Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-09-22
THE GRIZZLY BEAR OF CALIFORNIA.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR OF CALIFORNIA.
Among the most extraordinary exhibitions in
the animal economy, to be exhibited at the Ohio
State Fair, at Cleveland, is the ponderous Griz-
Fly bear of the Pacific. This animal is mon
strous indeed, weighing it is said, 1000 pounds.
Lieut. ]. W. Gunnison's description of one of
those huge animals in his lectures before the
Young Mems Society, may be recollected by ma
ny of our citizens.
We understand it is the purpose of its owner
to bring the animal to Detroit for exhibition du-
ring the State Fair. The Cleveland Plain Deal
er gives the subjoined interesting sketch of the
personal history of Bruin, which will be found
of great interest,"
All recollet the " Big Bear" story with which
the California papers were filled last winter
80 many big stories are told of that big country,
that our Atlantic readers are puzzled to know
how much to believe. But of that big bear we
ask no confirmatory proof. We have seen the
identical critter, and of all wild monsters we
have ever seen he is the widest, hugest, and
most terrible to look at His actual weight is
over ZOO pounds, and his length, breadth, and
colossal columns, alias legs, when standing up
on his pegs, strike you with terror at his savage
proportions. The bears we have seen in cara
vans, caught when cubs and drawn about in car
riages, are stunted dwarfs compared with him.
lie was taken in the full prime of life, after hav-
ing acquired his full size, in acountry unmolest-
ed by the white men, and where venison was
plenty. He was, no doubt, one of the First
Families" in his native country, if not a mon
arch in the land. He joined Barnum's elephant
humbug some weeks ago, as a side show, but
all who saw him protested against the arrange
mar ha fhn oh 81 Of h.,
whole concern, and let the elephants come in be-
hind, or part company altogether.
The story of his capture is interesting. We
have it from Mr.. Bartholomew, the gentleman
who captured him. Mr.. B. had spent some
years in California, had seen and helped kill ma
ny big bear, but happening one day to come
across this fellows track, judged by the size and
indentation he must be monster. He lived in
the valley of the Sacramento, and occasionally
his cows would stray to the bottoms for feed
1t was in pursuit of them he first caught sight
of the bear Accustomed as he was to hunting
and peril, his hair stood on end when he got a
full view of his giant proportions. But he had
good rifle and was mounted upon fleet horse,
which gave him pluck enough to shoot, but the
report and not the bullet disturbed bruin, and
he disappeared in the thicket. Mr.. B., who Of
course is a Yankee, conceived the idea of en-
trapping him and bringing him to the United
States for show, which adventure he actually
accomplished in the following manner:
lie takes new, stout emigrant lumber wag-
on, makes long and high cage upon it, with
iron rods at the side and sheathed over top and
bottom with sheet iron He fixes the after end
so that it would shut down with q slide, and
thus accOutered took it near the haunt of the
bear, and sunk its hind wheels so as TO bring
the bottom Of the cage on line with the ground.
He then raises the hind end board attaches to
it the spring of figure four" built on the top
of the cage, and connected with fresh piece Of
venison inside. He then takes fresh deer's
hide and drags it from within the cage some
half mile into the woods for the bear to take
scent.
The next morning as soon as light he rode to
the spot, but long before he came 10 the open-
ing where the trap was set, and before he could
see the bear, he could hear the carriage rattle
and the raving of the animal within. He rode
up to within few rods, before bruin saw him,
so intent was he in escaping; but when he did
get his eyes on his captor, he rushed towards
him with terrible howl, and thrust his paws
through the CRATES with such force as to nearly
upset the carriage. For ten days and nights
the hunter stayed by him, the bear necessarily
raving and gnawing up his cage. He had bro
ken all his front teeth OH the iron CRATES, and
had torn up with his claws the sheet iron cover
ing within. The hunter now saw that his game
would certainly be lost unless he could disable
him from his incessant and persevering labors
to be free. A cruel expedent was resorted to-.
He would heat iron bars and thrust them into
his cage, when the bear would take them in his
paws and hold them till the blood from the
burn would siss. In this way poor bruin was
beaten, as his feet became so sore he was glad
to lie down and let his master double the bars
around him. In this condition he was taken to
Sacramento, shipped to San Francisco and from
there to the lsthmus across the Nicaragua
route. He was the first passenger that ever
crossed that country on wheels, and the natives
wondered much more at the Yankee wagon than
at the California bear. He is now in charge of
Lewis S. Barnum, and who will make fortune
out of him. He is worth travelling fifty miles
to see.
CoMPENsATIoN-For everything you have
missed, you have gained something else; and
for everything you gain you lose something
If the gatherer gathers too much, nature takes
out of the man what she puts into his chest =