The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-09-13
Fighting Grizzlies.
From the Denver (Col. Tribune.


ever had with bear, so far as my mem
DRY serves me-" remarked Len Pollard,
| the well-knoWn Rocky Mountain hunter
and trapper, standing with one foot on
beer-keg and the other on the floor of a
saloon at Hot Sulphur Springs, the other
| day. Though he has spent the last Seven
teen years in the mountains, Mr.. Pollard
still shows good breeding. He does not
wear long hair, and is avcrse to telling
his experiences though it is related Of
him that he has come safely out of more
/ hair breadth escapes than any man living
| in Middle Park. "Well, since you insist
upon it, III tell YOU" said he, ''but I'm
not much on story telling, and if you want
to make it startling. like most Of you
newspaper men do, you'll have toput the
words in yourself. 1t was only last win
ter year ago. The bear was the biggest
| | ever saw. There are gentlemen here
who saw the skin, and can verify what
say, else | would not say it." "That's
what We can do" spoke a half dozen.
at hung over there in Browns store, and
covered the wall from the loft to the floor.
1t was said one of the speakers, 'as big
as an elephant Len has gone through
more'n any man in the country, and never
says anything about it. He always brings
in something to show what he has done"
Len proceeded: Not quite as large as an
elephant. saw one back in Illinois in q
circus that had marked on the cage 1000
| pounds, and | give you my word it was
not .moren two-thirds as big as the one
| am speaking of.
Doc Porter and | were over on Bear
| river last winter a year ago. There was
| heavy fail of snow on the ground, with
! enough crust to hold a man up. Porter
| and | had gone over on horseback, and
were riding along when we suddenly spied
| the old fellow, one of the largest old griz-
lilies that the Rocky Mountains ever held.
We were in shooting range, the Dear being
only across the river from us. | didn't
| have q very good chance at him when L
pulled the trigger, but | hit him one in
| the body. | knew I'd hit him, so Doe and
! crossed the river to hunt him out. We
got another pull at him, and broke one
Of his tore-egs just above the paw with
another ball Then he came plunging
| for us. The small timber was thick, and
we hid from him. He had been SO badly
| hurt that he forgot us, and passed on and
let us alone. 1t was then getting dark,
and we concluded to let him 90 till morn
| ing.
Next day, bright and early, we had left
| our camp-t fire. and We're tracking him over
| the snow. This we could do with the great
est ease, because he had left his foot
| prints and the blood stains wherever he
went. We followed the trail for two or
three hours and were going up a steep
mountain side. There was no place to
| get out of the way. and | said to Por-
ter, If we should strike him now we'd be
| in close place, and fear bruin would
| get the best of us
| Well sir, | hadn't more'n got the
words out Of my mouth than there he
was Big as life, and ready to meet us
with open arms. Suddenly the Trail gave
out, and before | had noted the fact in
| my mind he was up and at us. He had
| broken through the crust OF snow and had
| stopped there for the night. Hearing us
| he had raised himself on his hind-legs
| and was standing with half his body out
of the snow. There he stood, as solid as
a rock, staring right into my face. The
paw had broken off, dangled down. and
almost touched my breast. Scared Well.
| sir, was scared. Scared was no name
| for it, | don't know how it WAS. There
| was 10 wind I'm sure but, sir, my hat
| and Docs both came right Oft, sir.
don't know but We must have been so
scared that our hair pushed EN- off, 1t
was never that way before nor since. For
| Gods sake, man, run J said Porter, as he
jumped behind Il tree that was standing
near. But what was the use to run
The bear could run faster than we could,
and | saw it in his eyes that he'd do it.
so | took my rifle from my shoulder. |
put it right against the grizzly's heart.
and then did not have room to place it to
my own shoulder. But pulled the trig
ger, and off she went. The gun kicked,
and jumped back ten feet The bear
few moments, but | saw that the ball
had gone home, and there was nothing to
fear. But Porter didn't think 50. and he
kept saying, 'Out of the way, man, and
let me shoot He did shoot-shot three
times before he got his pistol up. be-
gan to think | was in more danger Of
getting shot than | had been in being
eaten by a bear. We bagged the young
man, and that's all of it.
cts not always that bears will fight"
remarked an old hunter. "Some of em
are towards, and some are not, just as
some men will fight at the drop Of the
hat, and others won't fight if You spit in
their face. | don't remember to have
heard of any man being killed by one, but
Rocky Mountain Jim,-y0u've heard OF
Rocky Mountain jim, who was killed 10y
Evans over in Estes Park, - he came
darned near going under with one OF the
brutes. He used to live near here at the
Springs, YOU see. one day he went out
and killed an elk on Willow creek. hay
ing nothing to bring it home on he left it
where it was killed, intending to go for it
next morning. When he got there he
found a bear had taken charge Of the
carcass lie commenced firing at it. He
had no sooner done this than the bear
made a break for him. 1t was a hand-to-
hand fight, and there's no telling which
got the best of it. When he came to his
clothes We're nearly torn off him. He was
cut and gashed all over, and could hardly
see out of either eye. One Of them was
entirely put out.
Lien, why didn't you tell about that
adventure you had on your way over the
range? That time the bear got the best
of it. But he didn't have his gun. He
was travelling with Ostrander, who was
driving a team, with Pollard riding be
hind. They were climbing the range
when Len discovered a bear cub stand
ing right by the roadside. What are
you doing there, you little rat" he said
But he hadn't more'n spoken when here
come the old bear tearn' right across
the road. The team was between her
and her cub, and the way She did come
at them horses, They flew back and run
the wagon on to Lens horse. 1t fell
down and rolled over him. He got out,
but the wagon run back over the horse.
Things looked critical for a while, but the
bear saw her little one and sprang across
to it leaving the boys untouched