The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-07-01

Eight Of them ran away and the org
inaI three kept Us all busy for the best
part OF the afternoon.
''For some time the other three men
had AL the fun, while Willis and ! stood
guard on cur side Of the thicllet and
watched the performance. The Old
bear would stand up and look over a
patch If brush 70 locate her enemy. and
somebody would give her shot. She
would drop TO all-fours and gaIlop
around to where She saw the mau last.
and lac would run around the other side
and reload. The cubs We're half-grown
big enough II he daugerous-and the
boys had u watch out for them while
dodgin" about.
II got even on Green that afternoon.
He had forgotten To brin~ any caps,
ana after Iis first shot be coR'd DO
nothing bat dodge around the brush
and keep out OF the way. One of the
bear. was after ham and hc bad to step
lively. While he was waiting a. see
which way the bear was coming next
he made motions with las hand, PoiaL-
ing TO the nipple of his rifle. a. iaai-
cate that he wanted caps. / saw what
he meant. but instead of going - H.Eu
10 supply him with caps 1 stood still
running when the bear chased Aln.
That made him furious, ana he yelled
that if he had a cap he'd take a shot 1T
me
After two or three hours Of dolring
about. every man taking a shot when
ever he got chance, one Of the cabs
leeled over and the dam and the
other cub retreated into the tAicI.cst
part Of the brush patch.
I'VE consulted and decided that i we
killed the other cub next the dam
might quit and get away. whereas ii
we killed the dam the cub probably
wouldn't leave her, and we'd baE cae
whole outfit. One Of the parry CrG-yled
cautiously into the th-cl5ct and pres
emily hc fired. Then il. called g. me
10 come in, and when / crawle4 uD 70
hIm he said: I've killed tla cuo 10y
mistake. Jut the old one is lying b2alv
wounded ou the other side OF % little
open spot. and you can get q splendid
shot at tie but Of her ear while ! back
out and reload"
lie backed out and I crawled mp and
took his place. There was the old bear
about tea rlr..s aw--, iriaE down and
bleeding from a great many wounds.
She seemed TO bc nearly exhausted and
out of breath. / was in the act Of rais-
ing nv rifle to take aim at her head
when she caught sight Of ne. and sud
denly sprang up and rushed At me. she
was almost upon me Ia two jumps. and
Thought I was IN Ipr a bad slime # II.
! mad no time to aim. Dut Just pushed
out my rifle instinctivcly and fired IN
her face The ballet struck her ia the
mouth and the pain caused her - stop.
wheel around and make rush through
the ciGparral in the opposite direc-
tion. Such "A shot as that from Win
chester express would have blown of
the whole root of hsr head. but av bull
1t, as I found later. tore through her
tongue. splitting it to the root, and
stopped when II struck bone.
when She broi-. ouJ OF the brush on
the other side three Of the boys fired
into her ard she fell dead. We looked
her over and found more than thirty
bullets in her We had been shooting
AT her and odring her in the brush
from eleven o'clock in the forenoon to
after three o'clock. and She had cayed
III from sheer exhaustion and loss Of
blood, not from the effects of any single
bullet
I'VE packed the three carcasses into
Sonora that night and a butcher named
Dodge offered TO cut them and sell the
meat without charge ID US if we would
let him have the bears at his shop.
That was the first bear meat ever taken
into Sonora, and everybody IN the camp
wanted piece Ia the morning there
was a line of men II DOdec's shop like
the crowd waiting At the Jhcater for
Patti tickets Men far down the line
shouted TO Dodge not to sell the meat
in big pieces, but u save slices for
them. The meat sold for one dollar "a
pound. Everybody rot slice. and we
got i've hundred dollars Tor our three
bears
"One Of our crowd was So elated over
the profits Of bear hunting that he
started out alone the next day to get
more grizzly meat. He didn't come
back. and the boys who went ont To
look for him found his body. covered
up with leaves and dirt. in the edge Of
Il clump of brush. His skull had been
smashed by 4 blow from a grizzlys
paw. -Wawoma (Cal. Letter, in San
Francisco Examiner.