The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-07
BATTLE ROYAL IN TEXAS.
Peccaries Matched Against q Lion and
Three Bears.

About as exciting a battle as was
ever witnessed occurred on the rancn
a few days ago. The cowboys OF span
gler ranch had three full grown bears
captured at one time or other In the
Santiago mountains. The bears wan
dered about the ranch and stables, eter-
nally in some mischief. but nobody
feared them. as they were always good
humored and playful. over at Tom
Raw ranch, near Los Chisos, the boys
owned a 2-year-old Mexican lion, or
panther That sort of pet VIII always
become dangerous by the line IL rs :
years old and this particular one was
about the meanest lion ever caught IN
that section, and the boys OF Tom Kay
concluded to fight him, IL a battle could
be arranged. with the bears OF Span
gler.
Before arrangements could be made
Mexican Pepe, a hunter for Spangler
ranch, discovered a den of peccaries, or
wild Mexican hogs, as they are called
in Texas. There's no animal on top OF
ground more uncomfortable than a pee
cary. They are small. round-Dodieo
yellowish-brown animals about the size
of a quarter-grown hog. They are COW
cred with coarse bristles. the ridge
down IN back and along the neck be-
ing often five or six inches long. They
snort long, curved scimetar-like tusks.
sharp as knifeblades, and their DISPOSE
tons are devilish. They are tailless.
There's no animal known which viii
face them voluntarily. The band dis
covered by Pope had for it's headquar-
ters a cave in a foothill Of the mount
ain. The mouth OF the cave was less
than two feet in diameter. but the cave
itself was fully 40 feet wide and so feet
long. Pepe was hunting at the time,
and the musky odor of the pcccaries
betrayed them. Luckily for Pepe. the
band must have just returned from
some excursion. as they were asleep al
the time. and before they woke VI
Pope had corked up the entrance to the
cave with rocks, which were thickly
strewn about.
When Pope returned to the ranch and
told his story. the cowboys proposed q
battle royal. They sent word to Ton
Ray ranch and the cowboys of tina
ranch brought over their Mexican lion
Meanwhile the boys had built a heav,
rail fence about 100 feet square ant
10 feet high about n cave. The mex
morning there were so cowboys OF Ton
Ray ranch. as many or more from tn
Rocket ranch, and nearly 100 OF tn
spangler ranch boys gathered together
The ground within the rallied inclosur'
was cleared of every obstacle excep
four good-sized stumps, to each o
which a bear or panther was chaine'
with a 20-foot chain. Each OF tn
stumps had been squared OFF three fee
above the ground.
At 1 o'clock all was ready for tn
battle except the p~eccaries. This par
of the work was delegated to Red jim
an Indian cowboy of Spangler, wit
the betting at 2 TO 1 that Jim woul
get nipped before he could get out G
reach of the Infatuated ~peccaries. Blu
Jim knew his business. He first role
stones and placed them several fes
from the mouth of the cav to imped
the brutes should they get out too quic
for him. Then he slipped a laris
around the big stone which corked u
the mouth OF M cave. Retreatlng
or 20 feet he gave the lariat a stron
pull and out came a stream of ragin
wild hogs. They didn't catch Jim. bl
they came close enough to spring at h
heels as he scaled the ence. Then full
100 mad and swapping peccaries stood
minute and looked around In front.