The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-05-28
LAssoED A GRIZZLY.
Ramon ortega chokedthe Life out
of Bear.

The long and interesting career Of the
stone corral bear is ended, says Ven
tura CCal letter to the New York Sun.
1t terminated suddenly a few aays ago
in the loop Of RADON Orteea's riasa. and
Ramon has been sitting a littlek more
I proudly in his saddle ever since. Ramon
is an old time vaquero, and years agolas-
seed many grizzly in the valleys Of The
Ventura, but it is long since the grizzly has
been seen on open ground, and the vac
ueros, have not had much sport of that
sort in these later days Twenty-Five
years ago the bears came down out Of
the canons, roamed over the valleys in
search of food, and killed cattle within
I sight of the ranch houses, and the then
vaqueros got after them on horseback
and wound them up in their riatas. In
the San Emidio valley not many years
ago the men who herded cattle for John
Cuddy and the TETON outfit lassoed
twenty six grizzlies in one summer. But
now the few remaining grizzlies stick
closely to the rough mountains, and sell
dom venture into the open except at
night.
The stone corral bear got his name
from his habitat, a rugged, broken ledge
of sandstone in the mountains above the
Sespe canon in Ventura county. A
bride trail from the coast TO the upper
Sespe runs through the stone corral, and
almost every hunting party that has
passed over that trail in the last ten
years has made the acquaintance of the
resident grizzly in one way or another.
The stone corral bears range was from
the Sespe to the oil wells on Tar Creek,
and he was as we'll known in that part of
the country as any other inhabitant
Sometimes he visited Tar Creek at night
and foraged around the cabins for some
thing to eat, but as the well borcrs live
mainly on canned stuff, the stone corral
bear found poor picking and generally
cut his nose on the empty tins, which
was unpleasant, and caused him to snort
disgustedly. He never tried to break
into an occupied cabin, and he always
went away when anybody got up and
took shot at him. Away from home
he was usually a peaceable, discreet,
bear, but in the stone corral or on the
Alder Creek trail he would have his own
way, and run things to suit himself
This spring the stone corral bear must
have found it difficult to get food at
home, for he wandered down below Tar
Creek and tackled Ortegas sheep.
Ramon missed some sheep, but did not
suspect the bear Of being the thief, and
he started out to look for them without
carrying any firearms. OF course his
RATA hung at his saddle bow, for no
eaquero would ride across street to buy
4 paper of tobacco without RATA at his
hand. Ramon had not ridden far when
he saw bear tracks, and knew what had
become of his mutton He had not
BAD chance to lasso grizzly for many
ong day, and although he knew by
experience that it was risky Job for
me man to tackle, he would not ride
back for assistance and run the risk of
osing the chance of sport. There are
ew horses nowadays that are fit to
ackle bear, but Ramon's horse was
ure footed, bride wise, and courageous,
nd if anybody can control a horse
Ramon is that man.
When the bear tracks led up into the
rush on hillside Ramon followed them,
nd before he had gone far his horse
melted the bear ana trembled with fear
nd excitement A touch of the spurs
ent the horse on the Jump through the
rush, and the bear broke cover and went
rashing down the hillside followed by
he whooping and yelling vaquero. at
he bottom Of the hill was reasonably
mooth and open piece Of ground, and
s soon as Ramon struck that he swung
is RATA, got his horse into gait with the
ear, and then let the lasso 60. The loop
I'll fairly over the bears head, and before
ne grizzly could putup paw to throw it
# Ramon had swerved his horse to one
de, frightened the moose and made the
alta fast to the horn of the saddle. Had
anon given the bear TWO seconds to
cover himself the grizzly would have
auled in the RATA hand over hand and
ompelled him to cut it to save his horse:
ut the horse was quick ana strong, and
le bear was thrown off his feet at the
rst jump Ramon piled spur and quirt
it'll vigor, and the gasping, struggling
EAR was dragged on his back at the
1rse's heels until the life was choked
1t Of him. 1t was the stone corral bear.
i'd it weighed 500 pounds.