Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1874-01-02
The Grizzly Bear

ent of the New York Tribune, in giving
an account of the three species of the
bear family found in the Rocky Noun
tain region, makes the following refer
ence to the king Of wild beasts in this
country:
The grizzly, however, stands at the
head of the bear family, and is more
feared and respected than all others. He
is a treaCherOus, sullen, malicious, des-
per tie, ill-mannered, uneOuth, shaggy
brute-One who stubbornly resists all adj
vances toward friendship, and is ready at
any time to die in the last ditch. Like
the immortal "Old Guard" of Napoleon,
your genuine grizzly never surrenders,
but is game to the last The grizzly has
lOrdly, independent bearing, and, on
the native mountain-sides or in the for
ests, will hardly deign to make room for
man himself If you meet one in the
road, the chances are, that he will not
bulge an inch, unless he happens to be
in an accommodating mood, and then he
will trot cut one side a few yards, rear
himself upon his enormous launches,
and graciously wait for you to pass. No
matter whether you are armed with
breech-loading Ballard, needle gun, Win
chester, or Sharp, never attack grizzly
alone, or out in the open country.
The only safe position is on the back
of good horse, or in the limbs of a cot
tonwOod tree. Many persons, disregard
ing this advice, have paid for their temer-
ity with their lives; for, no matter where
you shoot grizzly, whether through the
heart or the brain box, he never gives up
the CHEST without a struggle, and will
fight as long as he can lift paw.
Practical illustrations of the fighting
powers ofthe grizzly are to be seen in these
mountainousreg iOns nearly every day. The
otner morning your correspondent en-
countered miner from Farplay, who
had come down from the valley-region
Tor supplies. His personal appearance
was, to say the least, peculiar. He car
rled his right arm in q sling; one eye was
twisted upward, his face was scratched
and torn, and indented with ridges. while
his head was as guiltless of hair as a bill
llard-ball. AT first | supposed that he
HAD been invited by some Of the friendly
Indians to scalping picnic as chief per-
former; but, in conversation it turned out
that he had received each of all these
grievOus wounds from the claws of
grizzly. A social glass of the ardent
warmed up the heart of the miner, and
he related the dismal tale of his adven-
ture IN almost the following language:
You see, said our hero, planting him
self on a dry-goods box, and inserting an
enormous quid Of Virginia natural next
TO his m0lars, 81 came to this region at an
early day, and, after bucking against the
monte-banks Of Denver few weeks, and
losing every cent, | struck for Gregory's
Gulch, and located a claim. The blasted
thlng didn't pan out rich; | could get
plenty OF color, but no nuggets or dust;
so sold to bull-whacker who was rather
green and crossed over to Fairplav. near
the main range, and there | have stuck
ever since. | can't say, stranger, as I've
done anything very powerful; but I've
got few nuggets slowed away, and the
coroner won't be called upon to paw nv
funeral expenses, even if should happen
to die with my boots on. But you want
to hear the bar story: Well, my cabin is
located just twelve miles from Fairplav,
on the other side and at the foot of Mt.
Lincoln; and what with gold and silver
lodes, bear are mighty numerous in that
quarter; but never troubled them until
the devils began troubling me- They
opened hostilities by raiding on my hog.
pen, which stood just back of the cabin.
| had some mighty fine Suff0lks, and was
depending on them for my winters
supply Of pork: but the grizzlies cot the
scent and, in less than a week, nearly
all the pigs are gone. | secured the pen
the best way | could; put logs over it,
and watched it some NIGHTS; but the
grizzlies were cunning, and, when
would stretch out to take a short nap,
they'd dash in, and another pig would be
gone. L could hear my darlings suueal,
and sometimes see the bear dashing down
the underbrush with the victim in his
mouth but what could | do, more'n to
cuss, and swear, and VOW that, the next
time grizzly came back, he would carry
OH something more than live pork? By
this time | had only one hog left-the
latest Of the lot, and the pride of my
heart. swore that, if any bloody Rocky
Mountain grizzly got that pig, it should
be over my dead body; and so | brought
the darling into my cabin, and nailed
down the windows, and double barred the
door, and put fresh charge in my car
blne, and bid defiance to the whole bear
tribe. They did not modest me for some
nights and began to feel secure. Final
ly, the absence of danger gin me conf
dence there the narrator paused to brush
away atear) and growed kinder careless
and needless like, and lowed the
pig to skirmish round loose in
the yard. One morning, about
six months ago, | got up early, as
wished to do big days work, and
cooked my breakfast by candIelight
had just put down square meal, and
was gathering up my traps to leave, when