The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1889-09-21
OLD GRIZZLY.

For several years an enormous grizzly
has roamed through the rugged noun
tains in the northeastern part of Ven
tura county, CAL, raiding the cattle
ranges and sheep camps, and occasion
ally falling afoul of some hunter or
miner. His range extends from Mount
Pinos, the highest peak of the coast
range, to the Sespe canyon, and from
the Matillja to the Lieber mountain,
comprising tract forty miles long by
twenty-five miles wide of the roughest
and widest country in California. Every
old settler knows this bear and has q
name for him, and he goes by as many
aliases as burglar in active practice,
but he is best known as the Monarch O.
Pine Mountain.
jeff Howard, cattleman who lived in
valley back Of the Topa-topa range, had
the luck to meet the Monarch several
times. jeff was good shot, and man
of nerve, but he never could knock out
the old grizzly. When the Monarch
didn't win the fight was draw. JEFF
had an old buckskin horse that would
follow a bear track as readily as burro
will follow trail, and could be ridden
up to within few yards of the game
jeff and the old buckskin met the Mon
arch on trail near the hot springs, and
started bear fight right away. The
Monarch, somewhat surprised at the
novel idea of man disputing his right
of way, stood upright and looked at jeff
who raised his Winchester, and bega1
working the lever with great industry
| JEFF never was known to lie about a beal
| fight, and when he told how he pumped
sixteen forty-four caliber bulleta smacl
into the Monarch's shaggy breast, anC
never "fazed" him, nobody doubted Jeff
| story,
He said the Monarch stood up anC
took the bombardment as nonchalantly
as he would fusillade from a pc;
shooter, appearing to be only amazed a
the cheek of the man and the buckskii
horse. When Jeff's rife was empty h
turned and spurred his horse back dow
the trail, followed by the bear, who KEEP
up the chase about mile and then dis
appeared in the brush. Jeff's theor,
was that the heavy mass of hair on tn
bears breast effectually protected hin
from the bullets, which do not hav
great penetrating power when fired fron
forty-four Winchester with a charg
of only forty grains of powder,
About a week after that adventure tn
Monarch called at Howard's 8 ranch to ge
some beef, 1t was about midnight whe
he climbed into the corral. The onl
beef in the corral that night was on tn
bones of tough and ugly bull. and a
soon as the Monarch dropped to tn
ground from the fence he got int
trouble. The bull was spelling for
fight and no charged upon the bea
without waiting for the call of tim,
', taking him amidships and bowling hir
over in the mud before the Monarc
knew what was coming. JEFF we
aroused by the disturbance, and wer
out TO see what was up. He saw tw
huge bulks charging around in the co
raj, banging up against the sides, an
! making the dirt fly in all directions, an
! ! he heard the believing of the old bu
] and the hoarse growls of the bear. The
were having a deuce of a time all /
themselves, and JEFF decided to let thei
fight it out in their own way withoI
any interference. Returning to Il
: cabin, he said to his son Jess and an L
dian who worked for him;
"Its that old grizzly having rack
with the bull, but reckon the bull is o
enough TO take care of himself. We
bar the door, and let 'em go it."
So they barred the door and listened
the sounds of the battle. In less than
quarter of an hour the Monarch got
beautiful licking and concluded that
didn't want any beef for supper. II
IS bull was tough, any way, and he wou
s. rather make a light meal off the grub
O. the cabin. JEFF heard great scratchil
=" and scrambling as the Monarch beg
climbing out of the corral. Then the
was roar and a rush, heavy thud
the bulls forehead struck the Monarcl
= rear elevation, growl of pain and 81
prise, and the fall of half ton or mo
of bear meat on the ground outside
the corral,
" 81 reckon the old bull has made tI
cuss lose his appetite" chuckled Je
IS "He won't come fooling around Il
ranch any more. I'll bet he's the sor
bear that ever wore hair"
IS. The three men in the cabin were laul
ing and enjoying the triumph Of the b
p when "whangp came something agail
the door, and they all jumped for til
guns. 1t was the discomfited but /
discouraged Monarch breaking into
cabin in search of his supper. With {
or three blows of his ponderous paw
grizzly smashed the door to splints
but as he poked his head in he met a I
or ley from two rifles and a shotgun.
looked at JEFF reproachfully for the
hospitable reception, turned about 1
,Ie' went away more in sorrow than
tul anger.
."e JEFF Howard's next meeting with
ipe Monarch was on the Sespe. He and
lne son jess were hunting deer along
e'o nIda Of the canvoa when thaV eaVV 4