Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-04-07
NO. ID.
An Old Grizzly.

| y lew wears ago, on IN August aittF-
Eoon. mounted on a patient old horse, e
man was leavin. a cabin in California
where some comrades fingered over the re-
mains of primitively cooked game dinner.
The elder of a jolly quartelt of hunters, he
boasted the ownership of an ancient double
barreled shotgun. His chums carried
rifles and ievolvers. IL is far from mere
dible that he was the colonel of the
group; often the butt of their ridicule, the
target for concerted fun, and, too, because
he so facetieusly bore it.
''The colonel, he had more than once
repeated, ''will run toul of u grizzly some
time: then his Ole Daniel Boone piece will
be the death of him" But he frequently
declared that he wanted 10 meet grlzzly.
TO which he was as often retorted:
AYE, you'd scratch up the nealest tree,
or beat for your life, if he didn't swallow
you instanter."
Leave the dishes until | come back.
I'll have a treat for SUPPER said the
colonel" on this August afternoon His
three friends uncorked another bottle OF
wit, but he retTeated too rapidly to see or
hear the efTervescence. Galloping toward
q mountain stream, five miles distant,
WHICH III Tic D IGCIGdsC VI ltS W.
lume left in the narrow valley pools here
and there wherein small fish thrived, he
hoped to spy stray deer. y few occa-
slonally loitered behind. after the herd that
had roamed down from the mountain snow
feds in the rainy season returned at the
approach of the dry season. They seemed
loath to leave the green willows and chap
parrel around these pools.
Our horseman had trimmed his gun with
nine piston shot bullets. lie now descend
ed the slope, and, having reached grassy
spot, was preparing to lariat, not having
dismounted. Suddenly he discovered an
enormous bear lying fast asleep under
scrub oak, not more than hundred yards
from where he had halted. His surprise
may be imagined. He afterward declared
that at the moment he felt no Iwinge of
alarm, but that his first thought was to gal
lop TO the cabin and bring the hoys out for
grizzly. Then his repeated bOas,ing came
to mind, and he thought, Il must shoot al
him." And SO he walked the horse eau
tiOusly some paces nearer to the game
between the bushes. Now the old gun was
leveled, his finger on the trigger, but his
hands trembled slightly ''This won't do;
Will hllS llN ann NltA-1AAt tlAC 'NeNAdh
hunter, who would not risk an unsteady
shot ever so little short of frmness- tie
lowered the piece, and a sudden vision of II
ghastly scene flashed across his brain. He
thought of u young man whose bowels had
been literally torn out in an encounter with
a grizzly foe, and whom he had assisted in
burying in a mining district
lie hesitated no longer; slid down on
his feet; placed his arm within the bride
moose, and aiming at the bears ear, dis
charged Quicker than thought he sprang
to the saddle, spurred to utmost speed, ven
turing not glance backward till mile or
more up the slope. Then, hearing no roar
or rush behind, he turned and slowly re-
traced. Almost incredible to his judgment
his eyes beheld the bear in slightly alter
ed position stone dead. The effective,
iudiciOus shot had entered the brain.
Now the colonel rode triumphantly back
TO his comrades.
There's a big old grizzly over yonder."
''Why didn't you shOCt him?n al N
quick breath.
! Il did shoot.
Don't believe it. With shotgunl"
Il tell you, boys, have killed him"
''Tell that TO the babies-'
| Il say he is as dead as other bears have
ded. Come with me and bring him home. +"
| A two wheeled cart was borrowed of u
neighbor. They all piled into it, and first
drove impatiently in their hurry mile in
an opposite direction 10 enlist the services
OF two friendly Indians. When arriving
ON the ground, and convinced unmistakably
of the shot guns victory, their huzzas made
the desert ring The Indians Immediately
addressed the hero colonel by the distin-
gushing title OF ''Wama Shactoo'-Bear
King. His chums long alteTward styled
him Col. Shactoc, but his name is not
King.
The dead animal was supposed to weigh
], 100 pounds; one of the largest bears ever
shot in California The Indians had their
share of the meat with the hide, which
after a rude manner they dressed and
tanned, rendered it as hard as board The
writer has seen one of the toenails of this
veritable grizzly. 1t is IN u curve, Ot
course, measuring at least four inches.