Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-09-10
LOST ON Pixies PEAK.
rom the Denver Rocky Mountain News.l

maze without aCclueut, ana ne reacneu
the tiptop at noon and tefegraphed his
wife an all we'll" After taking in the
sights, which, from common report, are
as marvellous as human eye ever gazed
upon, and chatting awhile with the OBJ
servers for the signal service, Mr.. Morris
started to descend where his horse was
hitched, near the timber line Suddenly
huge black cloud, which few minutes
before had been tumbling about to the
westward, settled down around the peak,
and the snow commenced to fall. Nor
ris, fearing to stop lest he should be be-
lated and prevented from reaching Man
iton that evening, and thinking be
could soon get below the range of the
storm, quickened his footsteps down
the mountain. But the fall of snow in
creased, and the wind, strong at first,
became a tempest, with keen touch of
winter in it. Morris, blinded by the
snow, which beat against him in perfect
clouds, nearly taking his breath, took the
wrong trail, the one leading to the brink
of the crater a chasm second only to the
Yosemite. Reaching pile Of boulders,
where the trail seemed to be lost, he
| commenced to Chamber over them, when
he slipped and rolled and dropped TWEEN
ty five feet striking on shelving rock
three feet wide and eight feet long. His
head was gashed in two places his body
covered with bruises, and the blood
poured freely from his wounds. He was
stunned by the fall but recovering his
consciousness, and fearing to move, he
punched himself against the rock at his
back and awaited the abatement Of the
storm. When the wiud lowered and the
snow ceased falling and the sun shone
again, Morris saw at glance the awful
! ness of his situation. Above him and
on both sides OF him the rocks seemed
almost perpendicular, just over the shelf
upon which be lay was a chasm two thou
sand feet deep, the sight of which appall-
ed his senses, and he hung to the rocks
with sickening dread, that any human
would.
Mr.. Morris, however is man of calm
| Judgment, and as soon as he recovered
from the first shock he decided to make
the best of the situation, come what
would He divided his luncheon, con-
sisting of sandwiches, and cake, into
nine parts, calculating to eat one part
every day, and so prolong life at least
nine days. He saw no one on the
mountain that afternoon. That night
terrific wind and hail storm occurred.
The wind chilled him to the marrow,
and his suffering was intense. After
the storm the hail stones were four
inches deep against his back. Taking
from his pocket bottle, from which the
whisky had been spilled in the fall, he
filled it with hail, thus securing 9. snail
quantity of water On Friday, about
noon, he saw two men climbing trail,
and called to them with all his strength,
but, after listening moment, they
passed on, and disappeared behind
ledge Of rocks. Those were the only
persons he saw that day. That night
the clouds poured out torrent of rain.
The rocks at his back afforded him no
shelter, and he was wet to the skin and
very cold besides. He feared he might
become deliriOus and jump off into that
awful gorge. So, all through Friday
night be rubbed his legs and swung his
arms about his head. He knew that to
fall asleep was death.
Saturday morning about s o'clock
three men appeared on a point of rocks
short distance from where Morris was
sitting. One of the men was Dick Tenn.
plemau, famous Pixies Peak guide,
and the others were Spencer Harris and
Reuben Healey, residents of Manitou,
and we'll acquainted with mountain
trails. Dick Templeman, leader of the |
searching party, had left Manitou in the |
conviction that Morris would be found, |
if found at all, somewhere about the
brink of the crater, as tits called, When
Morris saw them he called to them. |
They heard him and answered. But his
voice, instead Of coming straight to
them, split into a thousand echoes, and |
they were at loss to locate him.
Finally, after a fruitless search with the |
eyes, Templeman halloed to Morris to |
wave his handkerchief, and to keep it in |
motion, aud in this way his exact where.
abouts was detected. Morris asked if |
they had a rope, and being answered |
that they had not he despairingly threw
up his hands, and, in a low voice, which |
was but family conveyed to them in |
echoes, said: You can't save me with I
out a rope" But they rescued him, |
nevertheless, and withoat rope, though |
only by the hardest work The men,
Templeman in the lead, worked their
way down almost to Morris, and, by the
aid of his long linen coat, which he
twisted and fastened under his arms,
they succeeded in lifting and dragging |
him over the precipice.
They helped along to the trail, and |
tied HIM to the back of horse, and,
started down the mountain. Four times |
on the way down they lifted him off and |
let him sleep awhile. When brought to
the Mauitou Hotel, alive and as well as
could be expected, there was great com
motion among the people, for nobody |
dreamed that be could survive two such |
nights as Thursday and Friday. Morris |
has been confined to his bed since Satur
day, but is doing nicely, and is expected |
soon in this city, where he is well and
fayorably known.