The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-09-02
A TI7SSIE WITH A GRIZZLY

The San Franciso Chronicle prints
this story as taken from the lips of the
old ranchman that related it:
One day we found some of the sheep
killed and some toted off, so Jim pro
posed to 90 out and make it hot for
the grizzlies for day or so, and, hav
ing nothing particular on hand, |
went with him. | had a couple of
mongrel dogs that were the best on a
bear | ever saw, so we took them
along. and the next morning about
10 they started a trail and off they
went whooping, we following. Ireck
on we must have tramped it mile or
so. when we came to thick
piece of brush, and into it the dogs
went with a rush, and the next
minute there commenced the greatest
yelling and snarling you ever heard.
[ was packing the camp things, and
so Jim jumped through the brush and
[ after him. and there in the center of
small clearing was the biggest griz-
ziy 1 ever saw or heard of The
minute / saw him I dropped my stuff
and grabbed my rife. The grizzly
was standing on his launches, splitting
fire and froth, just waiting for them
dogs to come within reach, and every
now and then making jump at them.
Without wasting any time, Jim step
ped up until he was within four feet
of the beast, then raised his rife and
pulled the trigger. He had dead
shot, but [ heard the click of the ham
mer and knew his rifle had missed fire,
and the next minute the bear, Jim,
dogs, and rife was a-going it up and
down, in and out, up and over, IN the
greatest rough-and- tumble you ever
heard of in your life For minute I
was so tuck back at the suddenness Of
the whole thing that | couldn't tell
what to do, and then L didn't dare to
shoot, they We're going about SO quick.
The dogs had the bear by the hind
quarters, and were biting and chawing
for all they were worth. The bear
was on top mostly, but jim had got
out his knife and was carving for all
he was worth, and it's a wonder he
wasn't drowned in blood. The only
thing that saved him from being
clawed all to pieces was thick buck
skin suit he wore.
I lodged about for about five min
utes waiting for chance, and all at
once | got it. The brute had pinned
Jim down squaIe by the shoulders,
and was just a-taking hold of him by
the throat or Whereabouts when [
clapped my rife to his ear and let fly
and Shot him dead Jim was about
played cut, but had strength to feel
that he Was uoIug squeezed too close
for comfort. It took all my muscle to
roll off the bear, as it laid right on top
of him, but [ did, and yanked jim
out, and wasn't he sight? His suit
was III rags, regularly cut up into
strings, and his legs We're almost cut
to the bone in & half a dozen places.
When [ hauled him to his feet he had
hold Of his knife and had to drop it
as it was a foot deep in the bears
throat, and by actual count there were
forty stabs in bears hide Soyou can
tell what kind of fighter he was.
What made you shoot?" were about
the first words he said, and then over
he went in a dead faint, and if it
hadn't been cold he'd have bled to
death before l could pack him to the
doctor, which / did, though forty miles
over the mountains Yes, he came
out all right, but for weeks he looked
like one of these crazy quits.