Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-04-26

mournful interest must long attach, VIC proceed
to give extracts from the remaining and final
letters from ol.-Fremont The first Of these is
atel
TAOS, NEw-MExCO, Feb. 6, 1919.
Alter long delay, which had wearied me to
the point Of resolving to set out again myself
tidings have at last reached me from my ill-a-
ted party.
Mr.. Vincent Haler came in last night having
the night before reached the Little Colorado
settlement, with three or four others. Including
Mr.. King and Mr.. Prouix, we have lost eleven
OF our party.
Occurrences, since left them, are briefly
these, so far as they came in the knowledge Of
Mr. Haler: | say briefly, because am now
unwilling to force my mind to dwell upon the
details of what has been suffered. need re-
prieve from terrible CONCENTRATIONS. am alb
solutely asonished at this persistence of misfor-
tlne-this succession Of calamitios which no
care or vigilance Of mind could foresee or pre-
vent
You will remember that had left the camp
Twenty three men) when set off with Cooley,
Preuss, and my servant in search of King and
succor, with directions about the baggage and
with occupation sufficient about it to employ
were to follow me to the river. Within that
time expected relief from Kings party, if it
came at ALL They remained seven days, and
then started, their scOnt provisions about ex-
hauSted, and the dead mules on the waaahede
Of the great Sierra buried rlae
Manuel you will rel
Christian Indian of thea
valley of the San JoaQ
ing Of despair after d
miles, and begged VincencS
left in command to shoot him. 1ff11g q md
death in that form, he turned and made his way
back 10 the camp, intending to die there; which
he doubtless soon did.
The party moved on, aud at ten miles Wise
gave out-threw away his gun and blanket
and, few hundred yards farther, fell over into
the snow, and died. Two Indian boys-coun.
trymen of Manuel-were behind. They came
upon him rolled him up in his blanket, and bu-
RED him in the snow, on the bank of the river.
No other died that day. None the next.
Carver laved during the night--his imagina-
ton wholly occupied with images of many
things which lie iancied himself to be eating.
In the morning he wandered off, and probably
soon died. lie was not seen again.
Sorel on this day the fourth from the camp
laid down to die. They built him fire, and
Norm, who was in dying condition, and snow
blind, remained with him. These two did not
probably last till the next morning. That eve
ning Il think it was) Hubbard killed deer.
They travelled on, getting here and there a
grouse, but nothing else, the deep snow In the
valley having driven off the game
The state OF the party became desperate, and
brought lIuer to the determination Of breaking
1t up, in order to prevent them from living on
each other. He told them that he had done all
he could for then--that they had no other hope
remaining than the expected relief.-and that
the best plan was to scatter, and make the best
Of their way, each as he could, down the river
that for himself, if he was to be eaten, he
would at all events, be found travelling when he
did die. This address had its effect. They &C
cordlngly separated.
With Haler continued five others. Scott,
Hubbard, Martin, Bauon, one other, and two
Costume Indian boys.
Rohrer now became Respondent and stopped.
IIaer reminded him of his family, and urged
him to try and hold out for their sake. Reused
by this appeal to his enderest affections, the un.
fortunate man moved forward, but feebly, and
soon began to fall behind On further appeal
he promised to follow and overtake them at eve
| ming.
Ilaler, Scott, Hubbard, and Martin now a.
greed that if any one Of them should give out
the others were not to wait for him to die, but
10 push on and try and save themselves. Soon
this mournful covenant had to be kept. But let
me not anticipate events. Sufficient for each
day is the sorrow thereof.
At night Kernels party encamped few hun
dred yards from Haler's with the intention, &C
cordng to Tapn, to remain where they were
until the relet should come, and in the mean
time to live upon those who had died, and upon
the weaker ones as they should die. With this
party were three brothers Kerne, Capt Cath
cart, McKic, Andrews, Stepporeldt and Taphn
| do not know that have got all the names of
this party.
Ferguson and Beadle had renamed together
behind. In the evening Rohrer came up and re-
NAMED in Kernels party. IIaler learned after
wards from some Of the party that Rohrcr and
Andrews wandered off the next morning and
died They saw their bodies.
Haler's party continued on. After few
hous Hubbard gave out According to the a.
greement he was lett to die, but with such COM
fort as could be given him. They built hma fire
aud gathered him some wood and then left him
without turning their heads, as Haler says, to
look at him as they went or.
About two miles farther, Scott-you remem-
Der him; he used to shoot birds for you on the
frontier he gave out. He was another of the
four who had covenanted against waiting for each
other. The survivors did Tor him as they had
done for Hubbard, and passed on.
In the aGeroon the two Indian boys went a.
head-blessed be these boys and before night.
fall met Cooley with the relief. He had gone
Ill ba hfu
news He fired signal guns to notify his ap.
proach. IIaler heard the guns and knew the
crack of our rifles, and felt that relief had come.
This night was the first of hope and joy. Ear
ly in the morning, with the first gray Of light,
Cooley was in the trail, and soon met Haler and
the wreck OF his party slowly advancing. hear
that they all cried together like children-these
men of iron nerves and lion hearts, when dan
gers were to be faced and hardships to be con-
ouered. Succor was soon dealt out to these few
, first met; and Cooley with his relief and accom-
! panied by Haler, who turned back hurriedIy
! followed the back trail in search of the living
g and the dead, scattered the rear They came
/, to Scottfrst. He was anda.is saved,
q They came to HubbaI csSd'-5u
still warm. These wen only ones OF Ha
!, ler's party that had been left.
From Kerne's party next met they learned The
deaths Of Andrews and Rohrer, and little fur
,, Their on met Ferguson, who told them that Bea
4 die had died the night before. All the living
were found-and saved Manuel among them
: which looked like a resurrection and reduces
/, the number of the dead to ten-one third Of the
:, whole party which few days before were seal
u ing The mountain with me- and battling with the
! clements 10000 feet in the air.
- Cooley had accomplished his mission for thu
= people farther service had been prescribed
= = him. that of going 10 the camp on the river, a
;, the base of the great mountain, to recover thu
;, \ most valuable of the baggage, sccreted there
!, With some Mexcans and pack mules he wen
+ on: and this is the last yet heard of him.