Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-01-20
FIGHTING GRIZZLIES.
NOT THE SORT OF AN ANIMAL TO HAVB
FOR A PET.
Bsry's Terrible Hand-tO-Hand Struggle VIII
the Bsar-Some Hunting Stories by
Well-known San franciscan.
S4n Franciscan Examiner.

O. s. Church OF the UIdnu hOteij Jan
Francisco, is the owner of large ranch In
Sierra county. He is handy with his gun,
and ia chock full of "reminiscences and ex-
periences with big game in the mountains
of Sierra. The other night he was in a
reminiscent mood, and, after observing
that from present indications this was to
he n great winter for bear ard deer in
Sierra, said to an Examiner reporter:
"Tbe most horrible experience l ever
knew man to have with e grizzly Was
near tie Sierra Bu'tes, ~ miles from
Sierra City, in the Gold Lick country.
1.-THE man was Samuel Berry, famed IN
the North az an exp TT hunter and trapper.
At odd periods be made his headquarters
on the Iauch of nay father, A. ID. Church,
in the aforesaid county, 20 miles from
Truckee. That entire region Is full OF the
various kinds of game that California
hunters so much delight in, and on the
occasion Of which I speak Berry was there
with big load of traps, dogs and guns.
HE had started in for the winters cam
paign, and was well equipped in every way.
He set cut from our house on the 29.h OF
November, on snowshoes, intending to re-
turn that night As it developed after
ward he made his way over tie level valleys
on the snow, and reaching higher ground
near Sierra Buttes took eff his long wooden
snowshoes end climbed TO the heights in
mis- long-topped cowhide boots. He set a
lot of trans for msIten, mink and other
fur. bearing animals, makinga wide detour
of about 10 miles. This probably took
him eight or 10 hours. He had left VOID
at cur house that he would be home that
night, but he did not come. The weather
was cold, for the attitude is pretty great
there, the ranch being itsef 5000 feet
above the sea, and it was nearly a con-
tinuous climb from there on.
"Well, We got anxious about him, for it
is sparsely settled thereabout, and we
figured it that he must have bsen tripped
up in some way. Not coming home the
next day either, we organized posse OF
six or eight men and set off in pursuit.
We followed his trail, ard pushed forward
until night shut down on us and we could
go no further.
Next day, reinforced by about so of
the rauchers and miners who had gathered
in 10 aid in the search, we set out IN all
directions, hunting steadily the entire day.
There bad been a light fall of SLOW, how
ever, and in many places his tracks were
otscurej, and right came again on Us
without our search being successful.
"We knew by this time that Berry must
have met with terrible fate If not killed
by wild animals, he must have frozen in
the bitter weather prevailing in the top OF
the mountains az that time.
"Tbe excitement in all that part Of
Sierra county grew intense, and on the
morning of the third day there was gather
ed at our ranch such heterogeneous lot OF
rifemeD, laborers, frontier ranchers and
trappers as mad never before bean sen.
The crowd numbered fully $50 and it was
understood fiom the start that Berry was
to he found that day. Some of Bery'a
most intimate friends were in the throng,
and they VOWED that they would neither
eat nor drink till they had found him.
Hounds were brought into requisitOn
and all possible clews were followed up.
They had climbed the montaius many
miles north of Sierra City, and it was far
in the afternoon when one of the searchers
struck the trail of BerTy's snowthoee
They followed it down the declivities as
fast az possible, but in many places the
newly-fallen SNOW had Obscurtd it, and
they lost a good deal of time. The squads
separated, asd closed in together at in
tervsls. Finally small party discovered
it again, after it had been lost for nearly
an hour. They followed it down into a
big canon, where, owing to the exceedingly
precipitous decent, the hunter must have
descended like lightning
Just ct nightfall they came upon
great forked tree that had fallen in the
storm, ard lust within the fork was great
hole in the snow that had been trsmpef
down, as though desperate struggle had
occurred there The snow was blood
stained. and the deep tracks Of man led
out from it, A few feet away was one
81 wshoe and the pole which had been
used between the legs to guide the long
runners.
1.-TWO rods below was a eight frightiul
to behold Berry lay there stark and stiff
in death, his body fsarfully torn and the
snow all about him red with his blood.
He had come down the big canon late in
the afternoon, and, as suOwshoemen do
when belated or exilarsted by the chance
of flying ride, had come at lightning
speed. He had not noticed the widespread
ing forks OF the tree, covered as the ex-
tremities were with snow, nor grsat she
bear and her two cubs which were seclud-
ed there. He must have rushed right in
among them.
1t is presumable that the bear, being
thus surprised, made at him, for he had
shot and wounded her. This, however,
only enraged the bear more, and she fol-
lowed him up Berry Lost one Of his snow
shoes, and then was helpless.
Worse than this, in the confusion he lost
his gun, and thus he must stay and engage
in a hand-to-hsnd coofict with the bear.
Berry, from the lock of his hody, must
have betn already wounded in the left
thigh and severely in the erms.
HE drew his knife, the only weapon he
had left, and fought nobly for his life,
backing down hill as he could meanwhile.
Below the crotch of the tree, where the
body was found, the snow was again fear
fully torn, and Berry, weak from loss Of
blocd, had succumbed, and at the lest me-
ment his face was bitten off by the bear.
at was the most desperate conflict 1
ever heard of, and, strange to say, the
story has never been told, yet all the old
hunters of Sierra remember this as the most
tragic battle with a wild animal that ever
occurred in that section.
"You see, it was just the beginning OF
the solid part of the winter, and the old
bear and cubs had sought this secluded
place to hibernate Probably they had
been there for some days, and the old one
was hungry and sullen at being disturbed,
especially as she bad the Cubs.
1.-THE tracks of the three led out in the
snow, and along the tracks of the big one
was trail of blood, showing that poor
Berry had fought heroically for his lifD,
but the odds were too heavy for him. Some
of our followed the trail until it was finally
lost in the deeper snow below. Whether