The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-06-12
From, he Pacific Standard.
Grand Bear and Bull Fight.

On Saturday evening well known grizzly
bear, which had been for several months the
terror of the neighborhood, killing horses and
cattle, was taken by party of rancheros at
the rancho of Mr.. Daguerro, just over the hills
northwest from San Jose. Several lassos were
thrown upon him at once and he was taken
alive and unhurt. He was brought into town
in sort of rude cage drawn by four oxen. He
announced his own arrival by his howls of rage,
producing greater commotion in the little city
than any recent distinguished arrival. Six
mounted rancheros with their lassos jerked him
most adroitly from the cage into the arena of
Mr.. Pico's amphitheatre, where he was fastened
to a stout stick of timber by lashing his hind
legs around it.-His bellowings as he was jerked
into the arena, utterly powerless in the hands
of his captors and their resistless lassos,-were
heard far and wide. He was considered to be
the largest grizzly bear ever taken alive and
unhurt, and appeared to be about four years
old, and to weigh nearly 800 lbs. All night
long his howls echoed through the town, as he
lay fastened to his stake, pining for his moon
light haunts in his native hills. In his own
savage fashion, he made moan for his freedom;
and his cries. pitched in key of pain and
wrath, smote upon the ear, through the deep
silence, with a sort Of inartculate eloquence
that was Troublesome.
This morning, at IL o'clock, it was announ-
ced, the fight was to come off between the bear
and two or three of the wild bulls of the plains
-Punctual to the hour a crowd of people filled
the seats of the amphitheatre, including good
g
legislature.
As for the details of the affair, neither time
nor inclination serves me to give them. The
expectations of a fierce conflict raised by the
appearance of the bear and the stories told of
the ferocity and power of the grizzly bear Of
our mountains,-were certainly not satisfied.
The moment the bull-a magnificent animal
by the way, of perfect proportions, and uncOm-
mon yigOr and courage-was let into the arena,
he dashed like thunderbolt upon the bear and
Notwithstanding his resistance with his tusks
and his formidable paws, gored him terrible,
pinning him to the ground, and tossing him
about.-Either the bear was worn out and ex-
hausted by his confinement and constrained
posture, or he was overmatched. What is GER
tain is that the bull gored and trampled and
tossed him without mercy; heaving his huge
bulk, frequently to the full extent of the ropes,
by which the hind leg of the bear was attached
to the fore leg of the bull. The whole thing
was too one sided to be called a contest; and it
was relief when the dying bear was hauled
out of the ring, into the street, where friend
ly knife put end to his sufferings.
On examining the carcase it was found that
the bull must have given him, in the onset, q
severe thrust under the forearm, nearly the
depth of his horn; probably disabling it.
The general impression produced, besides the
disgust is that the grizzly bear is not nearly SO
formidable a beast had been supposed. But
it cannot be said that the bear to-day, exhaus-
ted and probably paralyzed in his formidable
limbs by the confinement furnishes any prop
er criterion