The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1872-01-11
IDAHO WORLD.
FROM DEATH TO LIFE.
4 STORY A HE TOLD IT.

He was tall, one-eyed man wearing
q broad-brimmed hat and a red-fannel
shirt. He sat on the railing of the
bridge, whiting and talking to three
or four others, standing near him.
Eyes, sir" saddle, II was dead once.
twas the strangest thing you ever saw
in your life"
"You don't believe it, hap
"Well, ] don't wonder much. | don't
suppose any man ever went through
such an awful siege, and I can't expect
anybody to look at it as | do. You see
it happened like this. TWAS that win.
ter we numbered on Whitcomb creek,
six or eight years ago. 1t was war
times then, and wages were good. !
was getting forty dollars month and
worked like beaver till this little affair
came off. We were at work about a
mile from the shanty-Jim Robinson
and me-and had slashed into the pine
like all possessed. The boys were haul,
ing pretty lively, for it was early in
January and sleighing was good. Jim
was at work on a big tree about twenty
rods from where | was. Pretty soon,
after he yelled to me his tree toppled
over and fell. 1t was as handsome a
piece of pine timber as you ever saw,
and watched it as it fell. Crash it
went right into the branches OF an
old grub oak and hung fast there. |
never saw fellow madden than Jim
was. He tried every possible way to
loosen the pine but couldn't get it of.
Finally, we made mp our minds to go
for the oak tree, and in about ten min
utes we had it cut through so it trem-
bled like leaf at every stroke of the
AK, he cutting on one side and on the
other. When it was almost through,
as l was the biggest and best chopper,
says l to Jim:
"Let me finish her, Jim. Get out Of
the way, and l will have her through
in half minute
had been chopping minute or two
when Jim let loose scream that would
have made Injuh's blood run cold. |
just had time to look up and see that
pine tree tumbling down when / drop
ped my ak and run. couldn't have
got far when something seemed to hit
my eyes, and then everything was dark.
! suppose was dead.
Maybe you don't believe me, boys,
but that's all | can make out of it. All
at once, the light, the looks of the snow
on the ground, everything, was shutout
from my sight. There was kino of
uncertain, dreamy kind of feeling,
just as fellow has when he's asleep.
! knew that something awful had hap
pened, but l couldn't stir myself hand
or foot. 1t seemed as though it was
night, and that | was covered up by
something that pressed heavy on me.
Still, there wasn't any particular pain,
and for long time l couldn't think
where was. How long | staid there,
/ can't tell. suppose it wasn't long
when ! felt somebody pull my arm, and
] heard Jim Robinson say,
80 Lord Poor fellow I"
knew he was there and / could feel
him touch me, and yet couldn't speak
or open my eyes. He thought | was
dead. Then l wondered if all dead
folks could know and think things as /
did. | tried to move my hands, tried
to breathe, l tried to scream. But !
couldn't do anything. Jim left me and
the next / remember of, was pulled
out from under the tree and hauled to
the shanty on one of the sleds. You
may bet there was considerable excite
ment among the boys when was taken
into camp. / could feel that was dead.
MY heart didn't beat. couldn't move.
But l could hear and had kind of
misty notion abouteverything that was
going on about me.
Some of the boys, after feeling of my
forred, wanted to send for doctor.
"It's no use, boys, said the boss, the
poor fellows gone His neck was broke.
The most we can do for him is to take
him home to his folks"
Well, they laid me out on one of the
sleighs, and after fixing me up in as de-
cent a way as corpse, could be in a
lumber camp, one Of the transfers
started with me for Oshkosh.
AT first / didn't realize just how bad