History of Old Bruno

HISTORY OF OLD BRUNO By Joseph J. Porter, Forest Ranger. For a number of years an old grizzly bear roamed over the Escalante mountain, killing stock wherever he went, and terrorizing everyone he met. Cowboys, forest rangers, campers, in fact everyone who rode over the mountain, were on the alert for old Bruno, hoping sometimes to meet up with him and get in a fatal shot. Every camper, on retiring for the night, slept as the old saying is, "with one eye open," watching for old Bruno that he might not call on them when they were asleep. But finally the time came that he did catch two forest rangers asleep in their tent. These rangers were Ambrose Shurtz and myself. They had planned a trip around in the head of North Creek where they were to meet at a certain date, before going to Escalante after supplies. After having been out in his district for about two weeks, Ranger Shurtz arrived. While coming in he passed the Willow Bottom reservoir which was located at the head of Twitchell Creek, a branch of North Creek. The reservoir was full and the dam was about to break, but he went on down the creek and selected a nice place to camp in a grassy flat by some willows where a ranch, or rather a dairy, was once located. He hobbled his horses out on the grass, pitched his tent and got camp fixed up in fine slnpe when Ranger Porter rolled in about three p. m. They had a little chat and luncheon, then decided to go down to the brook and catch a mess of trout to take home the next day. After fixing up the fishing tackle, they went down to the brook, and returned to camp in a couple of hours, each with a nice string of trout. By this time it was dark and had begun to rain, so the saddles were piled, with guns strapped onto them, at the foot of the bed to keep them out of the wet. The rangers sat on the bed talking about their luck catching the trout, about their trip through their districts, and about the weather. During this time they had been cleaning the trout, and when they had finished, the refuse from the fish was thrown just outside of the tent door, and the trout were placed just inside of the tent. The rangers waited for some time for the rain to cease so they could build a campfire and prepare some supper, but it continued to pour down so they decided to go to bed without eating. Just before retiring for the night Ranger Porter stepped to the tent door, and on looking around said, "I'd like to see old Bruno step out on the flat." "Why?" asked Ranger Shurtz. "O," Porter answered, "so I could get on him and take a ride," and laughed. Porter soon fell asleep. A short time after Shurtz awakened Porter and wanted to move the camp up on the side hill. He had been

464 IMPROVEMENT ERA thinking about the reservoir. at the head of the creek, and thought it would break the dam and come down the canyon and wash them away. After talking hard Porter convinced Shurtz that they would hear it coming and would have time to move before it reached them in case the dam broke. Porter was soon asleep again, but it was not long until Shurtz awakened him. Porter asked, "What in the world is wrong with you? Have you the jim jams?" Shurtz said there was nothing wrong with him only he couldn't go to sleep. "Something has knocked the guy ropes from the tent and let it fall in my face, and I'm going to fix it," he added. Porter advised him to tuck the tent down around the bed and not go out in the wet, as he might catch cold, "but for goodness sake, let me go to sleep." They lay down again and Porter was soon asleep, for he was tired from his long day's ride over the range. In just a few minutes Shurtz gave Porter a sharp poke in the ribs and exclaimed, "Porter, for heaven's sake, look at that big bear!" Porter opened his eyes and there stood the big grizzly about a third of the way into the tent. Porter covered up his head and thought of all the mean things he had ever done, while Shurtz was trying to crawl under him. "Here! Don't crowd me out of bed," he said, and then got up courage enough to peek out from under the covers. There stood old Bruno calmly eating up the fish and looking around at the rangers. The men lay very still and watched him. After eating all the fish he lapped out the dish and licked his chops with his long tongue, then looked down at the rangers as if to say, "Lie still. I am boss here." There was nothing for the men to do but lie still. The bear was so near that Porter could have reached out and touched him with his fingers. Shurtz had a quarter of mutton hanging on a tent pole and the old bear would look up a,t it and then back at the rangers. Shurtz said, "Porter, he is going to get my mutton. What shall I do?" Porter replied, "Well, let him have it. I am not going to try to stop him." Apparently the bear had only come for something to eat, and be- gan to move off slowly. He had no sooner started than the rangers jumped for their guns, but Porter could not find his gun, and was rummaging frantically for it. "Why, you have hold of it now, pull it out," Shurtz shouted. Porter must have been "some" rattled. Bruno had gone about twentv vards when the rangers fired. With a growl and a jump he was gone — the shots had missed their mark. The rangers sat in the tent awhile talking about the adventure. Shurtz asked. "Porter, why didn't you ride him?" Porter replied, "I couldn't find my spurs." They went to bed. but thev confessed that they didn't sleep much for fear of old Bruno coming back. Early in the morning the rangers went out to see if they had hit the bear, but could find no trace of any blood. They tracked him across the creek, and saw where he had sat down, scratched around in

