Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-01-08
VICIOUS BEAR FIGHT.
Sanguinary Contest Between Six-Tood
Pete and y Huge Grizzly. %.

Pete and Huge Grizzly.
The only grizzly bear in captivity in
California is owned by the San Francis
co Examiner, which detailed reporter
in charge Of a bear-hunting expedition
last May, and welcomed magnificent
animal, the undisputed monarch of the
Sierra Madre, some two weeks ago. The
bear was captured, after weeks of hard
work, in trap made of heavy logs, the
bait being steers carcass and some
honey. Six traps were baited and scat
tered throughout the mountains within
radius of sixty miles from the report
er's camp. The bears we're allured
by steers carcasses which were
set on tho ground and close
to the trap each night. The
bear captured proved his claim to the
title of monarch by fighting for it.
-Four bears visited the reporters camp
and quarreled over the bait. One was
monstrous grizzly, as shown by the
tracks; second was of enormous size,
the track being nine inches wide and
fourteen inches long. He was CHINA
mon bear, known to the mountainous as
Six-toed Pete. The other two bears
were smaller, and were soon disposed
OF. Then the battle royal for the bait
between Six-Toed Pete and the Mon
arch began.
At the approach of the cinnamon the
grizzly arose upon his launches and ut
tered low, hoarse growls, and when the
big fellow appeared within twenty foet
of him he launched himself forward
with surprising swiftness and struck
Pete blow on the neck that staggered
him. It was like one of Sullivan's
PUSHES in the ring, and the blow of that
ponderous paw would have knocked out
an OK; but Pete was no SLOUGH of slug
ger himself, and he quickly recovered
and returned the blow with such good
will that had the grizzly's head been in
the way it would have ached for week
afterward.
Then the fur began to fly. 1t was i'm
possible to follow the movements of the
combatants in detail, as they spared,
bit, clinched and rolled about, but in q
general way Six-toed Pete seemed to be
trying to make his superior weight tell
by rushing at the grizzly and knocking
him over, while the latter avoided the
direct impact of the cinnamon's great
bulk by quick turns and display of
agility that was scarcely credible of so
unwieldy-looking an animal. Once the
cinnamon seized the grizzly by the throat
and for moment hushed the latter's
fierce growls by choking off his wind,
but the grizzly sat down, threw his arm
over Pete's neck, placed his other FORE
paw upon Pete's nose, sunk his claws in
deep and instantly broke the hold.
AS they parted the grizzly made
vicious sweep with his right paw and
caught Pete on the side of the head. The
blow either destroyed the cinnamon's
left eye or tore the flesh around it, so
that the blood blinked him on that side,
for during the rest of the fight he tried
to keep his right side toward the grizzly
and seemed unable to avoid blows deliv-
cred on his left.
For at least quarter of a hour the
combat ragged without an instant's ces-
sation, both belligerants keeping up a
terrific growing, punctrated with &C.
casional howls of pain. Neither could
get a fair blow at the others head. Had
the grizzly struck the cinnamon With the
full force of his tremendous arm, Pete's
skull surely would have been smashed
Pete finally got enough, broke away
from the Monarch, and fed iato the
brush, badly used up bear, and he
never came back.-Sa1 Francisco Elk.
aminer