The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28
FALL OF GREAT GRIZZLY.
THREE TENDERFEEr WE'RE IN ar TIE
DEATH or BIG BEN.

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Mendooino county. California, Is the hamlet OF
Bonneville. named after the great Daniel
Boone. Possibly the name was chosen because
IL was thought that the country round about
would have suited him exactly, With the ex-
ception Of the San Gabriel Mountains In the
south. the deeply wooded ~calons. p~recipitous
and almost inaccessible hereabouts, are now
the only abiding places OF the great grizzly
bear Of California. Booneville's population
consists for the most part OF frontiersmen.
Their larders are well supplied with v%enison,
the floors are covered with skins. and the walls
are ornamented with antlcrs and the masks OF
bear. lynx and leopard.
For several years past a large grizzly had
raided the hog and horse corrals in the Boone
willie country. People named him big Ben"
and tall stories were circulated about his size
and ferocity. It was certain that he could pack
an Is months colt on his back with the ease of
a waiheney shouldering an Indian papoose.
Big Ben did so much damage that finally Tom
Dacre. one OF the largest farmers Of the local
ity. wrote down to some friends Of his in San
Francisco to como up mi organize q hum for
his daughter.
Leave your toy gum at home." he said.
They would only tickl Ben's hide and give
him q chance at yours. DON pack anything
along less than q orty-sixty-fve."
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mia. The air IL dry and balmy. and along the
coast deliciously cool. There is absolutely no
possibility OF being caught In o rainstorm
under canvas. and sleeping out at night is de-
llcious. Therefore the party that went to
assist In the pursuit Of Big Ben were well filled
with the most pleasing anticipations. Each
had o heavy calibre rife. q keen hunting knife
with q strap at the hilt to attach It to the wrist.
q pistol. a compass and a email vial Of snake
poison antidote. Dacre met them when they
landed with a blackboard to take them the rest
OF the way. He had a shotgun in the wagon.
Though 1t is still the close season" he said.
II am going to have n pot shot or two at the
quails. We've got a Chinese cook who makes
mighty handy thing to have a pot full OF 1t cold
around the camp when one Is hungry and
wants a snack"
The occasion soon presented itself. A sharp
turn OF the road brought the party on top Of
not fewer than half q hundred Of those plump
and gamy fellows. and Dacre's pot shot yielded
fourteen to both barrels,
The camp he chose was an ideal one on q
sunny mesa on the banks Of the Garcia River.
Here three of Dacre's men were waiting. The
customary demijohn was produced. and all
drank destruction to Big Ben. Then followed
a dinner to be remembered. A true sportsman
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past than freshly caught mountain trout and
tender ~venison. washed down by claret which
has been cooling all day in the stream. the
feast concluding with strong. fragrant coffee.
while the incense Of. the pipe ascends
to placate the dryads and. hamadryads for the
s imsfS'e e4pe ed ioHis IN st California is Always IVA Of
colossal proportions; not mere branches. but
trunks Of trees Are ragged in II to feed the
but will burn far into the next day. and the
laurel and other fragrant woods that compose
There was In the party. OF course. the newt
able snake monomaniae, he who imaEines
that every rustic Of dot the dry, dry Leaves ave sd is q r rS 7 thIi
much,maligned reptile. For the rattlesnake
in California at least is not halt 50 bad as his
way: In this ease the man afraid Ct ths rattle lsas:
sPaas 'fRIIs s baIanE lsia Z bei aGF'H = lbell F :
in the theory that a rastllesnake will
TSs ni chess owl 2 Inc h naFve! IgPffll T serea h99 IT t6 Ss
panther. and the bark Of the sneaking coyote
are the orchestral aecomppaniments Of a night
s sPo Hed% as aS near @ as they %5Is dared ed: t They Is are s very
Wildcat and the ! panther. unless positively
starving: they will not come within the circle
A good hour before dawn the coffee pot was
portion Of the deer sent up delicious perfume.
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We have not. more han a mile to ride"
sand sshcb Dnf Ire r rse d%sy we Si re- t iles eo t. Zig frSm Be abs
will be 50 full OF Grut that he won't feel like
~ bet you the dogs get on to him before we
johnson. a pal Of Dacre. and one OF the most
famous bear hunters of the country.
The dogs were OF the very best kind for the
purpose. Two were deerhounds straight and
the other three were monGrel with q collie
they jumped q bear would, hang on to him to
the end. They were game dogs. too, too gritty,
indeed. as 1t was discovered before the end oil
The light was strong enough to make the
started in single Gle in pursuit Of the biz
marauder OF the mountains. To Dacre and his
friends there was no novelty in expeditions OF
appalling tales Of the California grizzly. his con-
tempt OF the bullet unless struck In certain
and the 7 terriro force with Which his Bows
were dealt. Dacre had remarked in camp the
aYo1u'se fellows will find that you'se have not
com up from the city for nothing. You came
after bear, and bear you're going to have. and
chance at old Ben
The visitors had protested. modestly insinu-
Ben might get away. but Dacre wouldn't
You,se ielloEs came up here for a bear. and
So they had protested no more: but they re-
s s0nstrt to make stt 2 s sTinbI sa9 q bolS p 9s19T 6o sae
pointed TO adense mass Of chaparral about a
mile seaward and said:
That's Big Ben's park. He don't fancy lily
full OF meat he, lays off there and makes his
dessert on huekleberrfes and wild plums. Now
you see. gentlemen. there is a clear space of
800 yards or 30 between that patch Of
chaparral and the mouth OF the canon. We
shall put the dogs IN az the lower end Of the
patch, and IL we catch him In the open We shall
have him Just whore we want him. Now We'll
go In with the dogs. and we will station you
to come along"
This was a little too much.
"Dacre." said one visitor, my friends are
not much accustomed to this sort of work and
would feel more secure ii they had one OF the
Dacre thought he was fishing for q compli-
ment and slapped him on tho back,
-" You're veteran enough" he said. laughing;
II guess you can take care Of them and Of the
bear" and, whistlinR to the dogs. no rode away.
Now, when a few men who 40 TO hunt bear
are not quite sure that they may be hunted
themselves soon. the first instinct Is to look for
Q tree, but there was not a tree large enough
mouth Of the canon to support a monkey: All;
horses are bear shy, and moat horses are. 1t Is