Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 November 1893 — FROM THE BIG GAME REGION. [ARTICLE]

FROM THE BIG GAME REGION.

Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Francis, of Big Hole V alley, Montana, are here to spend Thanksgiving with their neice, Mrs. R. W. Marshall. They came East in time to visit the World’s Fair, and intend to remain during the winter, visiting their many friends and relatives at LaPorte. Ind., and Joliet and Chicago, 111. Mr. Francis is engaged in stock raising principally, and silver and gold mining incidentally. The unsettled condition of the silver question being at present a very paralyzing incident to the mining interests of Montana, nearly all of the mines having closed down for the present. During the many years they have lived in Montana,. Mr. and Mrs.. Francis have passed through many highly interesting adventures and experiences. The mountains surrounding the famous valley where they live, is still the home of wild game, such as bear, elk, moose, mountain goats, mountain lions, el®., which furnish royal sport for Mr. Francis and his boys. One of his sons, Fred Francis, being one of the most noted hunters and big game slayers of that region. Many of the dangerous, hard-fighting and hard-killing animals having fallen victims to his skill with the ride. Some three years ago the boys built a trap of heavy Logs, having a dead-fall door attachment, and started in to capture some of the big game alive. The first thing captured was a mountain lion—a most beautiful as well as ferocious beast, which after being partly tamed was, together with a grizzly bear,

(called silver tip bear in that region) and caught in the same trap, sold for exhibition purposes at Butte. Once when they had not visited the trap for a week, they found that a big silver tip had gnawed his way to liberty through solid logs 10 inches thick. Five years ago Mr. Francis, while following a big elk, slipped on a wet stone and broke his left knee cap square across. Tins was just at night, the weather extremely cold, and he some 15 miles from home, all alone in the mountains. The situation serious, but by “splinting” his injured leg with a cane, strapped pn by his cartridge belt, he managed to stand and walk slowly and, tiiiiugh he got lost on the way and traveled many unnecessary miles, he finally reached home on the afternoon of the next day. Call on C. B Steward, agent for lots in Columbia Addition; 140 lots at pi ices from 125 to $l3O.