Mouneer's head and shoulders to the bear's head, and one good shot brought the bear to the ground, with Mouneer under him, the breath fairly knocked out of him. Although many bears have been killed in this vicinity, it is very seldom that one will turn on a man when there is open ground beyond where the beast can see a chance of escape.

The wounded man is on the way to recovery, and says that in the future he can see bears better at a distance when not supplied with a gun. The bear was a very large one, and evidently an old one.