The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
BEAR AND noes ~ A FIGHT.
A Monster Silver TIP That Killed Two
Hounds BEFORE He Was Finished.
From the Dcnrer Times.

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GLENwOoD SPRINGS. Col, April 2S-The
attention of people who happened to be on
the streets Wednesday afternoon was drawn
to a party Of three worn and weary hunters
who rode into town accompanied 10y eight
| roxhounds that seemed TO he well tagged
ont, and, like their masters. appeared 10 have
seen some very hard service the last day or
SO. But what seemed 10 interest the people
| most was an immense bear pelt Of tho silver Zip
family. The hunters were A. :. Baxter,
who is known all over this part of the state as
an ideal guide and hunter of the western slope.
The other hunters We're Charles Baxter and
John Halford,
When the hide was hung NJ IT was found 10
be- 0 feet 8 inches across from front paw
10 front paw. and s feet 9 inches IN length,
The bear balanced the scale at as pounds
and the hide alone weighed seventy-five pounds.
For this Mr.. Baxter refused an offer of $50,
An impression of the paws Of the animal was
taken In plaster Of paris at the tAAidermy es-
adjustment and IS quite a curiosity he front
paw measures II inches in length by Q
i nShss b IN y'd ,nsDs and III Mr. hj Baxter one Who's i5,.
fifteen years of experience as a hunter
has brought 10 his notice animal, OF gll kinds
size and quality, says IT is without a doubt the
largest bear ever killed in this part of the
country, He was an old veteran OF the noun
tains and IL al least Is years Of age possibly 20,
The party OF three, on horseback ana WIN
ten trained hounds and a pack horse, started
out last sunday morning more TO exercise the
dogs and themselves after a winters rest than
with the, expectation of seeing bsar.a they could
hardly be expected ont If their winter holes
vet in the deep SHOWS or the higher ranges,
As tho party travelled in a northwasterly di-
rectlon from this town, on a gradual rise the
warm spring climate of the valley soon gave
place - the cold and frost Of the higher altitude,
On the second day out the party while travel
ling down one OF the tributarie. Of ~Piceance
l't.nL ullsI nIz lpIn tho NJ Info HlNPT and
passing through dense underbrn-h, in which II
was hard To see the trail Of any animal, the
hounds became at air Ioo and VERY !T IarI Saa,
| cry. which was instantly followed by Old Bill,
another valuable dog, and the rest OF the pack
| The hunters. who had passed over the tracks
without seeing them. immediately turned back
aud dismounted 10 investigate. BY Glowing
the dogs, which were held in leash; they soon
came to ground more open, where the immense
tracks and trail Of the beast proclaimed him 10
be Old Sachem, the patriarch of the noun
tnius. whose tracks had been often seen from
time TO time for the last six ears, bat who had
proved himself too cunning for those VINO cared
10 risk following him into his retreats, They
followed the trail for about eight miles until the
signs became so fresh that they knew they We're
not far behind. The trail had led them across
creek bottoms, mp steep, EulcheS and noun
tain sides, and over snow fields from two 10 Ave
feet deep. Tn" snow crust bore NJ the hunters
and then horses, while frequently and IN MANY
| places the big beast they We're following had
broken through and thus made his course II very
hard one. The horses, too. of the hunters were
about tagged out and the horse that Charlie
Baxter rod, had given ont entirely and his rider
was lief, behind.
When the signs showed the nearnes- 81 the
bear the whole pack waS lOo-rd and away they
went in full CRY, which made the mountains
ring The two remaining hunters followed on
horseback al "A slow gait and a. best they could
II was not many minutes before the hunters
from q rise heard the hounds about n mile away
in a dense grove ~ willows and small 0Iaklng
! asp. at the head of Cow Creek IN the Book Gin,
bay ing the bear. which. from the noise made.
was more than holding his own
The fact that there were no large trees. rocks
or other cover to retrea, 10 IN ease the Wounded
brute should make a charge ON III. hunters,
aud the sound Of breaking willows and the
crash Of falling saplings would have struck
terror to the heart OF less brave men than our
hunters. A. II was. Jack seemed 10 haysxro
stomach for the fight, while Steve, knowing bv
the sound of the yelus and cries that his dogs
were getting the worst OF II and being killed.
cooked his gun and ventured into the thicket.
The bear aud the dogs had cleared q space
of about fifty feet and were so earnestly en-
gagged that they did not see Steve. while Steve,
seeing his dead and wounded dogs living about
uunmue, II he wisn"d to save sS anv offhis hounds, to
take a hand in the affair. Bruins pre-ocCupa
tlOn gave Steve his opportunity and he TOOK
careful aim AT the heart, knowing his own
LIE would not be worth much. If he simply
wounded him, Just n, Steve pulled the trigger
the bear gave "A quick movement and the ball
! entered his flank, ranging toward his head.
The shot, though, proved sure and fatal aud
the huge brute tumblrd forward on his head
90 the ground. immediately he Wa COM
pletely covered bv the dogs, although he dug
deep burrows in the grsrnd with his immense
| claws and in his death struggles broke willow
bushes aud s~aplinys as large. "a u mans arm
like pipe stems. he never reRained his feet
again and In a very short time he was dead.
The bear. was found In size well up TO the
tales told Of him at numerous camp fires.
While one stroke of his claw had crushed
Il. the head of Babe, the leader of The hounds,
and half torn his head from his body. another
blow had crushed the ribs and dlsembow eled
Old Bill. the next best dog in the pack. Others
were terribly nauled. This was n great loss
10 Steve. ms he valued both dogs AT over 500
apiece