The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-01
Enormous Beast of the Noun
tains Caught in Trap Near
Salt Lake.
CAPTURE is AFFECTED
NEAR CANYON CREST
George 0'Neil Makes the Cap
ture for R. Stencil: Hope
TO Get Mate.

4 bear story sufficiently thrilling to
find prominent place among the fables
aud history of the whole bear family
now is proudly being related by r.
Stencil the fur man on State street
Contrary 10 the established custom, Mr..
Bruin got much the worst of the deal,
According To accounts, he was first
seen about month ago soJournlng IN
= quiet place with his mate and two
cubs IN Nut canyon, about seven miles
north of Ensign peak and but a short
distance from Canyon Crest. He was
seen by a rancher named George O'Nell
and war was Immediately declared.
Hruin and his family took the affair
quietly and after disappearing into the
brush forgot the matter, but O'Nell,
being Irish, wanted trouble at once.
He had gun. but after some consid-
Grafton concluded that shooting was
not the proper thing. He telephone
Mr.. Stencil in Salt Lake from Bouus
tiful and the two concluded to attempt
10 get the bear family alive and thus
do something that no one i'll this part
Of the country ever has dope before.
Mr.. Stencil has a ranch III Mill Creek
canyon, a few miles south Of Nut can
Won. and O Neil was informed that
traps could be found there. At this the
left in the hands of O Neil, Mr. Stencil
feeling that ii could not he done.
Trap Constructed.
About two weeks ago dsybreak found
the trapper earnestly al work construct
ing box trap at a watering place in
the canyon. When completed the device
was two and half feet wide. four and
half feet long and four feet high,
and was fixed so that the least pull
on the bait would drop a door and
whatever was on The inside would be
at the mercy Of O'Neil. Each morning
and evening O'Neil was al the scene,
but not until last Wednesday were
there any results. To Neil s utter
surprise he had Bruin in the cage The
big box was Just large enough to hold
him. As O'Neil approached, Bruin
kicked up an awful fuss. He showed
his teeth and thrust his heavy paws
against The sides of the box with ter
rife force. O'Neil was AT a loss to
know what to do. The bear stood three
feet four inches in height and weighed
65o pounds. II was almost impossible
10 get near the cage
Not for minute did O'Neil leave
the neighborhood but he had his part
ner go TO Bountiful and call on Mr.
Stencil for aid huge steel wire
cage was Immediately dispatched TO the
scene and the work of getting Bruin
into IT began. 1t was long task and
dangerous one. but the monster finally
was placed IN the cage and loaded on
wagon.
Queer Procession.
1t was queer procession that went
down Nut canyon TO the Stencil ranch
The cage and bear were landed safely
at the ranch after strenuous trip.
The huge animal nearly tipped the
wagon over several times. And still
o Neil was not satisfied. After assur-
ing himself and the Others that his
captive was safe he wended his way
back up the canyon with fresh meat
bait and reset the cage with an inten-
ton OF catching the female. He claims
II would be a very easy matter TO shoot
the female and her two cubs, but they
are worth several hundred dollars alive
Several times he has seen them since
the capture of the male, and according
10 Mr., Stencil Will show them TO 9th
ers who desire TO see them. They ara
prowling around the place where Father
Rruin was caught and Mr.. o Neil lives
in anticipation of the day when he will
see Mrs. Bear safely behind the steel
bars. He expects to get her this week
some time The cubs are of tender
years as yet and viii be easy to catch
work will not be given up until the
whole family is safely on exhibit in
Salt Lake. After the capture all Will
be put in one largo cage and kept at
the Steuzei ranch until they are fairly
we'll tanned Then they will be re-
moved to Salt Lake
An Enormous Animal.
The feat of catching the monster bear
Is proclaimed by Mr.. Stencil the most
wonderful in his davs. During his
twenty eight years of experience as
hunter and furrier in Utah. Idaho.
Wyoming. Montana and Colorado he
has never heard of full grown bear be
Ing caught without being injured. The
bear caught by O'Neil is a very large
specimen Of the brown bear family.
When reared on his launches he stands
six feet six inches. lie weighs over
$50 pounds, His mate is fully as large.
Both are about three years old The
male is exceptionally wild, At the APP
pronch Of a person or an animal he at
once rears up and strikes at the cage
end the greatest rage shows in his
Gttlc brown eyes. When he and his
mate are we'll tanned they will be worth
sbout $500 and the cubs about 800.
Mr.. Stencil is lubilant over the af-
fair and has the greatest Of confidence
IN O g ability TO catch the rest
of the family. For the past five DAYS
1.Neil has not been farther than a mile
from the trap and each time as he looks
at it he expects to see the big bear in.
side. The trap is in thicket Of alder.
berry bushes.