HISTORY OF OLD BRUNO 465 the dirt and then gone out through the timber. The rangers went back to camp, got breakfast, rangled their horses, put on their packs, and started for Escalante, feeling sorry about the loss of the fish and the fact that they had missed old Bruno, but glad that they were alive. After traveling about twenty miles down North Creek, the rangers came to Escalante, a town of approximately 1,110 people. A big baseball game was on, so after taking care of their outfits, the rangers, of course, went to see the game. They told of their experience with old Bruno, which caused quite a sensation in the crowd, and they gathered around to hear the story. The crowd listened with great interest until the story was finished, then each began to express his opinion and tell what he would have done under the same circum- stances. One man in particular, Ranger Shurtz's brother, Don C. Shurtz, said that if he "had been there he would have had old Bruno's pelt hanging on the fence now." Others said they would have thrown a blanket over his head and then cut his throat with a knife. Some said they would have shouted and given a jump at him, and in that case he would have broken his neck to get away. But one old bear hunter said that the rangers had done the right thing by keeping still, and not bothering him, for if they had bothered him, the bear would have killed them. The rangers felt that the old hunter was right, as the bear didn't look to them as if he was a coward. Mr. Don C. Shurtz seemed the most anxious to get a shot at old Bruno, so Ranger Porter told him that he was going back in a few days and would like to have him go along. Mr. Shurtz was going on the mountain to take out a load of salt for his cattle, and if Mr. Porter would go around with him he would go with Porter and get the bear, and the plan .was agreed upon. Mr. Shurtz was one of the firsc settlers of Escalante, is a good marksman, and quite a sport. After getting their supplies and outfit ready, Mr. Shurtz and M»-. Porter left Escanante about ten o'clock one morning, going up the right hand fork of North Creek. After a day's travel they camped at the hog ranch, where Mr. Shurtz' cattle were located. The salt was put out for the cattle, camp prepared, and they sat down to supper. While they were eating, Mr. Shurtz said, "Sit still. Do not move!" Porter did not know what was up. Shurtz raised his gun and fired — lo and behold, there was a fine big buck deer passing by. As it was dark, the shot missed its mark and the deer got off free. The hunters soon retired for an uneventful night. Next morning Mr. Shurtz got breakfast while Mr. Porter rangled the horses and packed up, so they were soon on their journey. After a few hours' ride they came to the spot where old Bruno gave the rangers the scare. They pitched their tent, took care of their horses, and were soon down at the creek catching a mess of trout for supper. They returned in a couple of hours with a nice string of trout, which they soon had frying over the campfire. These men thought they would eat the fish before old Bruno had a chance at them. Porter showed Shurtz where

