Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-11-15
SHERIFF REDGRAVE.
STORIES OF A DISTINGUISHED BRIT
ISH COLUMBIAN.

The Gloomy Anniversary Of His Friends |
Death-How the Bear Returned a Bull
Iet-The Sheriff Isn't a Doctor, but He
Stamped Out q Smallpox Epidemic.
Lying in the picturesque valley Of
the Columbia river in British Columbia.
with the Selkirk mountains on one side
and the Rocky mountains on the other,
is the town of Donald, ON the Canadian
Pacific railroad. 1t used to be known
as wide open town." but it is now
sedate little plHce of nearly 2,000 in
habitants. 1t is the meeting place of
divisions Of the railroad, and from that
reason takes ON q commercial impor-
lance that other towns of the same size
along the railroad lack. 1t also has an
added Importance from the fact that it
is the home of Sheriff Redgrave, the
chief official of all that country around
for great distance.
Sheriff Redgrave is distinguished
man mot only because lse holds the chief
office whereabouts for many miles, but
because he has q notable past. He has
had many fierce campaigns with the In
dians, has fought his full share of dead
ly duels with desperadoes, has drop
ped' his man ON more than one COCA
sion, knows what roughing it means in
a aGountry the widest of the wild, and
fOr,years before such thing as a rail
road was thought of in that country was
O marked man.
Sheriff Redgrave is always amisble
and almost always cheerful Once a
year, however, he is manifestly trou-
bled and downcast. 1t is custom in
Donald on these occasions to wait until
a goodly collection of citizens I've az
rived, and then this conversation usual
ly ensues:
Good morning, sheriff. YOuseem a
little troubled this morning. You look
blue. Nothing gone wrong, has 'there?"
some one will say, and the sheriff will
make this response:
"Oh, no." with an apparent effort to
throw off his careworn look, nothing
is the matter, but the fact rs thisiis the
anniversary of very sad day with me,
and l never can shake Oft its remem-
brance."
'Indeed?" some one viii say, and at
that invitation the sheriff will tell this
story of an eventful day in his career,
one that annually fills his soulMith sad
ness:
''It was just 80 years ago today that
I was up in the Carbon country with
the dearest friend l ever had. He was
noble fellow, one that I would have
gladly given my life to any day were
there occasion to do SO. WewereNwalk-
ing through a gorge one afternoon, and
by lamentable oversight had only one
gun with us. My friend had that Sud-
denly we came face to face with an
enormous grizzly bear, one of the old
time bears, tremendous fellows, such as
we used to have in these mountains
The bear was angry, and / think had
been stung by some bees. He showed
fight, and saw at glance that it was
either his life or one or perhaps both of
ours. He came right for Gls, roaming and
determined to kill us
MY friend was a nervous man, and
could see that he WIS little fright
ened. Now, you know that i never lose
my nerve, and so said ITO him that I
thought he had better gfve me the gun
and let me kill the bear, SO as to make
sure of the job. He agreed and seemed
to be glad to have the responsibility off
his hands. The bear came straight for
us, and took deliberate aim. He had
his mouth open, and I aimed to shoot
him there and let the bullet penetrate
the brain. and thus make o neat Job of
1t. When the bear was about ten PAGES
off, I pulled the trigger. That bullet
went straight to its mark, of course, but
do you know, just as it strnek the bear
In the mouth, that animal fGr some rea-
son or other turned on his heels. The
bullet passed through his head and the
bear, turning just as it was passing
through, DETECTED the bullet, SO that
it flew back to us and killed my friend
instantly by my side. Yes, this is a'-
ways very sad day with me, and am
sure you will excuse me if don't show
my accustomed cheerfulness. -
Sheriff Redgrave has another thrill
ing experience that he relates occasion.
ally, and it illustrates his fertility of
resource in time of great emergency
and reveals to some extent the reasons
for his popularity and advancement in
the estimation of his fellow citizens.
He was I'd il tho Caribou country many