The Portland daily press., 1889-01-10
a DEMON cRlzzLY's DEATH.
Swollen UP With Dried Apples, He
Went Mad With Pain and Fell in a
Camp Fire.
IN. Y SUMS Fort Assinboine letter.

camp Fife.
IN. Y Suns Fort Assinbone letter.
When our copy of the Sunday Sun reached
Assinboine with the account of the neigh
borly grizzlies that came and made friends
with Seattle Tom and me last June in the
Lost Mine Gulch, Mr.. Editor of the Sun, you
ought to have been on hand. When we sent
the letter off East, Seattle Tom and Kanuck
Pierre allowed that would be the last of it,:
at least they thought it mighty doubtful
about the Sun printing their names in it,
any how. Neither of 'em had ever seen their
names in print before. and want to tell you
they were both nightly tickled. We've de-
cided to send you the first cinnamon cub we
round up next spring, as slight token of
regard You'll find a cinnamon cub a heap
porter varmint to have around your office
than eat.
told you in the last letter of the first
night we srent in the Bears Paw Mountains
and of the grizzlies loafing and rummaging
around the shack all night, and then taking
to the woods at daylight. My hair had stood
on end once ortwsce during the night, as
huge grizzlies came nOsing almost to the
doorway. and was mighty glad to find the
~
when told him how, during my watch the
grizzlies simply stood and stared reproachful
IKE when seated 'em and queeked to
scare 'en off.
Better not poster EN-" said he; "they're
fnendlter this season than Eve seen Fem
since the winter of '56, when Mexican Sam
and were showed in on the Rattlesnake
Range. and should have starved to death but
for pair of grizzlies who broke path
through the drifts for US, and helped us down
Little did Seattle think, when he laughed
at my scarlness, that before another twenty
four hours he would be as eager to light out
Tor Camp Cook as tenderfoot, although he
naa . been hand and glove with grizzlies, SO to
that day for the lost mine, following the
gulch from point where we picked up a
promising piece Of float. Some distance fur
ther along we stumbled upon an old moca-
sin and couple of empty bottles, ssand were
expecting to locate the mine any minute,
when gathering darkness compelled us to
give it up for the day. We had fastened the
shack door with chain in the morning, iand
had no idea the bears would come round
again during daylight. Even Seattle allowed
they would give us the shake till about sup
per time, when Old Eph would be pretty
sure to turn up for more flapiacks, and the
whole herd wait upon us again later in the
evening. We were both way off. however,
for, when we reached camp about 6 o'clock.
found the door caved in, and that the griz-
lilies had been in full possession of the
shack. They'd about Quilted the place. The
only thing left was a ham, which hung up
out Of their reach. They had even bursted
open our baking-powder and coffee tins. and
had licked out the sugar tin. cleaner than
mining can. The pepper was the only thing
lett untouched. We scraped up what flour
we could, which, with the iham, would last
us, we reckoned III Thursday morning.
knot and surveyed the wreck, wasn't there
something else? Why certainly the dried
apples" We had brought up astwenty-eight
pound bag Of dried apples. Looking about
we found the remains of bag over in one
csrner, but not so much as one slice of apple.
Seattle looked at me and laughed.
hememDer the three commiSSary mules al
Fort Kinney year ago last winter" said he,
tina, that made away with sack of dried apples2
We'll. you Know whatll happen to the ornery
cuss of bear that has devoured twenty
eight pounds Of 'em."
We were frying ham and pancakes for sup
per when the circus, that finally scared us
out of the gulch. commenced. The shindy
opened up much as 1t did the evening before
by few grizzlies sliding np in neighbour
ing way toward the camp fire, and Others
making themselves at home about the
shack.
The night was dark and the wind moaned
and sighed through the pines as we sat and
eyed our strange visitors, some of which
seemed in the uncertain flicker of the fire, as
COWS. We could hear them all around us
making cracking among the pine needles
just behind the glow of the camp FIRE, as they
waiked round and round, half afraid. yet
nightly, tempted to come into the light.