466 IMPROVEMENT ERA they had their experience with the bear. Shurtz sized up the situation and made the remark that "they would get him tonight if he came." After sitting around the campfire for awhile, talking about the topics of the times, they went to bed to await results. Mr. Porter, thinking Mr. Shurtz would want the best position, suggested that Shurtz sleep at the front of the bed, but he declined saying, he "would not sleep on the side next to the tent door for a thousand dollars." Mr. Shurtz began to show signs of cold feet, and was not half so brave when it came to the real thing. Porter had to take the front of the bed. In a short time Shurtz was asleep and snoring. Porter lay there awake for probably two hours, when suddenly he heard the underbrush begin to crackle as something came down the side hill. He listened, thinking perhaps it might be one of the horses coming into camp. All at once he heard a growl. He gave Shurtz a poke in the ribs and ex- claimed, "There is old Bruno." Shurtz raised up in bed, grabbing his gun and said, "Gee! Where is he?" and began to work the lever of his gun and threw all of the cartridges out upon the ground. Being awakened so quickly, he did not know what he was doing. The click- ing of the gun had alarmed the bear and Porter heard him hurry off down the mountain side. Next morning bright and early Mr. Shurtz went out to see where the bear had been. He thought Porter was just trying to fool him. In a moment Shurtz called from back of the tent, "Porter, come here quick and look." Porter went, and there were old Bruno's tracks where he had come up behind the tent, then whirled and run. Mr. Shurtz said, "Now, Porter, if you won't tell this on me, I will give you the best cow I own." Porter thought it was too good to keep, so when they got to town he sprang the story and the fellows gave Shurtz the laugh. Even the little boys would holler at him and ask him if he had old Bruno's pelt hanging on the fence. After Don Shurtz had told the experience he had had with old Bruno, Mr. Andrew Morton and Mr. Ben Tanner decided they were the ones to get him and pledged themselves to each other that they would stay on old Bruno's trail until he was brought to justice. After equipping themselves with special guns, revolvers, butcher knives, traps and pack outfit, they started out with brave hearts to find old Bruno's trail. Not long after reaching the mountain they found fresh signs where the old bear had been. They started in pursuit, thinking every moment they would overtake their prey. But like others who had sworn vengeance on old Bruno, they camped on his trail for days, and for weeks, old Bruno giving them the slip every time. They trailed him back and forth from Cannon mountain to the east end of the Boulder mountain, a distance of about 150 miles, setting traps on his trail, but old Bruno continued to evade them. Finally they located a place along the trail where the bear would always go through be- tween two huge rocks at the point of the ledge. They decided to set

HISTORY OF OLD BRUNO 467 a gun for him, with a string attached to the trigger, so when the bear came along and struck the string it would set off the gun and kill him. After setting the gun and getting everything fixed in proper shape, they went back into another part of the range to await results. A few days later they returned to see what had happened, or rather to sec \hat success they had had from the snare. There had been a great mix-up. Old Bruno had run into the snare and received the full contents of the gun, and had torn things up until the place looked as if a cyclone had struck it. But Bruno had made his escape. The hunters trailed him for about sixty miles, and although his tracks showed that he was traveling on three legs, they could not overtake him. They decided to go to Escalante for supplies and take up the trail again later. However, while they were away, a storm came up and when they returned the old bear's tracks had been entirely obliter- ated. They said that while they had been on the old bear's trail they found Where he had killed 38 head of cattle in ten days. Being wounded, old Bruno did not show up for some time. Mr. Morton caught a few small bear while on his trip, but he had to give old Bruno up. The time finally came when old Bruno "hit the dust." In the spring of 1916 Mr. Reuben Jolly and Mr. Chess Riddle, from Coyote, went out on the west mountain to look after their stock. About seven miles from town they ran onto the old outlaw. A fierce fight was soon on. The boys were well armed and began to shoot. The bear took after them, but the boys stood their ground for awhile until he got too close for comfort. They brought him to the ground several times, but old Bruno would rally and come again. After chasing back and forth through the timber and rocks for about three hours, the fatal shot was fired that put old Bruno to the bad. After taking his pelt they made an examination and discovered that they had shot him about thirty times. He weighed 1400 pounds and was very fat. Mr. Jolly and Mr. Riddle were lucky, as the stockmen had offered a reward of $500 for old Bruno, which was soon paid. Mr. Riddle, of Coyote, had the old bear's pelt tanned and is using it for a rug. It is a fine specimen to see. Now, when any one goes out on the mountain they can lie down and sleep without having any fear of the old outlaw bothering them. There are a great many other circumstances that could be men- tioned about old Bruno, but thinking perhaps you are tired reading this kind of history, will bring my story to a close. Escalante. Utah.