The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-10

though | am deeply mortified at having
been the unresiSting victim of his Black
Art.
THE PERILS OF PEAK-CLIMBING.
An Adventure ON Pixies Peak-LOs-
ing the Trail in n Bltnding SNOW
StOrm-ROOsting ON "a Rock over %
Chasm 1000 Feet Deep-Rescued at
Last.
Henry NJ. Morris is the name of the gen.
tleman who, as already reported, so mar
rOwly escaped violent death on Pixies
Peak. the latter part of last week. MIR.
Morris, who, with his invalid wife, has
been stopping at Manitou for few days.
mounted horse, Thursday, and started
alone to the peak, expecting to return that
evening. The ascent was made without
accident, and he reached the tip-tOp at
noon and telegraphed 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 observers for the signal
service. Mr.. Morris started to descend to
where his horse was hitched, near the TIM
ber-lihe. Suddenly huge black cloud,
which, few minutes before, had been
tumbling about to the westward, settled
down around the peak, and the snow COM
menced to fall. Morris, fearing to stop
lest he should be belated and prevented
from reaching Manitou that evening, and
thinking he could soon get below the
range of the storm. quickened his footsteps
down the mountain. But the fall of snow
increased, and the wind, strong at first.
became a tempest. with a 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 that OF
Y Yosemite. Reaching pile of powders,
where the trail seemed to be lost, he COM
menced to Chamber over them, when he
slipped and rolled and dropped twenty
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, ne punched himself
against the rock at his back, and awaited
abatement of the storm. When the wind
lowered, and the snow ceased falling, and
the sun shone again, Morris saw at glance
the awfulness of his situation. Above
him. and on both sides of him, the rocks
seemed almost perpendicular. Below him,
Just over the shelf upon which he lay, was
a chaSm 1000 feet deep. the sight of which
appalled, his senses, and he clung to the
rocks with sickening dread, as any hu-
man would.
Mr. Morris, however. is a 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, consisting OF
sandwiches and cake, into nine parts, cal
culating to eat one part every day, and so
prOlOng life at least nine days. He sawnO
one on the mountain that afternoon.
That night a 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 three
inches deep against his back. Taking from
his pocket bottle, from which the whisky
had been spilled in the fall; he filed it with
hail. and thus secured a small quantity OF
water. On Friday, about noon, he saw
two men climbing a trail, and called to
them with all his strength, but, after list
ening a moment, they passed on, and dis
appeared behind ledge of rocks. Those
were the only persons he saw that day.
That night the clouds poured out Il tor
rent of rain. The rocks at his back afford
tOl llllll llO anu was "CG w biiN
skin, and very cold besides. He feared he
might become deliriOus and jump off into
that awful gorge. So all through Friday
night he 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 point of rocks a short
! distance from where Morris was sitting.
| One of the men was Dick Templeman, a
! famous Pixies Peak guide, and the Others
were Spencer Harris and Reuben Healey,
residents of Mantou, and well 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, some
where about the brink of the crater, as il
| is 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 thousand echoes, and
| they were at a loss to locate him. Finally
after fruitlesS search with the eyes, Ten
| pleman halloOed to Morris to wave his
| handkerchief, and to keep it in motion
and i'm this way his exact whereabouts was
! detected. Morris asked it they had rope
and being answered that they had not, hC
| despairingly threw up his hands, and, in {
low voice, which was but family conveyed
to them in echoes, said: You can't SAVE
me without a rope" But they rescued
him, nevertheless, and without a rope
though only by the hardest work. The
men, with Templeman in the lead, worked
their way down to within a few feet o
Morris, and, by the aid of his long liner
coat, which he twisted and fastened un
der his arms, they succeeded in lifting
and dragging him up over the precipice.
They helped him along to the trail, anC
tied him to the back of horse, and started
down the mountain. Four times on tn,
way down they lifted him off and let hin
sleep awhile. When brought to the Man
itOu hotel, alive and as well as could b,
expected, there was great cOmmotiol
among the people, for nobody dreamed
that he could survive two such nights a
Thursday and Friday. Morris has beel
confined to his bed since Saturday, but i
doing nicely, and is expected soon in thi
city, where he is well and favOrabl.
known.-DenUer Nea0s.