Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-25
Great Days for Bears.

From the Banning (Cal.) Herald
contest by Messrs. Grid and North over a
portion of the Potrero Indian reservation near
Banning, is in progress. Daniel Sexton was
put on the witness stand recently before the
United States commissioner, and made the fol-
lowing remarkable statements:
On cross-examination Daniel Sexton detailed
some bear stories of such fabulous proportions
that We have begged the stenographer for YER
batim copy We do not aspire to eclipse the
Arabian Nights entertainments" and would
not publish these recitations were they not
verified by oath and part of the records of a
federal court. Mr.. Sections appearance as he
launched forth his memories of these marvel
Gus events was picturesque. With eyes closed
and head thrown back, the stream of his dis
course flowed through facile channels from a
bounteous source.
Q. There were great many bears there in
those days?
A. Oh, yes! I went out one time. one even
ing from my camp, and l counted fifty bears
within gunshot of me, eating cherries.
Q. Wild cherries?
A. They were not Wild they were not wild,
because they didn't scare at anything: they
didn't know anything about being hurt; the
Indians-they wasn't scared of Indians The
Indians never killed the bears
@. What variety of bears were they?
A. Grizzlies.
@. Did you see them more than once?
A. Mr.. b. d. Wilson said that he went up the
mountain here to Bear lake. and he had TWENTY
two men with him, Californians. and he said
that he counted 100 bears at one time and they
turned out and lassoed two and two together
and they lassocd the bears, and he brought
INTO camp eleven bears lassoed-he brought
them into camp.
@. Did you kill any of them?
A. l think did L had a pile of bears LAYING
there, and when Temple came out from Los
Angeles to get lumber, showed him the pile,
and asked him how much bear -meat he thought
there was in that pile. He said he thought
about ten tons. | think there more than
that, because think there was more than fifty
bears in the pile, and l think they weighed
more than 800 pounds apiece.
Q. Who killed all those bears?
A. killed them. harpooned them. When
l went to the rancherio they didn't know how
to make a harpoon, and l took harpoon. l
set three or four and would have three or four
bears harpooned every morning-two or three
old grizzlies-and if you had been there like
L was and had seen them with harpoon-three
or four old grizzlies with harpoOns in them and
dragging a log and chain after them-you would
never forget it; you would never forget it as
long as you lived.
Q.-Were there any California lions around
there that were dangerous to stock?
Al never saw but one California hon in
this whole country, and l killed him with an
axe; maybe yod think that isn't so, and the
way killed him was this: didn't have a gun
with me- and went out to cut some timber
with an Indian, and had an axe and nothing
else, and the Indians dog run lion up a tree,
and the Indian told me to go back and get my
gun, and told him you will let him get away"
He was on a small limb. and threw stone at
him and hit him between the eyes, and that
stunned him, and he turned tail and was going
to jump, and happened to hit him right and
stunned him; and made the Indian get stones
and | continued to stone him for about an hour
and half, l think. and l went around and
stoned him on the spine. l stoned him until
he couldn't use his hind legs; then l cut the
tree down and charged Oh him and killed him
with an axe.