Connecticut western news., 1889-07-17
A DEADLY ENCOUNTER.

l have often met old hunters who have heard of battles between the grizzly bear and the immense, tawny panther of the Rocky Mountains; but I have only once known a man who had such combat.
 Sergeant Roseman of the -th United States Cavalry, whom met in Wyo- ming while on hunting expedition in 'S6, told me of fierce fight between "Old Eph" and two mountain lions which he had s'umpired, '-as he put it,-near Caspar Mountain several years before.
 At that time he was stationed at Fort Fetterman. A party of citizens had come out from St. Paul, Minn., to hunt the big game, then so plentiful in Eastern Wyoming, and the sergeant, one of the best hunters in his regiment, was allowed to go with them, taking small detachment of soldiers to look after the camp, and take care of the game, The party had been hunting elk among the foothills of the Caspar range, and near the great ragged mountain which is their chief feature, when the adventure befell him.
 "I killed an elk," said he, s'early one morning, and as often d i'd in region where there were grizzly or silver-tip bears, I left it where it fell, for bear bait. There is nothing the big bears of this region are more fond of than freshly killed elk or black tail. l had already, at one time and another, shot seven bears by batting in this way, and watching by the bodies of the dead elks.
 "Perched comfortably in the branches of an evergreen, or lying upon the top of some high rock within few rods of your bait, it isn't such desperate ad- venture, the killing of grizzly. A good gun, using heavy ammunition, 1e- cent markmanship, and steady nerve are all that is required. If you are fresh at the business though, you probably won't fret great deal if tho bear fails to come.
 ''This time had killed an elk in just such spot and with just such sur roundings as would have selected could have had full choice. shot it in the act of drinking at small basin of water in the bed of a canon, which cut back into the foot of old Caspar Mountain The side of the mountain on either hand was rutted with deep gorges leading into the canon. Quaking asp thickets clustered around the heads of these ra- vines, while the bottoms, wherever vege- tation could tako hold, were grown to willows, currant and bullberry bushes. It was just the place for bears, and their |. sign was as plentiful as I had ever seen it anywhere.
 ''The spot was only a mile from oul camp, and when came in from my hum, flor we hunted slngly or in twos or threes as the notion took us,-] found three the St. Paul men taking a late dinner. ' told them of my sue cess, and invited them to go with me, and lie in wait for bears that evening.
 They declined, declaring that they hadn't lost any bears, and, therefore, didn't feel called upon to hunt for 'em l was welcome, they said, to gether al the stray grizzlies in the region, and put my particular brand on 'cm.
 ''So about three o'clock went up tc my bait alone. found it undisturbed, perched myself in the crevice of ledge of rock some thirty yards distent, whicl position reached by making a ladde of dry poles that lay among some drif of recent 'washout.' My hiding place was perfectly safe from the attacl of bear, should be lucky enough t. lure one within shot, as it was full, fifteen feet from the base of the ledge at perpendicular height.
 'I found the crack in which coul' stretch myself at full length, such comfortable place that I concluded t watch all night, provided no bear cam to my bait sooner. I had not long t wait, however, before I was treated t the most thorough and thrilling sur prise of all my hunting experience.
 '1 had lain, perhaps, an hour, an' the sun had just sunk behind the noun tains back of me, so that their shadow had crawled over the tops of the lowe ones in front, when heard the scum
 of soft footfalls just an the other sid