The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-08

smythe. wife and son and I 2 wese
and two daughters The men II this par
u were very anxious 70 shot Z bear. al
except Mr.. Bentley, who declared that he
had not lost AIRY bear But MLnnick said
that he wanted q bear and 50 the talk -an
around the camp fire. and bear stories
we're the great topic Of conversation Da-
vlG SmFthe had fine German pin IRE
gun, I r West had a fire Winchester
and there were numerous ether guns OF
lesser note IN camp. The following day
The whole party consisting Of men wo-
r.en and children went I'D The North
Fork Valley os the Frying Pan ID fish.
Tie party took along their lunch and
aade 2 day OF IL The fishing was good
and the party vent above the meadows
20 the Canon and fshe5 down the stream
The North Fork valley * one OF the most
beautiful in the Frying Pan region. It's
only inhabitant for > years has been an
old swede VINO lives alone near the
stream. and raises q few acres OF oats
each year, gardens q little and raises
some hay He has also q few head Of
cattle. Bear abound along this stream.
especially so, in the cliffs and gorgss
above the meadows Il is the favorite
feeding ground OF the silver tip. The
north fork OF the river raises way up IN
the SHOWS OF Holy Cross mountain; its
waters are ice cold. At about 4 o'clock
o. the day named the women, and chill
dren Of the Wichita party had all gone
camp. all OF the man had gone 70 camp
but Dr. AIinnick and .. H Bentley. Bent
ley was above NIiunick on the stream and
8Iinnick thought that Bentley would come
down stream and they would go into
camp, but il seems that Bentley had cut
across the shoulder Of the mountain. TAX
ing short tran TO the camp. As DIT.
NIInnick vas quietly fishing about 2. n
waiting for his friend Bentley. he heard
peculiar noise on the side OF the noun
tain in the down timber. t grew louder
and as IL came nearer Dr.. AIinnick dis
covered two immense Silver tip bears en-
gagged in a deadly combat The combat
ants rolled and tumbled in the dust on the
mountain side, broke up the tvigs and as
the contest waged worked down 10 about
200 yards OF DR.. AIinuick who stood there
fairly rooted 10 the spot Abont this
tine il occurred 70 Or. Minnick that he
had better make himself scarce. This
thought came TO him all at once. and he
vas not slow in acting. About two
bounds carried him across the river. IT
had never seemed so narrow to him be-
fore. Instead OF keeping the trail u
the North Fork siding on the Colorado
Midland railway he went squareIy I'D the
side OF the mountain He struck the trail
above 8Iuckavango. and his speed in
creased as he sped along. he overlook a
STOW shoe rabbit IN the trail and he told
the rabbit 20 clear the track for some one
who could run. He arrived at camp with
out his hat and minus his fishing tackle.
and sitting down upon A log he told the
story. the people in camp gave him the
laugh. but next day they went back with
him and got his hat and fishing tackle and
saw the tracks OF the animals where they
fought their way down the mountain side
The doctors story was also confirmed by
a log hauler who saw the bears a little
later in the evening The next day the
other men in camp were told TO 20 over
the mountain and get at least one of these
bear. DR.. Minnick declared that he had
not lost any bear. and that when he took
a shot At a silver tip bear, he would be
in a good strong box car and the train
running sixty miles an hour. After that
the interest in bear killing gradually wan
I'd. The Winchester and German pine
fire gun were laid away and the whole
party turned their attention 70 fishing and
picking berries on the mountain sides At
the same time a careful watch was kept
for bear as they are very skilfuI berry
pickers. The old timers out there. are
not anxious to see any bear. they have
not lost any. They care very little for the
black bear as this animal viii most al
ways run from the hunter. The Gina
mon VIII sometimes show fight, but the
nan who meets a silver tip has immediate
and pressing business, on hand especially
IS this so II the silver tip happens 70 be
female with cubs near by; the silver tip
bear Of this region weighs 500. sometimes
210 pounds.