Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-04-25
HE INSuLTED A TAME GRIZZLY.
What Happened Then, AS Told by AN Ego
witness In q Local Paper.

He iNsuLTED A TAME GRIZZLY.
What Happened Then. AS Told by AN Eye.
witness In u Local Paper.
A second rate pugilist had been
having his own way in a rare west.
ern town, where guns were less pop.
ular than fists, for several weeks.
He knew enough of scientific boxing
to do up the fighters thereabout and
had begun to think himself invinci.
BILE in that particular Idaho town
when Josh Miller q trapper, came
in from the Jackson's Hole region
with 2.year.old grizzly bear am.
bling along at his heels as tamely as
pug at the end of string. Natu.
rally tanned grizzlies were less famil.
lar than the real wild ones, and so
all hands gathered around to exam.
inc the beast, of which they had
often heard, as Josh had taken it
the year before from beside its shot
dead mother.
whats he good for?" asked one
of the men. But Josh didn't know
unless it was for company's sake.
Josh went over to the hotel and
tried to engage room for himself
land family" but the proprietor
had his doubts for awhile, though
in tho end he consented. 1t being
nearly supper time, Josh headed for
the dining room, with the bear close
behind. 1t would have been all
right, only an easterner and his wife
were there. On seeing the bear the
man went under and the woman ON
top of the table at which they had
been sitting. Josh and bear compro-
missed by eating in the kitchen,
"where they warn't so darned SEN
timental"
Meantime the pugilist, who was
named Will Caesler, had heard about
the bear, and SO when Josh and his
pet went into the barroom Caesler
and several others We're there wait
ing. Josh ordered drinks for the
crowd, and the bear otabouta pint
of "dead shot," we'll sugared, in the
wash basin and enjoyed it hugely.
Caesler got through drinking first
and went over and got astride tho
drinking bear.
1t is a point of etiquette out west
never to interrupt ones drinking,
and even grizzly bears resent such
breaches. Tho Wellsburg Rustler
tells what followed:
"The editor, who was present,
saw CLEAN in bruins eyes at this
moment and noticed that the near
est door was not open. He opened
it. Josh noticed the bear, too, and
he got up in the corner where the
bar and wall meet The bear shook
and Caesler sprawled on the floor.
Caeslcr got up swearing and kicked
tho bear in the shoulder in way to
bring grunt, but the dead shot
seemed to have made the bear gen.
tier, for he grinned, with drops drib-
bling from lis open lips. Josh, We
noticed, got on to the bar with ono
leg on the far side as the bear raised
OH its hind legs and held its fore
paws in front of him like down
east woodchuck. 1t was intensely
amusing to Caesler to see the bear
standing so, and in u spirit of play
fulnoss, his anger all gone, he led
with his right. landing on the bears
lower jaw, and followed with left
handler on tho neck with swat that
was very audible. The bear nodded
and grinned his appreciation while
the men, except Josh and us, gath
cred around to look. A right and
left followed, both landing smartly
on the bears tenderest spot-the
end of his nose. Then the bear
reached out and mopped the pugil-
lists face with his dirty left paw,
following with cross wipe with his
other sawdusty paw, finally giving
n surprising straight punch that
landed on Caesler hard enough to
knock Bill Lawrence, who stood d.
rectly behind, down, but Caesler
was still on his feet, wildly waving
his hands as if to keep his antago-
mist at a distance while finding his
wind
"The bear took two steps forward
and got a slight down scrape on the
nose again. There was double
'spat' and bump Caesler was ly-
ing in the corner all doubled up.
The doctor found that his jaw was
in three places.
"Josl, said today that he was very
sorry for Caesler. and that he had
ofton boxed with his pet. Josh is a
quiet man and one of the few that
Caesler never licked nor tackled. Mr..
Caesler is a valued citizen, and we
hope that he will recover,
having the assurances of the doctor
that he probably will if no oompli-
cations arise"
Progress.