Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-01-11
A PRINCELY HUNTER.
Some of the Adventures Of Messlter, the
Sportsman, In the Judith Basin.

St. Paul Pioneer Press, December 81.
Messiter, the celebrated English
sportsman, left Bismarck, d. T., on
the day after Christmas for the East.
He has gone directly to Harrisburg,
Penn, to spend the winter and spring.
He lives neal that city, but gets his
wealth from England. He is the pro
prietor of 1900 acres of land and
three small villages. His income is
princely. He has hunted everything
from an elephant to a jack-rabbit. He
was three years the chief of a band of
Arabs in Arabia. His object was adj
venture and a knowledge Of the PEG
pie. He is by far the most accOmp-
lished gentleman who has ever travelled
this way as a hunter. His rough life
simply refnes him. He is an artist in
his line.
When Messiter and Colonel Pickett.
of Kentucky, started into the judith
Basin, on their fall hunt, their first
experience was with a big grizzly, who.
suddenly charged them from a woods.
The hunters and their two guides were
all on horseback. The horses were
frightened and the riders unable to
take aim. The bear would charge one
horse and then another. VOlley after
yolley was fired at random. The
horses pitched about and the bear EN-
tered into the fun with all the spirit
Of his great nature. The crack of the
rife amused him. He would run back
into the wood and then bounce out
again, taking after the nearest horse.
A rife-shot from his side or rear
would make him turn and charge in
the direction of the enemy. The fight
was kept up for four hours when dark
ness terminated the unsatisfactory
contest. The bear was safe. Hunters
disguised.
Messiter saw a fine grizzly run into a
very heavy thicket. He persuaded his
pointer dog to go into the thicket by
throwing a stone into it. The dog
went in to retrieve the stone but came
out with his tail between his legs, and
on a clean run that never stopped un-
til he got into camp. The bear fol-
lowed him to the edge of the thicket.
wheeled about face and disappeared.
just as the headquarters were passing
out of sight Messiter discharged both
barrels of his express rife. They
were loaded with explosive balls. The
bear got them. They hurt him, but
didn't kill. Mr.. Messiter was now in
a quandafy. The shell of one barrel
couldn't be removed and the bear was
too cunning 10 make fight. Messiter
threw a cart-load of stones into the
thlcket, hoping the bear would take
Offense and come out. The bear had
seen enough. He would take the
chances of being hit by the stones.
Messiter could shoot straighter than
he could throw. He I'D the rest Of
the story in about the following words
Gentlemen, | am sorry to say it, but
| deliberated an hour and a half be-
fore | decided TO go in after that bear.
knew that he was wounded, and in
all probability would die before morn
ing and his meat spoil. 1t was getting
late in the afternoon and | must de-
eide. Having but one useful barrel Of
my rife made the situation all the
more interesting. / got down on my
hands and knees and crawled into the
thicket a few hundred yards, when
saw something just in front of me
moving up and down. 1t was the
lower jaw Of the grizzly ssHe was whot-
ting his appetite. | placed my rife to
my shoulder. The bear began to raise
up. 1t was death to one of US. |
fired. The bear fell back. The bul.
let passed directly through the ball of
his left oye."