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Htw Be Killed e Yearling In a Fair Fight Without Weapons.Old Ephraim Hatfield, father of Anse and Elias Hatfield, of McCoy-Hatfield fend notoriety, was a born fighter, fie was also a mighty hunter, and had one ambition. It was to kill a yearling bear in a fair fight without any weapons other than those nature provided him j with. Every day that he felt especially strong he wouldigo out with his dogs and his boys, ajft treeing a bear, would get him dowdpmd fight him. When bruin would begin to get the best of the encounter, he would call his boys to leti loose the dogs. Year after year passed and Ephraim had not yet whipped a bear.i One day a fine yearling bear was treed, and as Cuffy was climbing to a place of safety old man Hatfield cut off a piece of the animal’s tail with a quick blow of his knife, and the bear came down. Ephraim threw his gun and knives to the boys and cried out:“He'B a likely varmint Stan aside, boys, an watcb yo’ dad. I’m comin, bar-1” And he clutched the bear by the throatThe animal got its paws around Ephnrim, and they fought, rolling in every Sirection, until it was almost impossible to distinguish man from beast in the cloud. The boys hehk the dogs and encouraged the old man by shouting to him:“Go it, pap! You’ve got’em! Give it to Jim, dad!”Down the hill the two rolled until they could roll no farther. #“Let loose the dogs I” shouted the old man. “Let ’em loose! The critter’s got me!”But the boys thought the old man would never have a better opportunity to realize his ambition and whip a yearling bear and kept the dogs away. Finally Ephraim, seeing that he was not to have assistance, began to use his feet and hands with an energy bom of despair, and in half an hour he succeeded in choking the animal to death, but not until his clothes were torn to shreds and his face and body were covered with gaping wounds, from which the blood flowed so freely that it left a crimson trail wherever the man went. Dragging the carcass out of the pit Ephraim started after the boys, and it would have fared roughly with them, but they fled. The old man reached his home and was almost dead from loss of blood, but his ambition had been realized—he had whipped a yearling bear in a fair fight. The boys hid out in the woods for several days, and would not return until their father, whose joy at his success had got the better of his pain and anger, sent them word that he would not whip them if they returned. Hatfield never wearied telling how he whipped a yearling bear, and his sons are equally proud of tbeir father’s achievement-^ Cincinnati Enquirer.
Newspaper Details
Columbus Daily Times
Columbus, Indiana, US
Sat, Nov 23, 1895
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Aaron G.
CA 04 Jun 2025
Other Publications Near Columbus, Indiana
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Columbus Herald
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