The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-18

I believe that the story / am about
to tell win be recognized at once as Cf
highest merit i'm the proposed prize
contest. This i say not of personal
c~Onceit. but because my experience
teaches that. i'm the pursuit of a bear,
il is always best to start out with a
great showing of confidence. no MAJ
ter how discouraging things may prove
to be later on.
The idea of a bear story competition
is i'm its way unique and useful, n
cannot fail to prove of popular benefit,
inasmuch as It must bring to light. in
the tale / am about 10 tell. many IN
teresting facts in natural history which
otherwise might hav remained I'M
known. or IL not unknown. as least
dIscredited. To my mind such a COM
petition can have but one undesirable,
or, if | may. dangerous feature, aA1
that lies i'm the disposition of certain
individuals TO give rein to the imagila-
ton in handling such material and in
their failure to confine themselves to
the simple and obvious rut Ii is
only through adherence to facts that
we may attain scientific progress. Not
even science is able to tell US why the
subject OF a bear story should predis-
pose to fiction. Yet / presume that the
habits of no other animal have been
more covered with the gloss of lurid
misrepresentation. This preface | feel
it incumbent upon me to make before
adducing the facts, i'm themselves m
what singular, which / am in position
to add to the scientific data already
recorded i'm regard to bears.
AS further proof of the caution with
which | wish to proceed in this matte,
I beg T. refer TO a certain well-known
n,aI ..V,aNYAns NrsnII vRravV afnHWr Nn~Ifah
has often been related and which is
sometimes referred to confidently as
the champion bear story" This is no
less than the history Of that gentleman
who lived in Oregon and who was APP
preached by a large and Infatuated bear
which had him cornered i'm such way
that he was either obliged TO jump over
a precipice To certain destruction or face
an Infatuated animal, which meant
equally certain death In telling the
story this man always insisted that he
did not jump. what then happened to
you?' asked his hearers. VIVA in ma
ture could happen TO me- said the mar
rator. except what did happen? The
bear ate me up. right there" This story
l give as showing the tendency to Dur-
lesque which Is sometimes introduced
into bear literature. The absurdity of
the above denouement is of course APP
Parent.
Yet there il a certain similarity be-
tween the above story and that which
| am q about to tell-with this diff -
ence. that. while the former story con-
tains no facts and adds nothing TO
popular education regarding the bear.
the incident which | shall relate is not
only curious, but truthful TO a degree
that entities il to consideration. | mel
ton the above story chiefly as a warn
ing. lest the similarity between the two
Incidents, or rather the real incident in
my case and the alleged incident in the
other. might lead some thoughtless per
sons to charge against me either an
imitativeness or a mendacity which l
myself would be the first to deplore.
The facts are as follows: ! was out
hunting, one winter. during the period
Of my residence at Fort Benton, in the
neighborhOod of the mouth of the NJ is
selshell river. which is known to be the
natural habitat Of a great many of the
"white-faced" bears which formerly
ranged far out over the plains. as re-
counted by Genera Marcy and other
early travellers. These bears are the
gray bears" mentioned by Lewis and
Clarke. who always speak OF them $
possessed of unparalleled ferocity. In
reality they are nothing but the grizzly,
which Is also the silver tip; but these
range bears are thought to be more saw
age even than the average OF their
cousins OF the Rockies. n very often
they viii attack "A man without provo
cation. IL is possibly true that the wild
and solitary life they live in these for