The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-01-28
A saOrrid Narrativc-Fonr Men out of a
Party of Five Die In the Forest of Dip

A saofrid Narrative-FOnr Men out of a
Party of Five Die In the Forest of Dip
iberia.
The following narrative of shocking suffering
| and death is reported from Bangor to the Bos-
ton Post from one of the survivors of hunt
ing and fishing party, consisting of five indi-
viduals (French Canadians) who were stricken
down by disease and persisted in their camp on
the Canada side, not many miles from the
American border. The narrator states that a
party of five persons, of which he was one set
out with two horses and pung, about Christ.
mas, upon hunting and fishing expedition in
the wilderness near the American line. The
party were well equipped with guns, trans.
hshlng tackle and provisions, intending to
spend month or two in hat uniphabitable
region. The first two weeks they had good
luck and some fine sport, capturing several
outer, MINK, sable, etc, and making good
catch OF trout in the lake. Returning to camn
one evening, one of the men complained of a
sore throat. Not much was thought of it by
the rest of the party, till towards the middle of
the night the man gave evidence of extreme
suffering, his throat being SO swollen that he
could not swallow. He continued to grow
worse during the night, and when morniug
came, was quite insensi5le. He had been at
tacked by That most loathsome and fatal dis
ease diptheria, which is alike malignant and
terrible In the city and in the Forest
Without medicine of any description, and
nearly fifty miles from any human babitatiop.
they could but anxiously await the crisis.
Iney mad not long to wait; for before night
set IN, the man was corpse. Before the first
victim expired, however, another of the party
hogan TO complain of the same difficulty, and
on the secohd day, died of strangulation; or
IRON the filling up of the throat The three
Survivors took the Two bodies out of the camp
and covered them over with snow, for the pur-
pose OF preserving Them fill thew
them out of the forest Determined to break
up camp the next day and return with their
dead comrades, they were doomed to disap-
polntment, in consequence of two of the re-
terrible agent The last two survived about
toriy-eight hours, when they, in turn, were
carried out by the only one remaining, to be
buried In the snow. Alone in the wilderness,
nity mics from any human being, excepting
the grim, cold bodies of his liteless compan-
IONS, The sole survivor resolved to start early
IL the morning Tor the abode of civiliza;ion
with his freight of pulseess humanity. But
griels never come singly. During the night the
deadly cohtaglon fastened uoon himself
In his own words he "felt the mouster a this
Inr9at' and resigned himself as we'll as he
could, to his fate. The poor fellow suffered
tne agonles OF hundred deaths alone and nm.
car care Tor, IN literally "howling Wilderness"
tell the holrid tale. He Law, as he thinks
some -FOUR or five days before he awoke To = |
consciousness Of his fearful condition. The |
mlldness of the weather and a good supply of |
blankets and boughs saved him from freezing.
in the absence OF fire, which he was too weak |
to kiudle. As soon as he could crawl, be went |
to the howell and to his Amusement and grief. |
found both of the horses dead. They had died |
Of starvation. Returning to his camp, he |
thought he would take look at his dead COM
panlons. Judge of his horror, when he found |
their bodies nearly eaten up by the wolves and |
other wild beasts that inhabit that wild and |
desolate region. Nothing now was left for
~ nm 70 90 but 70 make his way, alone, out of
the forest. With pair of snow-shoes upon
his feet, and as much provision as bis weak
and feeble frame could bear, he started forth.
and on the third day reached an Indian camn
Where ne rested till he was able to proceed on
Le Broix, and stated that he was born near the
River de Loup.
We print the story as we find it, with a men
al reservation ON our part. Our readers are
allowed the righs of private judgment also.