Morning journal and courier., 1889-07-30
THE PoMERoY BANQUET.
CATCHING A BIG HORN ALIVE.
Tho only Instance on Record of Thil
 Very Remarkable Feat.

w0Iy ne"dTRADlo Feats
 From the New York Sun.l
 "There is only one instance on record of . man actually capturing and holding by his unaided strength wild Rocky Mountain sheep" said A. P. Horton. an old Montana ranchman, "and that apparently impossible feat was performed by Pennsylvanian named Frank F. Baker. Any one who knows anything about the big horn sheep of the Rockies knows that, generally speak ing, it would be about as easy a thino to get his hands on one of the wary and agile ami mals as 1t would be to grab . streak of light ming. In the first place, to get wi'hin even long rife range of . big horn, unless by &C., cident, is something that the most expert mountain hunters have been able to do only by the greatest strategy, the everest toll and great risk to life and limb, to such almost inaccessible fastnesses does the sharp eyed, keen scented, sure footed big horn retire with ease at the frat indication of danger. The animal is instinctively suspicious, eau. tious beyond any animal that lives, and pos sessed of marvellous power of speed and skill in making its way over places that are inaccessible to the most nimble footed of any other American beast. The Rocky mountain sheep is tho chamois of this continent. have known O hunter to follow a big horn for two weeks, day after day, until he had trailed 1t almost to the clouds on the breast of the Sierras before he managed to get il within reach of his rife. For this reason the capture of one of these sheep in e strug- gle at close quarters must stand as one of the most extraordinary of physical feats. Al. though it was only five years ago when il was accomplished, big horn sheep were then comparatively plenty in Montana. It isn't likely that one could be found to-day within thousand miles of the spot where Baker distinguished himself with this particular ono.
 "Baker had . cattle ranch near Boulder, Montana. He was not out hunting the day he captured his sheep, but came upon Il suddenly at the foot of @ sloping bank, which was crowned by an almost psrpsndio- ular cliff twenty feet high. Baker was ao' oompanied by one of his shepherd dogs, which had been trained for hunting. The sheep bounded up the sloping bank, closely followed by the dog. The high cliff cut of its flight up the mountain, and on reaching 1t the big horn took in the situation at onoe trump against the olif tho sheep presented Its formidable front to the dog. The dog wss wise enough to keep out of reach of the tremendous battering ram the sheep wielded, one blow from which would have smashed the skull of buffalo bull, but kept the anl- nal at bay by safe and noisy mansuvrss.
 "Baker quickly took in the strategic
 
 mind that by bold and risky movement he might be able to do what he had never heard of any man doing before, and that was to make the big horn his prisoner. He sneaked around and gained the summit of the cliff and climbed along it until he was directly above tho big horn, which was still standing on the defensive against the dog. Without waiting to calculate on tho probable result of his attempt, Baker jumped from the ledg, ovnl lAI{ {~hk kA6 r{I <1A hNOt A~G throwing his arms around it's neck looked hil fingers together and brought all tho pressure he was capable of to bear on the big horns breathing place. The instant Baker strucl the sheeps back the big animal lost all in' terest in the dog, and made two or thre. tremendous bounds along the hill, and thsr threw itself on the ground and rolled ovel and over down the bank. In that brief but terrific journey Baker was stripped of nearly less, but he held on to the sheep ike grin death. The dog took an active part in the struggle, but tho sheep paid no attention tt him, putting all of his energy into efforts tt loosen himself of Bakers burden.
 ''The yells that Baker set up, and the nois, made by the dog, were heard by one of Ba ksr's men at the ranch, 6 quarter of @ mile away. The struggle between Baker and tn. sheep had taken them some distance from tuo ulL, huu tuoy we're III bISut Ok tuo I6NCu Tho hired man grabbed a gun and hurried te | the scene of the struggle. Baker was naked ! bleeding and covered with dirt, but h. shouted to his man, when he arrived breath l less on the scene and was about to send | bullet through the biz horn, not to shoot
 but to go back and get lariat. Baker wal
 bound to bag that sheep alive or not at all By the time the man got back with the laria Baker, sheep and dog were all about in tht same state of exhaustion. The man threw the moose over the big horn and the capture was insured. It was about all that Baker could do to get back to the ranch, and tn. man, with other help that had arrived, go the sheep to the ranch and psnned him up. "Baker was several days getting ovor tn. effects of his fight with the big horn. Hi intention had been to pend his prize east but finding that the sheep psrsistently rs. fused to eat or drink, and was visibly dying in it's captivity, he ordered the animal set free. In less than minute after regainine It's liberty it had disappeared among the rocks far up the side of the mountain"