Stationed on a Scaffold

In 1859, a grizzly killed a two-year-old heifer belonging to Soquel pioneer rancher Nathaniel Holcomb. 

Fellow Soquelian Henry White erected a scaffold close to the dead animal with the expectation that the bear would return. Stationed on the scaffold with his rifle "he waited but a few minutes after sunset, when the shaggy monster made his appearance…"

As the bear approached the carcass, Henry fired his rifle and killed it with a single shot. It weighed about 700 pounds.

A year later White's services were again called upon. A grizzly killed an ox that belonged to Bradley and Nichols, a few hundred yards from their sawmill on Soquel Creek. Again, knowing that the animal would return, Henry waited for him and when he did, Henry shot him through the heart and killed him instantly.