168 TRUE BEAR STORIES.

The following is his account of the hunt
and capture.

The Examiner expedition began the
search for a grizzly early in June,
starting from Santa Paula and striking
into the mountains at Tar Creek, where
the Sespe oil wells are bored. The Exam-
iner correspondent detailed to catch a bear
Was accompanied by De Moss Bowers of
Ventura, who was moved by love of ad-
venture to offer his assistance.

During the first part of the trip the party
numbered five persons, including Dad Coft-
man, a spry old gentleman of seventy-two
years, who was out for the benefit of his
health, a packer and guide, and a person
from Santa Paula called “Doc,” who was
loaded to the muzzle with misinformation
and inspired with the notion that it was
legitimate to plunder the expedition be-
cause the Examiner had plenty of money.
The packer was “Doc’s” son, a good man
to work, but unfortunately afflicted with
similar hallucinations. The expedition was