Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-09

" 90 ~ Che Sun River Valley, and 10 20
by The way oi the CadOtte Pass, 20 tha
trip up the BlackfoOt River would not
be out Of his way. Next morning the
storm was over, and we rode eastward
over the Bitter Root Mountains, and IA
a feW days were camped on the hoad
waters Of the Big BlackiOot. One night
we lay under our blankets on q tiny
branch Of the river, far up IN the mount.
aims. ! was just dropping 10 sleep
when the unearthly cries Of a panther,
80 like the screams Of a distressed
woman that for an instant WIS de-
ceived, woke me thoroughly. We lay
awake, listening 10 the cries, when "a
asked me II / had ever seen a grizzly
bear.
"Yes, I have seen the brute, and l
don't admire his physical or moral char
acteristics."
Ed lay quiet for a few minutes and
then said softly. "That animal is the
only thing on earth fear" He stop.
ped; then with a little nervous laugh
said Don't laugh at me and / WIN
tell you something" Without waiting
for me TO reply he began:
"Once / was on my way for the
KoOtenay Pass found a man alone
in little log hut, lying sick on his bed. I.
stopped 10 nurse him. That man had
shot at a grizzly bear with an old muz-
zle-loading rife. He bad missed a
deadly shot. The bear rushed for him.
He endeavored to climb a tree, and
thought he was far enough up to be safe
when the huge beast rose and struck
one blow at him, fairly tearing the calf
OF his leg into strings, but not knock
ing him out of his crotch Once safely
in the tree, the man outsat the bear, or
the bear got tired OF sick from his
wound at any rate the animal went
away, and the man descended and
crawled TO his little hunting lodge and
got into bed. / nursed him until he
could hop on one leg. Then 1 shot a
deer for him and left him. l had re-
solved 10 kill the first grizzly saw. /
was armed with an Allen rifle and had
plenty of cartridges. As you come up
into the KOotenay Pass there
is a patch of bare ground. A few
shrubs grow on the thin, shallow soil in
olumps. Around this open there is a
wall Of dense evergreen underground.
Riding up to the wall, looked through
and saw three great grizzly bears, ap-
parently eating something that they dug
out of the ground with their huge claws
Here was my chance. Tying my horse
with rawhide rope to a stout tree; rife
in hand, l crawled through the under
brush until was within seventy yards
of the brutes. rested my rife on the
dead stub of limb that stood out from
pine and sighted at the heart Of the
largest bear. just as 1 was going to
pull the trigger there arose, as from out
of the ground in front of me, the hunt
ing hut of the wounded man / had
nursed. One side of the hut was gone
| could see into it. could see the bed,
the man on it, and lin almost a whis-
peri, Frank, could see my
self binding and dressing the dread
full wound. 1 dropped my rife.
The vision disappeared. Three
times l sighted. Three times in vivid
distinctness arose this apparition of the
past. 1t cowed me. / was afraid to
shoot. 1 crawled back to my horse.
sat on him trembling with nervousness.
l was thoroughly ashamed Of myself for
being such a coward. 1 skulked and
hid in the brush, like a oayote until
those bears went away" Thenin low,
earnest tone, " But have resolutely de-
termined TO shoot the next bear l meet. -
For few seconds he was silent, and
then, with far-off look, softly added /:
"And / really believe the bear will kill
me.n With a distressed laugh he
jumped up, rebuilt the fire, and said /:
4" am so nervous that l can't sleep.
Get up, Frank, and have one more fish
ing match with man who is afraid of
bear. Get up! l will fish you q
match! Smallest fish cooks a midnight
supper" We fish and cook the mid
night meal. Next morning we parted,
never to meet again. l rode west, he
east into the Sun River country.
Years after, when in Bismarck, on
the Missouri, went into q great log
saloon and there met party of Mon
tana gamblers who had come down the
river expecting to play cards along the
line of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Our greeting over, asked after Ed.
Van Thusen. A silence fell over the
party. The hard men silently looked
into their empty glasses. At length
one said: "That grand young chap
was killed by bear in the Marias Pass.
Here, bring us some whisky l"-this TO
the bar-keeper. "Was the bear deadP''
l asked. ayes, huge grizzly lay a
few yards from Ed, cut to bits almost
with knife" Ideclined more whisky,
and sadly left the saloon. My friend
had met the fate he had foreseen, -
Frdflk WtLbeSOn, IN The N. Y Sun.