Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-10-12

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The bear hunt is attended with a
thrill II you find the bear or he finds
you. glamor of glory If you kill the
ear and carry his robe away as
rophy of the fight.
Newspaper reporters have many op-
9ortunitles to write bear stories and
low and then they find one they would
write if they knew how.
Nobody had contemplated when Bill
y Wickline, Charlie Casad and Wal
ter Campbell went out to Hermosa
The other day that they intended to
kill bear and opinion is still rife
that they had not expected 10 meet a
bear. but they did find one and killed
1t. 1t was this way:
They all wanted to get out OF town
md Walt Campbell wasn't doing any
thing and knew the country, and pilot
ed Billy and Charlie to place to
hunt They gathered up camp out
III and the things to eat. Billy had a
25-36 Marlin that would do, and Char
lie had a shotgun that would kill a
flock OF geese Walt got hold OF a gun
they had before the war and II would
not go on. Somewhat chagrined, Walt
walked back to lockwood to get a
better gun. and returned in time to
help skin the bear.
They selected a place as wild In its
mountain recesses as is left for the
adventurer. out on the south fork OF
Hermosa, six miles below the park,
or old flag station. They went over
the ORC Fino hill to the South fork
Their success had been Indifferent
until Thursday afternoon Walt had
gone back to Durango to get new
gun. Billy Wickline took the south
side of the creek, with his rife. while
Charlie Casad laid at deer lick on
the north side. Moments had seemed
these hunters. Finally Charlie heard
Billy shooting, as he supposed, at
grouse. Nothing else had been scan.
But crack crack. whing bang! (that
was no way to shoot at grouse). and
finally Casad heard the cracking
- hnh b'Hihu anu. saw
what at first appeared to be burro.
He was standing under cliff or prec-
ipice about fifteen feet high. At this
critical moment a burro would have
been in danger There are times
when It's not well to disturb solitude.
Wickline was probably 100 yards
from the creek when he spied NOV.
ing object and thought 1t was Casad.
The bear had spied Wickline and was
trying TO get away. but the well di-
rected aim Of the unerring rife. al
though shooting over. was 80 close
that the dismayed beast OF the forest
changed its course and turned back
to meet the enemy Wickline was
probably 1000 feet away when he fred
the first shot, and in the density of
the cross-timbered forest would no
doubt have been distanced had not the
hear turned to retrace mis- tracks.
"Whing, bang" every time Wickline
saw the dark figure or saw the quak-
ing brush the bear ambled against.
Coming to meet each other, the dis
was at bay, and then ne found him
self overlooking the cliff where Casad
had taken his watch at the deer lick.
Boom, wow" the shotgun went Oh.
and the monarch Of the forest, with a
death wound, turned to retreat or
meet the other enemy.
Casad fearing that ne had not aim
ed accurately, fired again. Wounded
twice, either wound fatal, the bear
5trugGled away to little gulch, a
hundred feet away. and fell, but not
without being seen by Wickline, who
began again to work with his trusty
rifle
II was then dark, and Casad having
returned to camp, thinking he had
done no good, wickline followed.
Campbell says they couldn't sleep that
night and at the break OF day they
were out again.
In the evening Wicklne had called
10 Casad that ne had shot a bear. but
Sasad had gone to camp. Darkness
had driven Wickline to the trail for
camp, too. BY the glow and htful
Kicker of the campfire flame they re-
the detail OF the incident and
hey would resume the chase in the
There was no time to make coffee.
,nt with guns in trim. Wickline and
,asad repaired to the lair of the
'ears last stand and within 100 feet
ound him dead with three fatal
Casad's first snot from tb, shotgun
lad torn half his neck away and his
econd shot had torn away the ster.
ium.
Wickline's rife had broken the
pine near the shoulders.
A poor chance for bear to win n
ght.
Campbell pronounces the animal a |
ilvertip, its back ridge showing gray
air, though the remainder Of the robe |