The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-11-29
OLD GRIZZLY.

has lOliNcu through the lu-Etb mum
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 Sespc canyon, and from
the Matilda TO the Lieber mountain
comprising tract forty miles long by
twenty-five miles wido Of the roughest
and widest country in California. Every
old settler knows this bear and has q
nsme for him. and he goes BY as many
aliases as a burglar in active Practice,
but he is best known as the Monarch o!
Pine Mountain
jeff Howard, a cattleman who lived in
a valley back Of the Topa-topa range, had
the luck 10 meet the Monarch several
times. jeff was a 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 buckslin horse that would
follow bear track as readily as a burro
will followa trail. and could be ridden
up to within few yards Of the game
jeff and the old buckskin met the Mon
arch on a trail near the hot springs, and
started a bear fight right away. The
Monarch, somewhat surprised at the
novel idea II a man disputing his right
Of way, stood upright and looked at jeff,
who raised his Winchester, and began
working the lever with great industry
jeff never was known to lie about q bear
fight. and when he told how he pumped
sixteen forty-four caliber bullets smack
into the Monarch's shaggy breast and
never "fazed" him, nobody doubted Jeii's
story.
lie said the Monarch stood up and
took the bombardment as nonchalanuy
as he would fusillade from a pea
shooter, appearing to. be only amazed at
the check of the man and the buckskin
horse. When Jelf's rifle was empty IN
turned and spurred his horse back down
the trail, followed by the bear, who kept
up Che chase about mile and then dis
appeared in the brush. Jcif's theory
was that the heavy mass Of hair on the
bears breast eiTectually protected him
from the bullets, which do not have
great penetrating power when fired from
forty-four Winchester with a charge
of only forty grains of powder.
About a week aftcr that adventure the
Monarch called at Howard ranch TO get
some beef 1t wasabout midnight when
he climbed into the corral The only
beef in the corral that night was on the
bones of a tough and ugly bull, and as
soon as the Monarch dropped TO the
ground from the fence he got into
trouble. The bull was spelling for a
fight and he charged upon the bear
without waiting for the call OF time,
taking him amidships and bowling him
over in the mud before the Monarch
knew what was coming jeff was
aroused by the disturbance, and went
out to see what was up. He saw two
huge bulks charging around in the cor
rail- banging up against the sides, and
making the dirt fly in all directions, and
he beard the believing of the old bull
and the hoarse growls Of the bear. They
were having a deuce Of a time all by
themselves, and JelT decided TO let them
fight it out in their own way without
any Interference. Returning to the
cabin. he said to his son Jess and an IN
dian who worked for him:
Its that old grizzly having racks
with the bull, but | reckon the bull is old |
enough to take care Of himself. Wei |
bar the door, and let em so it,"
SO they barred the door and listened 10
the sounds Of the battle. In less than a
quarter of an hour the Monarch got a
beautiful licking and concluded that he
didn't want any beef for supper The
bull was tough, any way. and he would |
rather make light meal off the grub in
the cabin. jeff heard great scratching
and scrambling rs the Monarch began
climbing out of the corral Then there
was a roar and a rush, heavy thud rs
the bulls forehead struck the Monarch's
rear elevation, growl of pain and sur
prise. and the fall of half ton or more |
Of bear meat on the ground outside #
the corral.
81 reckon the old bull has made that
cuss lose his appetite" chuckled JeI.
lie won't come fooling around thl.
ranch any more I'll bet he's the sorest
bear that ever wore hair
The three men in the cabin were laugh
ing and ENJOYING the triumrh Of the bull
when "whangT came something against
the door. and they all jumped for their
guns. 1t was the discounted but not
discouraged Monarch breaking into the
cabin in search of his supper. With two
or three blows of his ponderous paw the
grizzly smashed the door 10 splinters,
but rs he poked his head H. he met sol
lev from two rifles and a shotgun. lie
looked at jeff reproachfully for the in
hospitable reception, turned about and
went away more in sorrow tlNn in
anger.
jeff Towards next meeting with the
Monarch was on the Sespe. He and his
son Jess were hunting deer along the
side Of the canyon, when they saw big
bear in the brush about hundred yards
up the hill. Both fired at the same mo-
ment, and one ball at least hit the bear
Uisering a roar of pain, the grizzly snap
ped yiciously at his shoulder where the
bullet struck, and as he turned his head
he saw the two hunters, who then recog-
nized the Monarch by his huge bulk and
grizzled front. The Monarch came with
a rushlike an avalanche down the noun
tain SIDE breaking through the mama
nita brush and smashing down young
trees as easily as q man tramples down
grass. His lowered head offered no fair
mark for bullet, andIle came on with
such speed that only chance shot could
have hit him anywhere. jeff and his