Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-11-01

| week mas the following interesting bear
stories:
Old Bennett, in his comfortable
ranch'houso on the site OF old Fort
Ross, at the mouth of the Russian
river, California, has trophy of the
chase which he delights to show visitors.
II consists of q grizzly bears head so
big and heavy that two mon can scarcely
lift it, also pads nine inches wide and
fifteen inches long. There Is a story
connected with this trophy which old
Bennett delights TO tell. Years ago he
served under Sam Houston in the Lone
Star State, drifting out to California later
on, and was the champion of Pioneer
Suffer when gold nuggets were dis
covered, and the East was attacked by
the gold faver which oven yet turks in
the veins of many who came to the
Pacific coast in 40 Bennett soon
abandoned mining for ranching, and
secured his present beautiful home.
california was wild country when
Bennett built his ranch-house. Grizzly
bears abounded then, as they abound
now. Then they were less hunted and
holder than at present. Bennett was
poor Accompanied by his Indian
rancheria, he would hunt eagles for
their feathers, which lie sold to Indians
for ornaments. While in the uader.
brush of a creek bottom, he had Just
shot an eagle, and was reloading his
rifle. By chance he did o thing which
was very unusual for this veteran hun
ter. He capped the piece before loading
1t. The rifle was charged with powder,
and, as Bennett was ramming home the
bullet, the rustling of the bushes startled
him. There was not u second to
lose. Twenty PAGES off was a
inonstrous grizzly, charging directly at
him. Without withdrawing the ramrod
or aiming carefully, Bennett made a
snap shot right in the face of the savage
beast. When he regained consciousness
he found two Indian rancherias pull
ing the carcass of the dead bear away
from him. Then he realized his narrow
escape from death. Gaping his rifle
before loading ii had saved his life. 1t
seemed proyidential that the one yulner.
able point in tho grizzly bear had been
hit. That point was the bears eye. The
ramrod, when fired from the gun. struck
the pupil of the eye at right angles, and
penetrated the brain. The impetus of the
bear was such that the dead body struck
the hunter before its motion ceased with
such terrific force us to make him un.
conscious. The bear weighed 1000
pounds. Its brain was not larger than
o mans fist. The bone surrounding
this brain was five inches thick. The
distance between the eyes was 10inches.
Bennett declares that this is the largest
grizzly ever killed on the Pacific coast,
II not on this continent. ANY one who
sees the great head and by Is feet of
the bear must admit that Bennett has
fair proof of his claim Of bear bigness.
The claws alone are 10 inches long,
although a portion of the nails was i'm.
beddei III the flesh.
Bennett has killed many bears in his
time, but none so large as this one. He
says that the way to get away from
| grizzly, If met on the side of a mountain,
Is not to run straight up or down the
| grade, hut take a diagonal course, A
| big bear cannot follow such path. be.
cause the centre of gravity is then
brought to point where the hind part
OF the bear tips over. The long body
| and huge launches of a bear permit Of
only straight course in traversing hills
and mountains where the incline IS steep.
A. L. Mosman of the International
Boundary Commission, now in San
Diego, finishing the re.establishment
| of the boundary monuments between
Mexico and this country, has, in his IS
| years of service as member OF the
United states Coast and Geodetc Sur
| Yey, had bear experiences from Alaska
70 Panama. He tells of u narrow escape
from an angry black bear. "While our
| chin ttfn nfr Al. "a
ton coast" says Mr. Mosman, Il
noticed carly one calm morning,
big bear swimming ashore from
one OF the islands. The cap.
tain gave me d boat and four men
to head oil the animal before he reached
shore, We pulled sharply, but the bear
landed just ahead of us. | jumped
ashore and ran between the bear and The
bushes, hoping to intercept him. The
bear didn't change his course u bit, but
staggered along the beach toward me
SO unconcernedly and confidently that [
looked carefully at my revolver, to be
sure that it was all right in case of
necessity. My hope was TO scare the
Dear into the sea again. Bear wouldn't
scare. 1t was the man who was begin.
ming to scare. When the animal was as
near as seemed comfortable, | fired.
The bullet didn't trouble him, not even
enough to increase his anger Then |
| yelled to the seamen to attack him il
| the rear with their oars and boat. hooks,
They responded just in time to save me.
The bear was only II few feet away, and
by this time fighting mad, when my
men attracted his attention by the rear
attack, and enabled me to get close
enough to give the creature fatal shot.
The animal weighed 800 pounds, and
was big enough to have killed me with
a Single blow.
Another time, when surveying in
the California mountains, armed with n
Colts army revolver, with a skeleton
stock, sighted grizzly bear, while
walking alone. He was sitting on his
launches eating pine nuts. Twice
raised my weapon and drew IL bead on
him. But didn't fire. II was prcyi-
dental for me that didn't, for, US our
guide told me, if had | never would
have reach camp alive, My weapon
could not have sent bali to a vital spat
unless by accident, and to have Gu
ragged the bear by wounding him would
have probably meant certain death to
me. Grizzlies seldom attack u lnau un-
less they are interfcred with"
Mexican vaqueros in southern Cali
fornia have great sport occasionally
lariaLing bears. They never gttumpt il
4 ct mi "a MI npn - tba ,,s,,,I......