One winter night in the 1870s, the family of Ike Cowan had just finished supper in their cabin at Loafer's Glory near Fallsville. There were two or three inches of snow on the ground. Ike had spent the day looking for game, and had used up all the bullets for his .45 Winchester save one. So he sat by the fire, fixing to mold more bullets.
Sleeping at his feet was Old Drum, his large hunting dog.
Suddenly the night air was pierced by squeals. Ike was fattening up a hog and kept it in a pen near the house. The animal was now in great distress.
Ike grabbed up his gun and opened the door. The bright moonlight night showed a bear leaning over the fence, grabbing for the hog to pull it over.
Ike took aim and shot the bear just under the shoulder blade with his one remaining bullet. The bear dropped the hog and fell flat. Old Drum was anxious to go outside, so Ike gave the command, "Go get him!"
Drum took off like a shot, grabbing the bear by the hind leg. The bear fought back, and as they were going round and round Ike asked his wife Polly for a long butcher knife. He grabbed a six foot pole and some baling wire and fixed the knife to the end of the pole.
Then he followed the prints of the bear and the dog.
When he came upon them, he stuck the bear in the ribs. The bear fell flat. Old Drum got him by the throat, but the bear shook him loose and got away.
Ike followed and stuck him again. he bear hugged Old Drum and then knocked him flat into some vines. He then took a swipe at Ike. Ike called Old Drum back and they went back to the cabin for the night.
After breakfast next morning, Ike made more bullets and then went searching for the bear at the headwaters of Buffalo Creek. He followed tracks for a quarter mile, where he found a hole at the bottom of the bluff. There was the bear, in the water, dead.
Ike went home and hitched up his mule to bring the beast back to his home. It weighed over 400 pounds.
Barbara LeRoy is the author of “Which Side Were They On?,” a 302 page book listing biographical sketches of the Newton Countians who were involved in the Civil War, available for sale either in the Bradley House Museum or by purchasing online at www.newtoncountyar.com. The book sells for $33.
