The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-04-07

Tor facts am afraid that fully ninety |
per cent of the grizzly stories would |
tur- out to be fiction. / do not think
q grizzly is carnivorous from choice.
He seldom descends from his mountain
home to the creeks and rivers in search |
of wild plums and chokeberries (the
favorite diet of brown. cinnamon, and
black bears). but prefers to remain
aloft and feast upon the stores laid up
for winter use by his industrious
neighbors, the gophers and mountain
squirrels. Pine nuts are plentiful high
up, and then the grubs and worms
found beneath old stones and moss
overgrown boulders are good enough
for King Bruin while they last. When
the mt, berry and plum supply runs
short none Of the family hesitate to
fall back upon diet of pork. beef.
mutton or venison. A recent report
from the Highwoods, in the neighbor-
hood of Arrow and Wolf creeks, says
that more bears have been seen this
year than for ten years past and that
quite a number of cattle have been
killed by them of late. A few months
ago. at Mullery's ranch, near Gorham,
big silver tip came down out of the
mountains one night, invaded the hog
pasture of that industrious ranchman,
and in a very short time laid out no
less than thirty fine porkers. The hogs
squealed, made great fuss. OF course.
and as long rs there was show of resist
ance the bear never stopped boxing their
ears. One blow of his mighty paw was
enough to kill hog. and there is no
telling where he would have stopped
had he not been interrupted in this
pleasant pastime.
The grayback of the Rockies is rather
a different brute from his cousin of the
Adirondacks and the Pennsylvania
hills. Perhaps the Eastern members
of this interesting family never weigh
more than four hundred or five hun
bred pounds. but out this way many Of
the grizzlies and silver tips caught
have touched the beam at one thousand
and twelve hundred pounds and even
greater. Mr.. Charles Soper, Of Boze-
man, thriving city short distance
west of here. is said to have shot one Of
the largest graybacks ever seen in the
West. The hide was something ire
mendous. The beast having been
killed late in the fall. at time when
he was plentifully supplied with ''bear' s
grease" it would not be wide of the
mark to estimate his weight when alive
at sixteen hundred pounds. Certainly
the enormous hide justified these fig
nres, and the claws and head preserved
would Justly entitle him to the credit
Of being the father of the family.
As proof of tho wisdom of the old
hunters warning about '.going in artel
bear alone" the following narrative
will best illustrate its truthfulness:
"a party of gold hunters started out
from Deadwood some years ago tt
prospect the country to the north and
west of that mining camp. The mer
in the party were old timers, witt
one or two exceptions. and among thu
latter was Swede. full of grit, wht
stood nearly seven feet in his stockings
The Swede, however. whose family
name was Franck. was by no means {
'tenderfoot,' having dwelt some time il
the Leadville mining camps and boosted
that he had killed bar in bis day. ant
was afraid of no four-footed crittel
that roamed the mountains Th,
J party of twelve were climbing steel
, mountain, darkness was coming on
and prospects of a supperless night wer'
! in view, when the seven-foot Scandina
Wan volunteered to push on ahead il
the hopes Of securing an elk, deer, o.
mountain sheep. The foreigner was ,
: good shot with his rifle. had plenty o
grit and courage, and his immens,
strength and powerful physique rem
dered it extremely improbable that h
, would find his match in the timbe
ahead. The hunter disappeared, ant
the others toiled on behind, climbin,
the steep ascent YEARLY and footsore
At one place the road wound around ,
J steep precipice, the sheer descent OF tn
, cut basaltic walls on the left bein;
something like thousand feet. Fla
} below the tops Of giant pines could b
discerned. but in the awful depth the,
; appeared like stunted shrubs ant
bushes. Near the summit and to til
right the free land broadened o
. widened out and this was covere'
! with a dense growth of willows ant
, stunted pines. from which proceeds
! the most awful grumblings and howl
7 imaginable. just as the party appeare'
on the top all at once out from tn
. stubble came retreating the big Swede
followed by an enorlno&s silver tip
, who was driving him slowly backwar
L toward thu odOa If tho uvocss,ixso TIL