The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-19
DYCHE is HONORED
DINNER GIVEN IN HIS HONOR BY
Mr.. c. L. DAVIDSON.

Hunters Are DEMONSTRATIONS Ar,
Issued, and All but One of Them AR
Responded to by the Rccipients-Ois
Frontiersmen Are Among the Number
Stories of the Chase Are Told and Prof
Dyche, in Response to a Toast, Tell
of Many Experiences.
| Last evening at the residence of Mr.
C. L. Davidson, 1926 North Lawrence
Professor Lewis Lindsay Dyche. Mr.
| Davidson had invited the hunters and
old frontiersmen Of the city to favor hin
| with their presence, and they all re-
sponded save William Mathewson, VINO
was detained at home by sickness III his
| family.
The house was very prettily decorated
for the occasion. The long dining table
/ extended the entire length of the dining
room, through the large double doors
and on through the length of the adjoin-
| ing room Upon the walls of the dining
room We're fine trophies of the chase.
Among these were a pair Of mounted
| buck heads, one upon either wall which
| Mr.. Davidson had killed with one shot
in the mountains. They are fine speci-
| mems and each has fine pair of antlers.
They are very nicely mounted, and are
very fine specimens.
The table was very prettily arranged.
Upon the snowy linen rested the dainty
china, the elegant cut glass, and the
silver. At intervals in the center of the
table the color was tastefully relieved by
small wreaths of smilax. Large piano
lamps were so pleaced that the soft.
delicately colored light added its beauty
TO the surroundings.
Upon the place arranged for each
guest rested the souvenirs OF the even
ing together with a card upon which
was written some humorous selection.
The souvenirs were all suggestive OF
hunting and the appurtenances to a
hunters outfit. Some of them created no
small amount OF amusement when the
guests decended the stair and gathered
around the table.
The animated converse ton of a party
of jolly hunters was prevalent during
the entire evening. Humoristic stories
of past experiences following each 9TH
er in quick succession all about the
table, and among them Professor Dyche
told brief stories of some Of his exper-
fences which were both humorous and
instructive. They were all hunting
stories too, and suited the occasion per-
fectly.
The guests were seated about the
table with the host half way down the
side with the guest of the evening in
the seat of honor to his right Next to
Professor Dyche TO the right sat Colonel
NJ. NJ. Murdoch and following in order
came J. j. Mcnamara, Ed Goldberg, s.
Z. Woolard. Coler L. Sim, Dr. Lewis, J.
t. Dorsey, c. II. Davidson, J. C. Casey,
c. II. Davidson, Jr., Fred Sweet, DR.. w
A Minick, w. B. Trockmorton, Charlie
Biting. W. S. Corbett. W. E. Stanley,
T. Griffith. Newt Garst, Mr. Ferguson,
ID. NJ. Dole, r. w. Sargent, C. Smith, A
5. Parks, J. D. Houston, j. 0. Davidson,
F. G. Smyth, DR.. A. Matthews. A. B.
Biting, H. c. Sluss and J. r. Mead
sitting next to the host upon the left
Many stories of all kinds were told
by the different guests present but Pro
fessor Dyche in an informal way told Of
some OF his experiences during the gen.
eral conversation. Among other things
AT this time he said, in speaking about
bears:
Il have heard a great many stories
about large grizzly bears, but from my
own experience | believe the largest Criz-
ely ever killed did not weigh over !. 200
pounds. The Alaskan bear is more fero-
cious, more cunning and will fight with
less provocation than any other species
One peculiar thing about the Alaskan
bear is the size OF its skull II is by
measurement about a third larger than
any other. Up there they are COMPARE
lively plentiful. l saw 1000 brown bear
skins at one time. These skins were
very large. being Q, 10 to IL fee: long,
and Z, s and 9 feet wide. The foot of one
of these fellows-well | saw one in which
the sole measured ten inches across -up-
on the part which touches the ground.
They are much larger than the polar
bear. 1 have nine polar bears up at the
university and those Alaskan bears are
much the larger
Up in Portland they told me they had
a large grizzly. an immense fellow in
fact but when l went and saw him he
was no where near as large as the Alas
kan bear. There are three distinct
species Of bear in Alaska OF which the
Mt. St. Elias blue bear is one. He s
more Of an iron grey bear than a blue.
but the Alaskan brown bear is the most
ferocious OF any l know OF. He is eau
tious as an Indian, and we use dogs TO
catch them with always Up the Kenik
river I saw four Indians who were all
torn up from hunting these bears. One
Of them had his mouth torn clear around
10 his ear and il is healing up that way
making his mouth reach 70 his ear in
fact. Another had his arm all torn. l
have their photos. We surround them
with dogs-which by the way are only
domesticated wolves-and then shoot
them with a Winchester. The natives
surround them with dogs and spear
them. l do believe that the Alaskan
bear viii go farther for scrap than any
other species of bear. When a bear is
killed or even shot. the dogs will slip up
and lick up the blood as 1t flows warm
from the animal. They VIII brave any
thing 10 set at this blood. The bears
live upon the little blue berries and sal
mon which they are experts in catch
ing"
Mr. Dyche was asked about the fish
there Why" said he, fish: I have
seen 50 many fish in a stream that
could not see hardly how one OF them
could turn around" He talked briskly
and interested those about him very
much.
Soon aftsrwa-d The coffee was served.
and then came the cigars and toasts. ".
z. Stanley responded 70 the toast, Our
Honored Guest" Among other things
ne said
Would much rather listen 20 Profess