The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-09
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BATTLE ROYAL IN TEXAS.
Pcccnrics Matched Against a Lion
and Three Bears.
From The New York sun

N"N AhHNN heHEs.
From the New York sun.
Joe SDangler Ranch, Texas.-"About as
exciting a battle as was ever witnessed
occurred on the ranch a few days ago.
The cowboys Of Spangler ranch had three
full grown bears, captured at one time or
other In the Santiago mountains. The
bears wandered about the ranch and sta
bles, eternally in some mischief, but no
body feared them, as they were always
good humored and playful. over at Tom
Ray ranch. near Los Chisos. the boys
owned 2-year-old mountain lion. or pam
Their. That sort of pet viii always become
dangerous by the time IL is years old
and this particular one was about the
meanest lion ever caught In that section,
and the boys of Tom Ray concluded 70
fight him, If a battle could be arranged
with the bears Of Spangler
Before arrangements could be made
Mexican Pepe, a hunter for Spangler
ranch, discovered a den of peccarles or
wild Mexican hogs, as they are called Ia
Texas. There's no animal on top Of
ground more unconqueEable than pee
cary They are small, round-bodied, yell
iowlsh-brown animals about the size of
quarter-grown hog. They are covered
with coarse bristles, the ridge down the
back and along the neck being often five
or six inches long. They sport long
curved, scimetar-like tusks, sharp as
knife-blades and their dispositions are
devlish. They are tailless There's no
animal known which will face them vol
unfairly. The band discovered by, Pope
had for it's headquarters cave In a foot
hill of the mountain The mouth of The
cave was less than two feet in diameter
but the cave itself was fully forty feet
wide and sixty feet long. Pope was hunt
ing at the time, and the musky odor OF
the peccaries betrayed them. Luckily for
Fepe the band must have just returned
from some excursion, as they wers asleep
at the time, and before they woke up
Pepe had corked up the entrance TO The
cave with rocks which were thicky
strewn about.
When Pepe returned TO the ranch and
told his story the cowboys proposed a
battle royal. They sent word to Tom Ray
ranch, and the cowboys OF that ranch
brought over their Mexican lion. Mean
while the boys had built heavy rail fence
about 100 feet square and ten feet high
about the cave. The next morning there
were fifty cowboys Of Tom Ray ranch, as
Many or more form the Rocket ranch
and nearly 100 of the Spangler ranch boys
gathered together. The ground within
the rallied Enclosure was cleared OF every
obstancle except four good-sized stumps
to each of which bear or panther was
chained with twenty-foot chain. Each
of the stumps had been squared of three
feet above the ground.
AT ] o'clock all was ready for the battle
except the peccaries This part of the
work was delegated to Red jim, an Indian
cowboy of Spangler. with the betting at
2 to that Jim would git nipped before he
could get out of reach of the Infatuated
peccaries. But Jim knew his business.
He first rolled stones and placed them sew
eral feet from the mouth of the cave TO
impede the brutes should they get out too
quick for him. Then he slipped a sariat
around the big stone which corked up The
mouth of the cave. Retreating fifteen or
twenty feet, he gave the lariat a strong
pull and out came a stream OF raging
wild hogs. They didn't catch Jim, but
they came close enough 10 spring at his
heels as he scaled the fence. Then fully
100 mad and swapping peccaries stood a
minute and looked around. In front forty
or fifty feet away, were three big bears
and a Mexican lion. Most people would
think that such a sight would have scared
the peccaries, but IL did nothing of the
sort on the contrary, the bears and the
lion began 10 display signs OF uneasiness.
The bears quickly climbed TO the top of the
tree stumps to which they were chained
and the lion squatted and showed it's
teeth.
Betting was about even, Broncos, sad
dies, brides. Wnchesters, and cowboy
possession Of all sorts went up on The re-
suit, until the ground was covered with
piles of traps. The peecares didn't wait
but with a general squeak Of rage charged
their adversarles. Squads Of something
like equal numbers attacked each bear
and the lion. and then followed q tight
to the death. The bears stood with al
four feet on eoch stump, and as the pee
carries sprang az them they struck right
and left, knocking the pugnaclous brutes
Yards away. Half dozen peccaries had
received severe injuries from the claws and
blows, and il began to look like a win
out for the bears when suddenly two Of
the wild hogs sprang up behind one of
the bears while his attention was at
tracted in front, ana In a second they had
severely nipped him in the rear Trun-
ing too quickly the bear slipped and fell
from his pedestal In q second there was
q mass of reddish brown brisiles and bear
fur mixed inextricably at the foot of the
stump. rolling, tumbling. grunting and
squeaking with rage and pain. Bruin
managed TO regain his feet once and endea-
yored 10 get back on the stump, but the
peccaries would have none OF Il. They