James C. Adams was known to the world as "Grizzly Adams". Prior to meeting P. T. Barnum, he hunted and trapped in the Sierra Nevadas. Perhaps for amusement, the caught and trained some of the wildest animals that became somewhat domesticated. Pets, never! Adams brought to the East Coast, his strange menagerie of wolves, lions, tigers, buffalo, elk, sea lion and some twenty or more bears. Barnum recognizing the potential for display of these animals, foreign to the area, signed Adams to a contract that permitted him to show his animals. Adam's goal was to provide for his long-neglected wife and daughter after his death which as told in the following paragraphs was to be in only a short time.
Adams in making pets of the grizzly, wrestled with them. Whenever he trained the bears, they delighted in playfully bashing him on the head. Thus his skull had been broken and healed many times. His most delinquent grizzly, named General Fremont, had in a moment of wrestling, struck Adams, resulting in his head cracking like an eggshell. The wound healed only to be opened a third or forth time by blows by the "General".
He is reported to have said that in earlier years, he was able to stand the hug of any grizzly living, and was glad to encounter, single-handed, any sort of an animal that pared present himself. He had been beaten to a jelly, torn almost limb from limb, and nearly chawed up and spit out by these treacherous grizzly bears. (As written on page 204 of Irving Wallace's book, "The Fabulous Showman").
When Adams removed his wolf skin cap and showed Barnum his broken skull. Barnum was agast, and was reported to have said that the brain was exposed so that "its workings were plainly visible." Concerned that the wound would be the death of him, Adams stated that he had no choice. He had to provide for his family. Barnum's personal physician examined the head wound and was appalled, giving Adams no more than a few weeks.
In what was to be the first major circus parade in the United States, Barnum and Adams agreed to take the "show" on the road, even tho Adams' wound was to be the death of him. Adams, gradually weakened by his wound but continued daily to move the animals through their paces, with the crack of his whip. After six weeks, in his decimated state, Adams agreed to quit and sold the show to Barnum. But when he heard that Barnum was to employ a trainer as his replacement, he rebelled. Needing every penny that could be earned, Adams contracted to continue handling the traveling animals. He wanted Sixty dollars a week and expenses for his family. Further, they agreed that if Adams continued with the show for ten weeks, Barnum would pay an additional $500.
At the end of five weeks, in Adam's weakened state and with death approaching, Barnum offered to pay him the balance and the bonus in advance. Adams refused and stubbornly continued although barely able to lift his arms. At the end of the ten weeks, Adams declared with an exclamation of triumph his reward! He died some five days later.
It is no small wonder that James Cook was tempted to "train" Ned, his grizzly. Cook was fortunate in being able to pass his pet on to the fine people of Pennsylvania before it did him real harm.
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