The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-10-15
Pluck ; Adventure
Il MONTANA BEAR STORY.

Frank MetZel, OF Madison County,
after deal Of coaxing, told the story
of the biggest bear ever killed in
Southern Montana:
1--WE were herding the Circle A cat
tie in the valley surrounding Red
Rock Lake, which at that time was
new country" he said. "There were
several thousand head of cattle rang
ing there belonging to residents of
the Ruby and Beaverhead Valleys,
and generally the summers work was
one long picnic, with just enough
work to give us an appetite between
roundups, fishing being our favorite
sport.
Into this paradise of the stock
men drifted a big silver tip bear one
night, and the next morning we
found the cattle scattered far and
wide and still running. Half a mile
above the cow camp we found where
big, fat cow had been killed and
partially eaten. 1t was too dry to
see any of the tracks, but from the
size of the cow, which he had killed
with but little struggle we judged he
was monster, and we were right, as
acknowledgements proved.
1--WE made determined hunt for
the old boy, and we put in all day
long searching every patch of willows,
quaking asps or timber that would
afford a hiding place, but we did not
find trace of him, so we returned
to camp. From that time on the old
bear became a nightmare to every
| cowboy in the Red Rock Valley. On
| an average of twice a week he would
visit the herd, and always selecting a
| fat cow or a young steer, he would
make his kill, his very appearance
stampeding the cattle in every direc,-
tion, bawling in terror and frantically
following their noses until they were
too exhausted to run further.
matters went on in this way for
three or four weeks, and eight or ten
head of cattle had been killed, and
| we were powerless to prevent the big
brute coming right to our cabin, ap-
parently, if he wanted to, and make
his kill One moonlight night I was
in a doze, just in that condition when
a man does not know whether he is
waking or dreaming, when l heard
frantic bawl, which brought me to my
senses in an instant. 1t was faint,
but I heard it distinctly, and sitting
up in bed, 1 said to Brother Charley,
who was sleeping with me: The old
bear is making a kill; l heard him.
Kill, the dickens was his scorn-
full answer, you're dreaming, go to
sleep. The old boy isn't due to make
another kill for two days. and he
turned over again and was soon snor-
ing.
Just then I heard the bawl of
terrified cattle in the distance, and I
knew that bruin was on the rampage.
Almost as quick as it takes to tell
about it 1 was out of the cabin and
! had the saddle on a gentle cow pony,
picketed close by in case of emergen-
cies, and was headed toward the bel
lowing cattle as fast as the Horse
could leg it.
"Just before I got to the frightened
cattle, they suddenly broke the mill
and ran in terror in every direction.
Following them came big two-year-
old steer, with bear struggling for
the mastery, having sunk its teeth in
the throat of the animal, and was
slowly dragging it down. l fired at
the big bear, and 1 hit him, for he
dropped to the ground in a rage.
81 had heard Of the ferocity of the
silver tip, and my heart sank when
found that l had not killed him at
the first shot. But this old bear
proved to be coward, and, forsaking
his kill with a howl of fear, he made
for the nearest timber. He got good
lead before 1 recovered from my as
tonishment, and was we'll ahead of
me when 1 gave chase again. The
next time 1 came up to him he was
on a side hill. l hit him, and he
rolled over and over, finally scram-
bling to his feet again just as he got
! directly behind my horse. This time
he got up fighting mad, and he took
after my horse, which did his prettiest
to get away. 1t was nip and tuck
between us, and 1 began to think that
it was all up and that the pony and
1 would serve as the next meal for
: Mr.. Bruin.
Occasionally l would trust the
pony to his own devices and try to
i shoot the bear on the run by turning
| in the saddle and aiming as best
could. The bear was gaining, and
my pony was getting winded. Pres
| emily the bear got so close that he
made swipe with his claw-armed
paw and tore big chunk out of one
of the hams of the pony. The poor
horse gave an almost human scream
of agony and stopped dead in his
+ tracks. At the same moment l made
| fortunate shot and sent big $3.50
bullet into the carcass of bruin, which
turned him completely over, and he
got up a minute later and ran in a
different direction and disappeared in
some timber.
"As soon as my horse recovered,
| took observations and decided that
| the bear would probably make for a
second patch of timber about a mile
away, and l headed in that direction.
! / was right, for my horse soon spotted
the big bulk, now travelling slowly
and painfully, for he had many heavy
| pieces of lead in his body. When
came up again he. tried to run away,
but his strength was too far gone,
and he stopped and showed fight.
| shot him twice more, each time the
; brute getting closer and closer to me,
the Iony fairly wh1mpering with
fright, but standing his ground like a
! veteran. Finally the big bear rolled
| over, clutcned convulsiyely at the sod
! for a moment CT two, and it was all
over
The following morning We took
i him to camp, and it was the biggest
| bear, think, ever killed in that part
of Montana. We fried nearly twenty
| gallons of bear OIL from the carcass,
| and as a cure for rheumatism there is
still some of it tightly bottled in the
| homes of some of the old timers OF
the upper Red Rock and Ruby Val