The Globe-republican., 1891-08-26
MEN AGAINST GRIZZLIES.

S0UA3es6So
A Desperate Rattle That Was Fought In
the Early California Days.
The name of q well-knOwn citizen Of
Humboldt county on the Russ house
register a few days ago recalled to his
friend the story of desperate fight
with grizzlies in the early days.
1t was in the fall of 1851, and three
starving men crawled through thick
growth of Humboldt county timber and
found themselves facing eight monster
grizzly bears. Goaded to desperation
by hunger the men determined to attack
ferocious animals The heart of Thos
Seabring failed as the little party drew
near the bears, and he sought shelter
by clim bing tree. The other men. S.
X. Wood and Isaac Wilson. threw pru-
dence to the winds and advanced to
within fifty yards of the bears Wood
fred his rifle and the nearest bear fell,
biting and tearing the ground as though
in the agonies of death. While Wood
was reloading his rifle Wilson brought
down a bear. Five of the grizzlies re-
treated up a ravine, but one shaggy
monster remained with her fallen COM
paniOns She sat erect on her
launches and turned her eyes on the
men as if daring them to battle.
Wilson, awed by her aspect. ran for a
tree, while Wood tried to reload his
gun. but found himself unable to ram
the ball down on the powder. While
is this predicament the grizzly that had
not fed rushed at him. Wood succeeded
in getting into small buckeye tree.
and used his gun to beat the bear off as
she attacked the tree with the inten-
ton of shaking him ont
While he was engaged in fighting off
this bear, Wood, to his horror, saw the
animal he had wounded rise and rush
toward him. No blows that he could
inflict on the wounded animal could
check her. At the first spring she made
the tree broke and the bears jumped
for Wood He gained his feet and made
with all speed down the mountain,
where another small tree stood about
thirty yards away. He reached the
tree with the wounded bear at his heels,
and, seizing the trunk. he swung his
body around so as to give the bear room
to pass him, which he did, plunging
headlong down the mountain about
twenty yards.
Before Wood could. with his failing
strength, swing himself into the tree,
the second bear bounded up and seized
his right ankle. By this time the
wounded bear returned, and as Wood
fell she snapped at his face. He lodged,
and she caught his left shoulder.
Then came terrific struggle. The
maddened animals tugged in opposite
directions at Woods ankle and shout
der, and he was in imminent danger of
being torn to pieces. He fought as best
he could. but each exertion he put
forth only intensified the rage of the
bears.
When he was almost fainting with
pain the bear that had not been wound
ed dropped his ankle and trotted slow
ly after his companions up the ravine.
Then the wounded bear let go her hold
on his shoulder. Wood sank back on
the ground. and lay perfectly quiet, as
though dead, hardly daring to breathe.
The grizzly stood majestically over him,
watching for the slightest movement,
and snarling with rage. The pain that
racked the mans frame was frightful,
and he risked his life in an effort to as
sumo an easier position At the first
movement the grizzly, roaring furious
ly. rushed at him. She showed her nose
close to his face and shifted at him, but
Wood was again motionless, and the
bear. raising her head, gave vent to un-
earthly screams
Wood, knowing that his life depended
on it, remained mOtiOnless, and the
bear trotted after her companions up
the ravine.
When he attempted to rise Wood
found that his right hip was dislocated
and his left shoulder was ehewed to the
bone, while his clothing had been strip
ped from his body and his flesh had
been chewed in hundred places. Inch
by inch he painfully dragged himself
from the spot, until Seabring and Will
son. accompanied by David A. Buck.
the latter of whom had been left to
guard the camp, found him and carried
him to their quarters.
At this spot the party remained
twelve days, subsisting on the meat of
the bear that had been killed They
were lost in the mountains but finally
Wood, despite his agony, insisted upon
being tied to a horse and accompany
ing his friends in search for a path to
civilization. During the ten days that
followed every step of the horse that
Wood rode caused unspeakable torture
to the rider, but Wood bore it like a
martyr. and an occasional groan was
all the complaint that escaped his lips
Finally they found a TO ad out of the
mountains and reached the farm of
Mrs. Mark West. thirty miles from
Sonoma, where Wood was cared for
and in six weeks was able to join his
friends in San Francisco.
The injuries inflicted by the grizzlies
made Wood a cripple for life and event
nally were the cause of his death. and
it was his son who told in the Russ
house few days ago of this fight with
the grizzlies. Francisco Examiner
Not Wholly had.