The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-11
hddenly He Ran Almost Into the
Outstretched Arms Of a
Grizzly.
hen Rapidly Followed q Series
OF Events Of an Exciting
Character,
10 P~srsonAlfty OF Bruin Constituted Ono
of Them Prizes the Skin, but
One Is Enough. q

ShS r. SAAsSs AtsD SAs0N
emphis, was in tho city yesterday ON his
= home from the Pacific coast. He lives
east Tennessee among the mountains,
II many miles from Sewanse, and has
emit the summsr with relatives in Cali
rnia. Accompanied by two or three kins-
n, he went ON a long camping tour
rough the California mountains, and tn
sult of it was shown yesterday, when MIR.
Orris went down into his baggage at the
tel and unrolled an grizzly
jar skin before the party Of old friends
10 had called on him. The skin had been
ost artistically dressed. and tho long
and cleaning eyes looked dangerous
lough, even in a rug. The fur was all of
silver gray color, which indicates age,
&, as is we'll known, the young grizzli es
b black, aud only turn gray under the
sight Of years.
"A little latsr, while we all sat smoking,
orris said, %ssriously:
1T ia beautiful skin, isn't it? I've seen
good many, and / never saw a prsttier
he. That's a MICS thing to take home and
low to people. and is generally accepted
proof positive that you have killed a
|izzly. But Ill tell you right now, / don't
ant n more Of this kind of experience.
got this grizzly's skin, but he came aw-
lily near getting mine, and for purely or
Ementsl purposes I don't really think mine
puld have been equal to this.
''Yous 500 ii happened this way. Early in
Inc my two cousins, Sam and Bart Nor
b, and myself went on a hunting expedi-
pa out in the mountains and struck such
fine place for small game as we'll as deer
at We decided to so back later on and
ay longer. Several things, though, hap
Pned to keep MS from starting, and it was
Parly the last OF July before We finally got
q. Wo went by rail part of this way. and
ere tumblsd off, together with our bag
Rge, al a s!sspy little town with
long Spanish name that l have
Prgottan, even if I could pronounce
There wa hired a wag and
lted over the rough mountain road to an
ther little Town still sleepier, and we hired
ome wretched little donksys at that point,
it'll a Mexican driver, and went on to our
uniting grounds. You will julg, from
his that l have no very clear IDEA Of whore
he place was. Well. 7 haven't. I know
lttb lb was ia tu0 luOuitbbluS uOFVuc6Sb VI
m Francisco and that there ware settle
ents not far to the north and west, though
good part of the country we had journeyed
lrough had bsen desolats enough.
Sam, Bert, aud | hunted and tishsd all
by every day and our Mexican kept camp
pr us and grazed his donksys up and down
DO valleys. We had great success. Deer
ere especially plentiful and Va passed
ANY a tiue one by because wo had moro
eat on our hands than we knew how to
BE-. We grew tired of it aud went lazily
bout the hills, killing a bird or a squirrel
OCCASIONALLY, bat passing the larger game by.
Zone morning We separated and went
ifersnt ways. | took the valley road, and
b the course of the morning killed q fine
p the camp, besides the fact that wa diln't
eed the meat, 40 l cut of a hind quarter,
Jung it over my shoulder aud wsnt to
Imp. l thought nothing more of the 90
ar ence until the naxt day, when the boys
nd / happened to stroll down in the same
Erection. Suddenly recognizing the scene,
exclaimed: Why. this 10 WHARF shot
pr the place where 1 had left the body. To
astonishment, it was gone; and l was
PERFECTLY sure hat it had not walked off.
Pretty soon I found the exact spot where it
ad fallen. and there WAS a broad trail
eading off down the valley, where the
ody had been dragged away. Too amazed
b sreak, we silently followed the trail to
Ehere, 100 yards down the valley, we found
be body half buried in the sand. Huge
laws had followed put the excavation and
uge teeth had already been tearing at the
esh. I looked at the boys without saying
nything, for the truth was that / was lost
b astonishment and was ashamed to 0 n
|ess my Ignorance. But they both declared
hat it looked mighty like q grizzly al
hough they stated that the last grizzly was
opposed to have disappeared from this SEQ
ion at least ten years before.
'"The boys were all oagerness to nave an
.ncountsr with the grizzly. but IA for me, 1
ad no ambition in that direction. | didn't
Gant to mset this grizzly under any cir cum
and I was not going out of my way
10 seek him. So thu next morning when
lam and Bert announced their determine
ion to mount guard over tho body of the
|eer n have some sure enough game by
Inner time, l Just said, Excuse me,
~|lease., and took my gun and wandered off
Ep the mountain side. l had loaded one
|arral OF my gun with b%uokshot, to be
eady for emergencies, and tina other was
padsd with squirrel shot. My cartridge
'elt WAS filled with cartridges for small
too, but 1 did not expect to meet any
hing more formidable.
II went further up the mountain side
han l had on any previous OK pedition. and
.ot into some pretty rough country. The
ooks grew heavier and mora massive, and
got into the midst Of them and had quite
time getting, out. l was trying to round
,ery large one that couldn't Well be climbed
'vsr aud had scrambled down the mountain
forty or fifty yards intending to pass the
of the rock and com Wp on tho other
ide. and just as | turned the point | came
lsar running right into the arms Of a griz-
lv that reared up on his launches to meet
Ne.
"Boys, I never WAS 30 scared in my life!
stood there with his mouth open, not
exactly, but just breathing hard.
o that you could have heard him some
l~istance, and somehow it sounded more
'mnious than the ~fiercest growing could
ave done. Talk about doing things de-
under such circumstances was
10 moro responsible han IL l had been
pushed my gun against his breast
pulled the trigger. 1t was the barr l
hat held the buckshot, but for some reason
hs cartridge failed to fire, and nothing but
sharp click answered tho fall of the nam
nor.
And then ] ran. Ran, indsed! I flew.
Sothlng WAS over seen, l suppose, like the
Vay l went down that mountain side. l
rarely had sense enough to cling to my gun.
think the bear had been %astonished for a
at tbs suddonness of my I'll light, aud
lad stood still for moment looking afte-
ne, but it was only for a moment. I could
Iear his swift and heavy rush behind me,
nd l knew how such an unequal race must
The bear was ON HIS native heath, and
here was little prospeot that / would take
many steps more. II WAS n horrible export
nee. Az | told yoE in the beginning, I
ont want any more Of it, not for twenty
ear-Bkins
Suddenly our wild raos was stopped in q
cry unexpected way. l had rushed to the
hrink of n NliN which inaAand Of roiun