San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-27
HUNTERS STORY.
chicago Mar Rrlsda Grizzly Bear and an
DO" yuormous Deer with One Shot.

santa 70 N. NJ Paper.
IN Sunday last, one of the most curl
~. adventures took place near the up.
Usr waters of the Pecos river that has
..r been related. AS the story was
..,d nv the hero OF il himself, who is
.sosptly from Chicago, and withal
modest man, 1T may be believed impli.
.;,lv. and it is illustrative of how, by
.on,bined bravely, GOODNESS and marks
nousbip, two birds may sometimes be
t;lled with one stone. Mr.. a. j. Shell
dom the author OF the story, left his
camp at Cooper City on the Pecos, last
Saturday afternoon in search of game,
in order, as he himself expressed it,
in the language of the board of trade,
70 cover his shorts in the line of fresh
meats, and especially induced thereto
bv the fact that he had several times
heard of an elk of enormous dimen-
sions having been recently seen few
miles up the river. As Mr.. Sheldon
was renowned throughout the camp
for his skill with the rife, much interest
was manifested by the miners and
others in the expedition, some of
the more sanguine even offering odds
that not only did that particular elk
stand no mortal show for prolonged
existence, but that Mr.. Sheldon would
bring back with him provisions enough
to supply the camp for the coming sea-
son. They accordingly gathered around
his cabin, drank his health numerous
times in the. vintage of the Pecos, and
gave him three rousing cheers, as,
armed with Springfield rifle, mounted
on his horse, and accompanied by his
constant burro, he calamity struck out
for the unknown wilds of the Upper
Pecos.
Saturday night he camped at the up
per forks of the river, and Sunday,
bright and early, was again on the
march. About four o'clock in the af-
ternoon the burro, which had wandered
ahead, came running back, apparently
in great terror, ears and tail erect, eyes
glaring, making that peculiar mournful
sound for which it's species is noted,
and refusing to be caught or comforted.
Not being able to make out from the
report of the confused burro just what
had happened, Mr.. s. cooked his gun
and advanced slowly and cautiously on
the unknown enemy. Crawling along
on his hands and knees for about a
quarter of mile he at length doubled
bend in the river, and there, standing
in full view in the meadow, and not
more than $50 yards away, he saw
huge grizzly bear with three cubs, and,
just beyond the bear and in direct
range with her, an animal that he at
once recognized as the long-sought-for
elk. Neither of the beasts was aware
Of his approach, so, quietly rising upon
one knee and resting his rife upon the
other, which is Mr.. SIS favorite posi-
ton in shooting, he took deliberate aim,
intending, as was his custom in attack
ing grizzlies, to break the bears spinal
column. This, as Mr.. S. afterwards ex-
planned, incapacitates them for severe
and prolonged attack OF resistance.
Bang went the gun, away sped the bull
let and down fell two animals-in fact,
three-the bear, the elk and Mr.. S.
himself, The bullet had cut the back
bone of the bear completely in two,
and, passing on through, had lodged IN
the heart of the elk; and the extraor-
binary task to which the rife had been
subjected, produced such a violent re-
coil that the hunter himself was
stretched fiat upon the ground. Re-
covering himself speedily, Mr.. S.
advanced upon his prey, hunting knife
in hand, but life was extinct in both |
animals. The little cubs, on hearing |
the report of the gun, fed; but, being |
only few weeks old, were speedily |
tied in bags and fastened on
the back of the horse. On examining |
the supposed elk Mr.. Sheldon found it
to be not an elk at all but an enormous |
deer-species unknown - measuring
eleven feet eight inches from the tip Of |
is nose to its hind feet, and standing 4