The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-23
A FIGHT With A BEAR
Met at Close Quarters on a
Lonely Trail.
NEW RAILWAY EXTENSION
Street Cars Will Be Running in Another
Week-A Pipe Line Being Laid to
the College-A Month of
Fine Weather.
Special Correspondence of the Standard

siiS Naiidtlh III the way Oh mines
and Is connected with various other
enterprises in the Gallatin valley, met
bear quite suddenly while roaming
through unfrequented places in the
mountains He had been UP in the
basin, and as far as the Park line, to
look over some mining properties, and
was vending his way home by the way
OF Squaw creek basin. AS there is
but pack trail along this route, he
was riding horseback and had no other
companion but his horse and his
trusty six-shooter. Part of the trail,
however, is very steep, and it was nee
essary for the rider to dismount, es-
pecially as he was big and his horse
was small, and as they were stumbling
along in as easy way as possible I'M
der the circumstances, a peculiar noise
was heard. The gentleman was not
hunting bear at the time, nor even
thinking of one. He stopped a few
minutes to listen, but not seeing any
thing he resumed his journey. He had
gone but few steps when another
'w-h-i-s-h" attracted his attention,
and the horses also, for with a jump
and bound and a snort the equine
broke away and ran, as he had never
run before, to the top of the mountain
leaving the prospector all alone in his
glory, and his revolver shells tied on
the saddle. AS he turned from watch
ing his horse trying his speed up the
mountain, he saw a big black bear
standing on its hind legs few yards
below, evidently preparing to fight to
the bitter end. 1t seemed to the lonely
man a case of fight or run away, but
as the bear barred the down grade
track, and fearing it might be a better
into 1rNhi I.or l, l,a
cluded to accept the challenge of Mr..
Bruin. Accordingly he drew his pop
gun and taking good aim fired. With a
squeal of pain or of fright the bear
dropped suddenly to the ground and
then rolled to the bottom of the hill.
Arriving at the base of the mountain
the bear collected what was left of
himself and started up the hill at
good pace, right towards his antagOn-
list, who emptied all the chambers of
his revolver but failed to even phase
the bear jot or little. The bear got
nearer and nearer and finally came the
time when both had to run or fight at
close quarters, but run they did, one
in one direction and the other in an
other-it being hard to tell which was
the most frightened, man or beast.
After running a short distance and
finding the bear had not caught him,
the man stopped and collected his
thoughts and then started out to find
his horse. On climbing to the top OF
the hill he found his steed mad got
tangled up with an old stump of a tree
and could not get away. Rehlling his
revolvers chambers and putting the re-
naming shells in his pocket this time,
the traveller resumed his journey,
wiser If not sadder man than he was
before the encounter. 1t Is presumed
the bear, hearing the noise of the man
n
the matter when fired at and was so
scared he did not know what to do or
where to run, and of course accident
ally ran in the wrong direction This
same gentleman was seen going up the
basin a short time afterwards, but in
stead of carrying revolver he had a
good repeating rifle on his saddle, and
also had some shells in handy pocket
The death of the bear, it is expected,
may be reported at any time.
The Bozeman street railway com
pany finished laying the rails on the
new extension of its line on Wednes-
day evening. The road will not be
ready for the car service for about an
other week, as the posts and trolley
wires have yet to be put into position.
The work has been pushed by Super
intendent Mendenhall so as to have the
road in good running order before the
winter weather SetS Ill. NJ" lIltlt tllV
line runs up Grand avenue instead OF
out in the country there is little reason
to doubt that it will be well patronized
by college professors and students as
well as other citizens. Heretofore the
line was usually covered with ice and
literally froZe up at the time 1t was
most needed by those people who de-
sired to go out to the college and VI
cinity in the winter time.
The water works extension to the
college is progressing rapidly and the
pipes are being laid now within a short
distance of the termini. 1t has taken
a great deal of work to construct the
extension, but is an improvement that
was greatly needed, as the college has
been practically without any fire pro-
lection heretofore
A sheep herder went into the store of
Sherman Phillips on Tuesday and said
he wanted to buy a fiddle. One was
shown him, and after tuning it up he
treated the crowd to the Arkansas
Traveller" 1t was about o'clock in
the morning when the fiddle was hand
ed to the Would-be buyer and it was
about noon before the first tune was
finished and the sale made. A number
of the boys came in and danced during
the forenoon and stated to Mr.. Phil
lips that his violin seemed to have
plenty of tone to them. The sheep
herder left about o'clock, stating he
would return and try another violin
in the course of day or two.
A party of Indians, presumably
Crows, passed through the city on
Tuesday afternoon. They had a num-
Der of pack horses with them and sew
eral squaws. The whole party appar-
emily had on their best clothes and
looked very picturesque in their gaudy
blankets and turkey tail feathers. One
was heard to remark that THE blamed
Indians and the ladies of fashion must
have been robbing all the turkey
roosts in the country for tail feathers
to stick in their hats"
The Gallatin valley has been visited
with about a month of the finest wealth
er ever enjoyed by human beings. 1t
is a regular Indian summer weather.
The sky is beautifully clear, the sun
nice and warm and the nights Just the
right temperature to sleep good 1t
seems as though the weather was try