The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-10-09
INDIAN AND GRIZZLY FIGHT.
A Terrible Duel to the Death Between
Man and Beast in California

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full grown grizzly bear and Califor-
MIA Indian.
The Indian fought with a knife, the
bear with the terrible weapons given
him by nature. The Indian was still
living at last accounts; the bear died
In the encounter.
The grizzly Is almost extinct in Cal
ifornia. The California grizzly has
been one Of the most powerful and un-
conquerable beasts ever known to the
western pioneer. A meeting with him
has usually brought death to the hardy
adventurer who dared enter the encoun-
ter or even stand in his way when
bruin came crashing through the un-
derbrush. Other bears are met with
confidence and dispatched with a
steady aim; but when q grizzly comes
laundering down the boulders, tearing
off trees in his Superbly undertaking
course, shaking the mountainside with
his half ton of savage bulk, the nerves
of man have to be strong indeed to
withstand the spectacle. There Is
death in the red jaws, ripping and tear
ing in the powerful claws, strength to
dash a mans head from his body at a
blow from one of the huge, arm-like
forelegs Coming headon he is like all
savage creation turned loose. He Is
usually more than mortal can face;
only the preternaturally brave and
reckless court death and defy the fates
by daring to stand and fight when he
comes.
The Indian who the other day fought
out a face-to-face battle with one of
these shaggy terrors and actually con-
quered the enormous brute with moth
ing better than a knife to fight with,
had either to fight or be hurried to his
death in short order. The bear was
upon him: there was no escape to be
had in flight He had possessed gun
on entering the canon, but after taking
one shot at the bear lie had been una
BILE to make use of the firearm on ac-
count of the swiftness of the beasts at
tack He had barely had time to
throw up one arm when the animal
struck him. sending the gun flying
away among the rocks; and it was
while in the act of falling himself that
he thought of his knife and wrenched
1t from his belt,
Mustang was the Indians name.
He went into the Hetch- Hetchy valley
as guide to a party of twelve Pnute
hunters from Walker Lake. On the
morning OF the fight Mustang and one
other Indian rose before daybreak and
started on deer hunt. Each was
armed with a repeating rifle and
hunting knife.
They had been abroad about an hour
when they met tho grizzly. He was
down In particularly rocky canon,
into which the hunters had clambered
after considerably perilous climbing.
1T was tremendously wild region,
feeling perhaps for the first time since
the world began the presence of human
beingswhen these two children of ma
ture pushed their way cautiously into
its solitude.
Descending to the bed of the gorge
the intrepid hunters ran almost into the
very jaws of one of the largest griz-
zles Mustang had ever seen. There are
bears and bears but there Is never any
about the grizzly, An old CAL
ifornia hunter would know one If he
met him in band Of a thousand as
sorted bears on the plains OF Sahara
Mustang let fall a sharp, quick word
which meant "GrizzlyH' and the next
he -had fired his rifle point
blank at the animaPs head, his com
panion simultaneously doing the same
The two shots produced no more eff
feet in arresting the bears charge than
would the throwing of pebble against
the wind stop a cyclone. Mustang was
q step in advance Of his companion and
bruin reached him first, knocking his
gun one way and him the other. The
climbed tree.
Mustang plunged his knife to the
handle Into the shaggy monster,
slashed 1t again and again across his
rough hide, ripped and cut until blood
poured from dozen gashes in the
herculean carcase; then he fell under
1 crushing blow from one of the spiked
paws and lay quivering on the rookie
With the bear tearing stripe of hide
rom his back and chewing his arms
md shoulders to a pulp.
Mustangs friend sat in the fork of a
rec, well out of reach and strained at
his rifle. 1t was broken. There was
IN empty shell in the barrel and plenty
If full cartridges in the magazine: but
he shell couldn't be forced in until the
)arrel was cleared The extractors had
rot caught in a fatal moment-the
moment Of all moments when 1t
have done so--and, though
he Indian worked at ii frantically, the
natter could not be remedled. The
,un was a worthless mockery.
From morning TIL late at night this
Horrible condition lasted. The bear was
to let one of the enemy es-
ape He soon left the mangled form
f Mustang lying on the rocks and
In red vengeance over to the
rec containing the other Indian He
RED his best to climb up after this sec
nd prey, but the tree must have dis
outraged him by it's frailty, or he had
ot enough strength left for climbing,
ecause presently he limped drunkenly
ack to poor Mustang and renewed the
ombat With him.
Mustang was nearly dead by this
me, but could still strike, as Bruin
uddeuly found when the long keen
nife again flew into his vitals and was
iyen "a desperate twist which tore the
cry heart strings loose and sent the
]ood gushing into his mouth. Con-
ulsed with agony. frenzied by the per-
nacity of his PROSTATE foe in striking
ack despite his half-dead condition.
he bear staggered off a few feet and
waved to and fro in a daze, undecided
neither to continue his onslaught or
etire into the mountains. He finally