The Bossier banner., 1893-04-27
BENTON, LA, APRIL 81, 1898.

southern Californian, puOnsled at
Los Angeles, in 1853. Butts was
an adopted son of the statesman,
Thomas H. Benton of Missouri, and,
b7ing Of an adventurous androaming
disposition, came to California. TAX
ing a vacation from his arduous edi-
torial duties. which consisted princi-
pally of writing up murders, Mexican
fandangoes and hangings by Vigilan-
tes, he went up into San Luis Obispo
with a party on a bear hunt.
They rendezvoused at the ranch of
Capt. Wilson, where unbounded hos
pitality was dispensed. There was
one grizzly in the neighborhood so
large and powerful that he could
walk away with a sheep, calf or
even a COW in his mouth. It was
the special object of this party to
kill this grizzly, the terror of the
Deighborhood. Finally the bear was
found on the edge Of a plain near a
chaparral. A yolley was fired into
him, several OF the shots taking effect.
He ran into a canon in the Santa
Margarita mountains and was tracked
to thicket, The party commenced
to beat the bush, as an invitation for
the bear to come out and be shot !;
but, being rather slow Butts followed
the bears track into the thicket.
His companions in vain remonstra-
ted against this desperate and useless
act. The trail soon entered the dry,
sandy bed Of an arroyo seco (dry
creeky, and Butts easily followed for
about half a mile, when be lost it.
He stopped moment to deliberate
as to which direction lie could proba-
bly, pick up the trail, when he looked
around and saw the bear lying under
a clamp Of trees on the bank of the
dry creek and within about ten feeet
Of him.
They looked at each other square
in the face for a second, and, as Butts
was about leveling his old-fashioned
yeager, the bear, with terrific growl
sprang upon him. As he fell beneath
the weight Of the huge animal he got
his hunting knife out of it's scabbard
and the battle for life began.
A few moments after Butts had
left US we started in search of him
Following his tracks to the spot we
found the bear dead and Butts fright.
fully mangled ana apparently dead
lying by the side of the bear. His
left arm and right leg fractured il
several places; the flesh was literally
torn in strips from his arms, body
and legs, and the bones of his face
so crushed that he was disfgured FOL
life.
The bear having beeu severely
wounded by our shots, was not quite
a match for the editor, who piled biz
hunting knife as industriously as i
he had been using the shears in th'
editorial room. It was found tina
his knife had twice penetrated th'
bears lungs, once into the heart, ant
had made an inscision into his bowel
nearly foot in length. A litter wa
constructed, Butts taken to the rancl
and physician sent for. The Mex
ican major domo Of the ranch, will
several assistants and wagon, wal
then sent after the bear. It weighet
2,l00 pounds.
On convalessing, Editor Butt
stated that as the bear jumped upol
him, his first and every effort wa
to stick the eight-inch blade of hi
hunting knife into the bears vita
parts, which he continued to do s.
long as he had the strength, Will
the bear stood over him biting hir
and tearing his flesh off with hi
huge claws. "The last I recolect,
said he, twas the bear dragging hin
self over me- It was at that momer
no doubt that I gave him the fat;