Now and ther: a. pair of playful young griz-
Znes, full OF devilment would come lumber
Ing into the glare, edging away from Seattle
ana me In bashfu sort of way.
!, we were smoking and figuring on the like
lihood of locating the mine next morning,
and wondering whether the grizzlies had
m0lested the Durros down In the park when
a terrific swapping and hard breathing near
by arrested our attention. The next moment
the thieving old cuss that toted OFF orr ing
of syrup, and whom we had given pancakes
to-. sided into the light and commenced
tWlrllng round and round and swapping at
his own stomach.
Dried apples said Seattle; "that's him
lasses and dried apples. it's been a case of
short life and merry one with him since our
arrival"
As he tumbled well into the glimmer he
presented spectacle that make Seattle and
and me lo,k instinctively around for tree
Not that he seemed inclined to attack us
particularly, but the dried apples were get
ting in their fine work on him in good shape.
and he was about crazy with pain. His back
was arched IKE possum's back in biz
card, and his sides were bulged out as round
as whisky barrel. He looked almost ready
to explode, in fact, and his eyes glowed and
twin led like live Goals. The froth flew
from his mouth as he twirled aud snapped at
himself and thrashed around. He seemed
mighty ticklish customer to have around
and was liable to go crazy as a loon any min
ute and run amuck.
We decided to get our Winchesters and
take to tree. Before going, however, we
what was left of the flour and ham. Nothing
happened for sometime after we climbed the
tlee, and we sat and discussed the situation
Seattle had had experience with crazy griZ-
zbeS several times, and he allows that a
real demon grizzly Is about ten times as dan
gerous as one that's only fighting mad. A
demon grizzly doesn't know his own strength
Seattle says that their strength increases
Just as 1t does in the case of a mailman. In
Idaho ne once saw demon grizzly tear up
trees foot through and end by rushing
as IL he was stone blind, over a precipice to
his death. Whether old Eph was going to
turn into real demon or not he certainly
looked demoniacal enough to us from our
perch In the pine as the flames caught the
new luei and leaped up, shedding a rudy
glare for some distance around The old
fellow was plainly In desperate way; once
or twice he came near topping into the fire
as he cayed and Topped around, roaring aud
biting. sometimes he'd try to burrow his
head into the ground; then he'd appear to
get dazed and stagger around like an animal
In fit. The other bears seemed to avoid
him, as Though aware of his dangerous con-
dlti0n. His barrel increased in size and his
eyes looked nightly like popping out of his
head
All at once he Strengthened himself up and
gazed long and earnestly into vacancy. He
then reared up on his hind feet and glared
into the timbers as though he saw something
his Jaws worked spasmodically and his
teeth clacked like shuttle; blood and foam
flew out OF his mouth, his paws sounded a
tattoo on his distended stomach, While he kent
up horrible whining roar that seemed To
come from away down.
THE change has come" said Seattle. In
low voice; you're piping off demon bear
There was something in Seattle Tom,
voice as he spoke that caused us to look
sharply at him. l had never heard him
speak in that tone before. He was actually
trembling-he, an old-tlme mountaineer who
had fought Indians with Kit Carson, and had
killed probably fifty grizzlies in his time. 1t
wasn't fear. | knew Seattle too well for
that, ard, besides, we were up big tree.
1t turned out to be superstition, and then
and there the man who but half an hour be-
fore had spoken SO confidently of finding the
lost mine in the morning announced his in
tention OF skipping out to the Bears Paw
Mountains at daylight for good He would
never tell me just what the trouble was. ex-
cept that all manner of bad luck always hap
pened after seeing demon grizzly.
Meanwhile matters were approaching
tragic point below. The old bear, now crazy
as mad dog struck bee line for the timber
at hustling pace and dashed full tilt against