The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-02
KL0NDlKE SIDE LIGHTS.
rp,NTx JONES, A FAMOUS HUNTER
AND GUIDE, WRITES WILDLY.

II. Tells of killing a bad Bear and
Two Others-Saw Seven Kinds OF
Tbem on the KIOndiI<e River
.booting the White Horse Rapids
peopIe at Dawson WeII-Disposed.
harrisburg Letter In New York Sun.
frank Jones, famous hunter and guide
81 fbe far West, is now In the Klondike.
where he went several years ago. His ex-
,sr.snces have been exceedingly varied
and exciting, and he tells them in his
own way in letters to Casper Dull,
monument lawyer of this city, who has
frequently hunted big game in the Rocky
Mountains with Jones as mis- guide. Ex-
tracts from two of these letters show in
me most graphic way the toll and danger
associated with the hunt for the precious
metal in Alaska and likewise throw in
tereeting side lights upon the customs in
that frozen part of Uncle Sans domain.
ZONES gives sonM information about the
came of the coKntry which will be news
n many. In a letetr written at Fort Gu
dahy, Yukon river, Dec. 4, 1894. which was
received by Mr.. Dull in the following
April. Jones writes gloomily of the out
look
The old spirit is within me still If I can
get it to move" he says. but / think
evolution is working on me backward and
II stop long here 1 shall degenerate into
a bear. I don't love everything and every
body, as used to; in fact this is my last
deal My last chip is up. If 1 win, then
hurrah for better days; II l lose, then 1
will not kick, but my body will never
leave Alaska. Hard usage l have had;
hunger and cold do not fear. If 1 did
would be badly scared now, for there is
not an ounce of provisions 10 buy within
four hundred miles of here, and those of
ps who have not enough must wait until
the first boat comes up l hope to get this
letter out this winter. If l do it will cost
ST. that is the price that is charged for
carrying letters out, and from 80 cents
10 81 each for bringing them in, which is
cheap enough; $50 miles overland and the
thermometer standing at seventy and
eighty degrees below for weeks at a time.
/ would give my last dollar sooner for
letter than for flour, so you may know
how I value a letter We get no news
from the outside world, only an occasional
clipping, which little bit of outside news
is scattered from man to man and from
camp to camp. l suppose that I had bet
ter begin with my trip here and take you
around with me.
Il left home feeling bad. I did not want
to come here, but took it as my last ven
ture Came by the Northern Pacific Rail-
road to Tacoma, then took the steamer
Topeka for Juneau, then the Rustler for
Dyas There work began. The Indians
al Dyas are great packers; they pack to
ia the summit of Chilkoot pass for $40 per
hundred weight or over, to the lakes for
$l4 We packed our own plumber over.
There were eight of Gus in one mess. We
got over all right put our stuff on sleds
end pulled down Lake Linderman and
half way down Lake Bennett, where we
stopped to build our boats. There were
quite a number going the same way,
among whom were three women and
little girl and boy. Our mess built two
boats; we sawed the lumber with whip
saw
The ice was still remaining solid, we
concluded to go hunting for meat as our
Grub was beginning TO get little low. [
saw three objects travelling along the side
Of the mountain, and ruStling down
through the bush found one of the boys.
We went up to where they had disap-
peared, and found that they were bears,
one white one, which made me think al
first they were caribOo. We saw them, but
could get no closer than 400 yards, so
trailed them for about three miles, when
they went down into the timber and began
digging roots. They had been picking Der
ries on the side of the mountain. We
worked around until JIM mention the
man because I shall have occasion TO
speak of him further-said: Cant You
KIN one from here? Yes" l answered, but
j would like to kill that white one first;
that as the bad bear and I know It,.
Oh, kill any one; we can manage the
other two, he replied
Tt is too far to the other SIDE, I said,
but here goes for the nearest one with
its head this way. One hundred and TWEEN
U-ive yards will do it. Now, Jim, De
ready for trouble and don't run.
Almost at the report of my gun the
hear fell, never to rise again. The other
Two ran away, and Jim said, ''There goes
your bad bear Yes. and here he comes
hac kagaln,' said l. We fired two or three
shots and missed when they both jumped
out into the open and started in a circle
around us. We both fired together, and hit
both of them, and right there the ball
opened. The bears We're both roaring,
coming over logs and around trees, and the
Wnchesters were giving them hard music
u dance after. 1t seemed as though we
conid not keep them down, and l don't
think either of US was doing any missing.
FINALLY the darkest one gave 1t up and fell
dead, literally cut to pieces, but the white
'he seemed more determined IMAM ever.
tned twice to get my favOrite shot at the
bItt of the, ear, but he was moving around
50 lively that all | could do was to break
ms under jaw and cut hole through the
snarp ridge on The skull He had now got
within twenty yards of us, when, rearing
up ON his Launches, he got a raking shot
across the belly. His forehead was now
light, and gain we fired together. His last
battle was fought. Two bullets within an
men Of each other had done it. l must say
mat L admired Jim. as l watched him very
Oose ali the time. / was standing behind
Tree and shooting by the side of il; he
was kneeling behind another, two rods off,
ana shooting as cool as though it were
turkey instead of a bear. Every time he
Snot 1 could see it jar the bear I don't
t4lDN it possible that that bear could ever
A'Ne reached us even if we had not fired
NE last two SHOTS. l tell you the truth
N4'u ! say there were two bullet holes in
ms heart and his sides were literally stove
H. That Is vitality fit for the best, and an
ANIMAL worthy of any mans steel"
Jones gives this description Of how he
t.q Jim shot the White Horse Rapids:
we went up along the side of the canon