The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-04-20

iHouBu IieSSHpc uOIne
had been the. mos: ordinary of enclosures.
His treacherous friend must die :; but in
dying be must be compelled to endure ag
ONES as lingering as those he had inflicted.
and while the seif>appointed minister of
justice followed his usual avocation he
planned the revenge that should be worthy
the wrong
When the next stock Of furs were packed
Tor transportation down the river, the
avenger made some excuse for brief visit
to Fort Benton, where he procured of a
lawyer the execution of will, leaving
tho testator's name in blank. Then re-
turing to the rancho, he proposed that
instead OF going down the river for their
market, this time they should 90 overland
together on horseback to Fort Kearney,
intercept the boats with their stock where
the river Platte empties into the Missouri,
! and take the furs up the former stream to
Fort Laramie. where they could establish
kind Of eutrepot of their business to prob
able great advantage.
The idea seemed so plausible to the
younger man that he approved it without
hesitation, and started Immediately with
the protector on the overland journey, ac-
companied only 10y pack mule bearing
provisions for the way. Travelling many
days in this style-the one wholly unsus
| picious of the others dark purpose-the
two men finally reached the banks of the
| Platte, down which they followed the
overland trail to place called Bernard's
Rancho, on the north fork of the stream,
near the Chimney Rock" and between
.'ulesburg and Fort Laramie. Here they
paused 10 rest. and here, in deep canyon,
walled by lofty rocks, and lonely in i'm
memorial, gloomy solitude, the doomed
man was persuaded to take a MONDAY
sleep from which the waking was to be
more terrible than the most guilty dream
! DrDgged by liquor which the other had
given him, in seeming convivial banter,
before he slept, the doomed traitor awoke
to find himself securely chained, hand foot,
and neck, to great rock. while before
him, with eyes aflnme with rage, stood
the brother who Lad waited so long and
patiently for this ate n me-. t, cat first. .
relates Western correspondent of the
Philadelphia Press, rel aing the story,
"'the bound wretch thought it was some
rough joke practicing upon his courage,
and returned the glare of his partner ;
eyes with ehastly smile but when that
partner produced from his pocket the mid
winter letter, and read il deliberately word
by word to the hollow echoes of the gloomy
canyon, the smile disappeared in look of
deaths despair. He confessed all aud
asked to be shot, but the brother had an
other fate in store for his victim.
''Coolly encamping by the rock, he sat
down to see his partner starve 10 death.
! On the third day the i'll fated man signed
the deed boqleathing all his property TO the
injured girl, and the brother attached a
! fictitious name as witness of the instru
ment, by the terms Of which he was made
executor of his partners estate. He then
wrote letters saying he had fallen very iii
! of fever on the plains, aid if he did not
recover these letters would be delivered by
his beloved partner. All this the infuria-
ted brother compelled the man TO do, and
| then quietly awaited the end. Day By day
the partner grew weaker, and the brother
! g!oa.ed over his misery, often reading TO
him the letter"
I so. chained TO this rock, suffering untold
|
mocklng cries OF his executIoner ana the
words of the letter ringing alternately in his
ears, this modern Prnmetheus, who had
profaned the divine friendship, dwindled
to skeleton in his fetters, and on the ninth
| day died in delirium torments. The
avenger," concludes this striking story,
latter burying his victims emaciated
corpse in the sand, directed his journey TO
ct. Louis. There he gave out that his
! partner had died on his way through the
Rocky Mountains, and in proof of his as
! sertion delivered the letters.
''The will was also proved and the girl
became the dead mans heir. Two years
! afterwards the brother was shot by Indi-
ans, and before he died be confessed what
! be had done. Some hunters visited the
! place and dug up the skeleton, around the
neck of which still was the chain by which
! the man when living had been fastened to
the fatal rock. The spot is still pointed
out to travellers, and the tale told of how
the brother day after day ate his meals in
The presence of his wretched prisoner, but
would not give him so muCh AS crum5,
or a cup OF water to slake his thirst"