The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-11
FIGHTING STOCK ON RANCHES.
A Colt which Killed q Bear and u Ram
That Butted ~ Robber Over "a ella.

I'm Grass Valley. Col, where | spent
most Of the past summer, | saw TWO
ranch animals, "A horse and a Cotswold
buck, each of which had won "A name
and fame by a fighting exploit said
\. II. MESSENGER Of New York. THE
first was a horse called Ginger. owned
by my friend John Cuthell, AZ whose
ranch | was staying. He was a spirit
ed but doCile animal. a cross between
the broncho and fine Kentucky running
stock. and | rode him hundreds of
miles during my stay in the mountains.
Four years before. when a 3-year-old
colt, Ginger. | was told, had killed a
full grown grizzly bear. Nobody saw
the fight, which tool place in "A pas
ture out of view from the ranch house.
II was in the early spring, when bears
are particularly bold and hungry. and
his bear had evidently been starved
out of the upper levels and had come
down into the valley ready to tackle
anything that he could kill and eat,
and he struck CuthelIs ranch first.
The cattle were all down at the low
er end of the valley, but the colt had
been turned into the pasture for the
afternoon to give him a chance TO ex-
%ercise, and there the bear found him.
when Cuthell went u near sun
down To drive the colt back to the cor
raj he saw the bear lying dead in the
pasture. He did not think Of the colt
as having anything TO do with the
bears death until on examining the
body he say that there was no sign
OF n bullet wound. but the animal had
bled a little at the nostrils. This drew
Cuthells attention to the bears nose,
which had been crushed by a terrible
blow delivered Just above the snout.
One long scratch made by five claws
down the colts haunch showed how
closely the bear had pressed him,
when a lucky kick, fair on the nose.
the bears sensitive point. where n
hard blow is almost certain tn kill, had
bowled the grizzly over.
AT the head of the valley a man
named Murdoch. a Scotchman. had a
ranch in which he raised high grade
sheep for mutton. Among the bucks
In his flock was a big Cotswold whose
temper had got queered with advanc-
ing wears. He was so savage. in act.
that he was dangerous TO the other
bucks. and the herdsmen were afraid
OF him. but as he was a specially val
liable animal for breeding
his owner continued to keep him. on
one side OF the range Deep Canyon
creek. n a waters the valley. winds
along the mountains base at the bot
tom OF a gully from 30 to 40 feet deep.
with perpendicular sides. At one place
a path has been made down to the
creek so that stock could be driven
down to water.
when August came around last
year, the time when the mutton Of
sheep fed on mountain grass is the
juiciest. Murdock's fat Cotswolds and
Southdowns began TO tally short. and
he found that he was losing from
some cause o three sheep a week.
IL vas pretty clear that they had not
been carried of by wild animals. and
his suspicious fen on a bad Mexican
known as Poncho. who was believed
to have dealings with thief meat deal
ers in some OF tn Colorado towns. A
watch was set and the night that the
robber was first seen was the last OF
the sheep stealing. On the day before
the big Cotswold buck. which was usu-
ally kept tethered by himself, had
broken loose and Joined the other
sheep. The man detailed to watch fell
asleep. He was Weakened by a commo-
ton in the flock. n saw i'm the bright
moonlight a man going toward the
path hat led dow into the creek. with
"A sheep m his back. Before the sleepy
herdsman could get his firearms TO