The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-05-25
General Misttllanu.
The Taking of Sampson.

Delilah didn't do it, and there were no
Philistints in the case. Sampson was not
consulted in the matter, and there was no
tooling with green whites or with untried
ropes, nor did he ever sleep SO soundy that
any maiden of Timmath, how skilltul with
the loom soever, could have woven his shag-
gv hair into the web Though in his mighty
strength he would indeed have scotied at ali
the green whites that ever grew, and all the
uew cords with which those sturdy limbs
could have been bound would indeed become
as flax in the fire when he chose to rise III
his might and carry terror among MS toeS-
| How mal.y thousands of his enemies he has
killed he cannot tell. though certain 1t is III
mis- dealings with his advelsaries lie did not
use the Jaw bone Of all ass, but trusted rath-
er to his own, which served his purpose to
much better advantage. And wheE at last
he tell into the tolls of the enemy it was
through the ,reacnerous Wiles Of 10 betray-
ing dsmsel, only the carnal appetite OF his
own unhound.d stomach was to blame. For
the Sampson of this loaded mnion column
is no, the gentleman whose sad story is told
in the great primer pages q the old family
Bible, but a horse OF quite another color-ln
fac, bear, species, grizzly. And the grlz-
zly bear, called Sampson is for strength and
size quite as noted character among his ur-
sine kind, as was the elder Sampson among
men, being by far the largest and strongest
bear that ever was captured alive, s:nce that
bears have become product Of our noble
country.
The story of his taking was as follows =
Most of the rayines about the foot Of the
, California Mountains are the habitat of bear:
Of almost every variety, and in the latter par
$ of the wear 1858 the few settlers in Tuoum
ne, CaIayersa, Mariposa, and San Joaquin
= counties, California, became unpleasantIy
ware OF the presence in their vicinity OF NOR
beals than they had immediate occasion for
The hunters who set forth on the task OF
:, pe1suadine these unwelcome neighbors b.
the gentle arguments Of rifle ball and keel
F. long knife to abdicate in their favor, and t
remove to some other and more distant dc
minions met with such success that they ha
decidedly the best Of the argument with tn
.rizzl>s. Many Of the latter succumbed t
the moral suasion Of the rifle and their skin
charged owEcrs, others retreated and lett tn
hunters masters of the field. In the cours
of Tier work the men frequently saw Oh
bear DISTINGUISHED above all his fellows TO
nugcnrsS and ierocily, and though this PAL
,icular animal was seen at short intervals 10
n mole than a year, no hardy hunter had VI
IS cared to venture near egough to admlnlstt
certain leaden quie,us. In the course O
'G months the "big grizzly" became well know
by sigh, to several and by reputation to Mi
N nv. aud many was the shot thrown away ~
80 on his tough hide, TO bullet being tortana'
enough to find vulnerable point. SO We
W protected was the life OF the big grizzly /
- the thick hide and shaggy hair, that he WI
MS entirely unhurt after shooting acqualn
arce of fifteen months with his cO-lnhabltan
,h. whites. In due course of time the fan
p.de of the grim and grizzly quaaruped reacht
- the coast, and was talked Of in the cities Q
the Pacific shore. The man most interestt
E. Of ali in the four legged hero, WIS one }.
- Adams Of San Francisco, the proprietor OF
rs large menagerie, man mighty as hunt
~ o,d famed AS trainer Of lntractabie WI
h..s,s The stories of the unusual SIZE {
,be Tuolumne bear and the difficulty the
c,l hunters found in dealing with him rails
,be ambitious enthusiasm Of the animal
I'D mer to Sc high pitch that he determined
, organize a party to pursue the "ols gF'zz'
win tho determination not to kill him, +
i'iy to accomplish the infinitely more a'''c
- undertaking of capturing the fierce animal
rs live.
, ot In February, 1854, Mr.. j. c. Adams
s1- companied orly by one Indian and a ooy
- out on their journey. Their hrst care
vt. reaching the hunting ground was 10
e's nouuce their business, and request sucn