Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-30
OVER A PRECIPICE.

PeriIOus Adventure of Lady Avon
more In the Yosemite VaIIey-A
Night I'm a Tree During a snow
StOrm-A RencOntre with a Grizzly
Fail Down a PreciPice.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 16.
A tale of adventure in the Yosemite
Valley, with the ''Hon. Mrs. Yelverton, F"
now Lady AyonmoTe, for the heroine,
appeared yesterday in a morning con-
temporary, and having reason from that
simple fact TO disbelieve in its accuracy,
Chronicle reporter called yesterday upon
Lady Avonmore, at her place of residence
in this city, and had the correctness of
his theory confirmed. The item as it ap-
peared was incorrect, and Lady Avon
more, therefore, kindly furnished us with
the correct version of her serious and
and almost fatal adventure among the
Yosemite SHOWS.
Charmed by the beauty of the scenery
in the valley, and tempted by the delici-
BUSINESS of the climate there, Lsdy Anon
more had put off from time to time her
departure from the Yosemite valley,
where she had been staying for some
months. The approach of winter and
the menacing snow at last gave such un-
mistaksble warnings of what she might
expect did she 6lay her journey any
longer, that she at last reluctantly made
arrangements to depart. As it happened,
Lord Harvey, the "Hon." - Strut
(son of Lord Pelper) and Cyril Flower,
NJ. P, were staying at the hotel, and
having, of course, made Lady Avon
more's acquaintance, Offered her a seat in
carriage which they engaged 10 meet
them at Clark & Moore's, telling her that
they were also going to leave the valley
Immediately. She did not accept the
seat in their carriage, but was glad of
their escort out of the valley, and accord
ingly on Sunday morning, Nov. 6, the
party started. Lady Avonmore, however,
discovered that she had not been provided
with a proper saddle, and ordered it
changed. 1t was arranged that the three
gentlemen were to ride on, taking with
them her luggage, closks, ETC., and that
she should overtake them. They rode
on, an6 the weather meanwhile assuming
q more threatening aspect, their stout and
chivalrous hearts of ''British oak" failed
them, as their ancestors hearts have failed
before on American soil, and they rode
faster and faster. Owing to some little
delay in changing the saddle, it was some
time before Lady Avonmore was mounted
and on the road again, the gentlemen and
the guide, man named Coulter, being
then out of sight. Lady Ayonmore, how
ever, did not distress herself very much
at this, as il had been arranged that the
party should stop at Inspiration Point
eight miles from the hotel-and have
lunch, and 81, though her horse was prov
ing himself poor one, she felt sure of
overhauling them there. She therefore
urged Rosinante forward, the coming
storm rapidly gathering its forces
meanwhile around the mountain tops
and giving warning dssbes of chilly
rain. Before she reached Inspira-
ton Point the rain, hail and snow had
begun, and when she at last rode up to
the expected rendezvous she saw, to her
dismay, that the party had not halted,
but had pushed on. Thicker and thicker
came the snow. The wind began to rise,
and bowling dolefully, swept whirlwinds
of snow across the trail, now almost OBJ
liberated by the flakes. At last the track
was completely hidden. The storm ragged
in its fury. Lady Avonmore urged her
horse. He was panic-siricken and re-
fused TO move an inch. She dismounted
and coaxed him TO 60 forward. Mount
ing again, he would 90 forward, and then,
trembling, stand again, not 10 be moved
either by harshness or kindness. It mat
tered little, however, now whether he
moved or not; the track was deeply COW
cred with snow, and Lady Avonmore had
lost its bearings entirely; darkness was
already closing in upon the scene, the
storm was undated, and it became appa-
rent that night in the snow was the only
alternative left for her. Almost with the
last ray of departing day she perceived
an old cedar tree, hollow with age. Into
this she cTept, and, clad in her thin riding
habit, sat there through the night,
holding her horse by the bIi-
die. The wretchedness of such a
night needs no description. Let any one
imagine the bowling wind, sweeping
storm, the darkness, the cold and the lone
illness, and he cannot fail to appreciate the
horrors of that long vigil. The morning
Game at last, bringing with it but little
hope. The horse was useless, utterly de-
mOralized, his rider was numb with cold,
faint with hunger, having eaten nothing
for twen'y-four hours, and despariDg of
ever finding the track Abandoning the
: animal, which was now worse than use
less, Lady AvOnmOre set out on foot
through the deep snow on last search
for the home ward path, knowing well that
failure meant death. As she proceeded
on her way along the edge of steep de-
cllvity, she heard a noise like the snort or
a horse. "Humph," came the sound
again. She hurried round the rock from
behind which the sound proceeded, and
found herself face to face with a grizzly
bear. He made no attempt TO modest her,
being almost if not quite as astonished
as she was Thesudden apparition, how
ever. forced from her a cry of horror,
and starting back she lost her footing and
rolled over and over down the declivity,
and finally found herself lying bruised
and bleeding in a gulch.
Desperation expedited recovery and
urged her to further efforts, and once
more she started on her almost hopeless
search. She was rewarded by a view of
the valley in the distance beneath her, and
, she found trail, but it was the Heights
Cove trail--not one that would be of any
use to her. Boldly she then resolved to
descend the PERCEPTIONS rocks, and she
commenced her descent. A false step, a
slim. and down she went sheer forty feet
Oby actual measurement afterward.) Some
bushes at the bottom saved her from
death; but her fall brought the blood
gushing from her nose and mouth, and
for some time-how long is not known,
of course-she lay insensible.
Oft defeated, but not yanquished, Lady
Ayonmore once more started through the
snow TO renew her descent. During the
the time that she lay insensible her clothes
had frozen stiff upon her She came TO
a very long tree, which had fallen down
the steep declivity, and leaning on its
smooth trunk, she slid perhaps one hun
dred and fifty feet down the slope, and
then fell again. The struggle was over;
she could do no more, and she lay insen-
sible where she fell. By a wonderful
coincidence Mr.. Leidig, who keeps q
hotel in the Yosemite, had chosen that
day and that trail for leaving the valley.
In passing along he noticed the track Of
Lady Avenmore's slide down the tree.
Struck with curiosity he approached ii,
and, to his aStonlshmcnt, saw what was
evidently The print of woman's foot in
the snow. He dismounted, made his way
down the slope, and there found her. He
carried her up, placed her on his horse,
and took her to Hutchings', where restora-
tiyes were applied, and she recovered
badly bruised, but, after all, not seriously
injured, monument of her own courage az
and good luck, and TO the chivalry OF The
"noblemen" to whose cowardlce she
owed all her dangers. When America
shall have to fight for her Alabama claims