The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-07
HUNTING A GRIZZLY.
A Number Of WOuld-Be Hunters
Indulge in Perilous Sport.
They Meant Well, But Before the Fun
Was Over They Needed Some One
to Help Them Let GO-The
Boston Journalist.

Governor Waterman, of California,
owns gold mine in Cuyamaca valley
called the Stonewall. 1t is handsome
piece of property and it's operation has
brought number of small industries
into the valley, such as ranching, bee
keeping, gardening, etc.
The Cuyamaca valley and the mount
talns surrounding it are infested with
tAears, both grizzlies and cinnamon, and
their ravages on the small herds of
cattle and swine in the region are by no
means the least of the small rancher's
troubles.
In little canyon branching OF from
the trail which leads up to Governor
Waterman'S mine lives little rancher
named Greenwood. He has a vegetable
patch and raises lot of things for use
at the mine clearinghouse. In the
woods adjoining the little ranch runs
large herd of hogs. Greenwood lives
with his wife and two children in the
little shake" cabin. The hogs at night
occupy big corral built of logs and
brushwood. One night in August Green
wood was awakened by tremendous
commotion in the pig-corral. The
rancher arose and got down his rifle.
His wife got up and peered out of the
one window of the little cabin. Then
she lighted a lamp, and the two, OPEN
ing the door, held the lamp out and
peered from behind it. To their horror
there stood, not more than fifty feet
away, an enormous grizzly. He had a
squealing porker under his left arm,
and in anticipation of the coming feast
his face wore a joyous expression. The
sudden glare of the lamp and the ap-
pearance Of the ranchman and his wife
astonished him, but he did not let go of
the pig nor did he run. He simply stood
up on his hind legs and seemed to say:
''Ne!l, who are yOu?'' Greenwood
brought up his rifle, but did not dare
fire lest the bear might tear down the
c$Dln.
The two hastily retired indoors and
the huge bear leisurely walked off with
his prize. 1t was monster grizzly and
Greenwood thought it would weigh
twelve or fourteen hundred pounds
A few days later Governor Waterman
visited his mine and was told about
Rancher Greenwood's unwelcome guest.
The Governor is something of wag. and
resolved to have some fun. He wrote to
State Fish Commissioner Joe Redding,
DR.. j. de Barth Short, of Los Angeles,
and his private secretary, Marcus d.
Boruck, telling them of the find in the
mountains, and asking them to get up
hunting party. Governor Watermans
secretary had not lost any grizzlies and
did not care to go in pursuit of one. He
declined to join the party and turned
over his invitation to Charley Yale, seq
rotary of the San Francisco Yacht Club.
Mr.. Yale accepted it with eagerness.
Another gentleman invited to join the
party was Allen Kelly, a Boston Jour-
nalist sojoulning in Los Angeles He
had conceived the purpose of capturing
a grizzly bear alive and sending it as
sensational gift to the Boston zoologi
cal collection. Mr.. Keely believed it to
be perfectly feasible to lasso one of
these bears, and with that idea in view
he had taken several courses of instruc-
ton in the use of the lariat from an &C.
complished Mexican vaquero.
The party thus organized set out for
Governor Waterman's mine early in
Septemb Der. The bears had not been
visible for several days and Rancher
Greenwood reported that he had not lost
a hog in a week. 1t was therefore
agreed that there should be a recon-
noisance of the neighborhood by day
light. AS guide and one posted in
woodcraft the party had engaged long,
lank Texan named Tip Ferguson. Tip
knew all about bears and their habits,
and he was therefore the leader of the
reconnaissance The party walked sew
eral miles up the canyon from the
Greenwood cabin, and were about to re-
turn when their ears caught the sound
of squealing as from litter of very
young pigs. They followed the sound
and soon came upon mound of leaves
and dried brush. They examined and
found the carcass of SOW freshly
killed, with eight little hungry pigs not
over two days old Juggling at her in vain
for suStenance.
Look sharp, boys" exclaimed Tip
Ferguson. There's a grizzly not far
off. This is bears cache. He killed
that sow not more than an hour ago,
and has gone after his mate. Let US
cover it up, pigs and all, just as he left
it, and wait till night Meantime we
will go back to the cabin for supper"
So they hauled the carcass of the hog
under convenient scrub oak-a very
young one, by the way, but the biggest
they could find. Then Tip Ferguson
climbed the tree and cut away the