Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1875-01-15
BURIED IN A CAVE-THE LEGEND
OF BIG TAVERN CREEK.

l
OF BIG TAVERN CREEK.
The correspondent of st. Louis paper,
writing from Jefferson Cny, Mo-, under q
recent Gate, relates the following story:
During . recent visit to Miller county
your correspondent was made acquainted
| with q singular stoFy connected NTH -
4 old cave situated on the Big Tavern creek,
10 miles east Of it an old ScOtchmAn anne
Wis N, of eccentric habits and peculiar
ways generally, built hlm an humble home
in that nelghborhood and there married.
A family grew up around him, and they,
too, were married and given IN marriage
But one by one they died. leaving children
to the tender care of old John Wilson, the
grandfather. and hero of our story.
After the death Of his wife Wilson put
his grandchildren i'm charge Of neighbours
cid res olutsly shut himself up, hermit like,
from the world f-
In 1856 he died. Before death claimed
him, however, be sent for his physician
and gave explicit instructions as to the
disposition of his remains He directed
him to have his cnlrails taken out and the
budy filled with salt. It was then to be
placed in plain wooden coffin, which the
hermit had maee IN expectation Of death
years before. and taken in an old one
horse wagon to the grave, On his way to
burial. fiddler named Humphreys, who
had played at many country dance in
the neighbOrh0Od, was tO SIT astrido the
coffin and dolefuily play, as the process
BON moved through the woods, the mem
orable tune, "Old Rossum the Beau !"
Humphreys was paid *25 in advance for
his services, and sOlemnly bound himself
to do his part faithfully and we'll.
/ A-Ss
old friends and neighbors were specially
detailed to act as guard of hcnOr, or pall>
bearers, en- route to the tomb. A twO-
gallon jug had been filled with good old
Bourbon whisky. This was seated up,
and directions given to have it p aced in
the tomb with the body of the hermit.
But the strangest part Of this strange
story remains to be told Many years hes
fore his death old John Wilson had pres
pared himself a tomb, in expectation Of
his final end. 1t was no bright mos.y or
grassy spot in the dim forest aisles, nor a
lUwlv grave in q country churchyard.
whe the birds come to sing their m ,tin
song, hut rough and rude like the rugged
old man that was destined to sleep in its
rock ribbed walll-a cave opening into
perpendicular cliff twenty five feet above
the Big Tavern stream. Steps had been
cut iutO the solid rock and \ precar;ons
fOOth0ld fashioned tU the mouth of the
gloomy cavern.
10 this almost inaccessible spot was
borne the body of the strange cid man,
followed by 10 Weeping n,turncrs or ten
!. er, kind and loving frieBds, but gazel AT
oy css '-.. .eisilA,fs as one would look
The lean and scraggy old horse drew his
M mi Vssh
to the tune Of ''Old R,ssum the B,au,"
scraped m0urnfulIy from the nodlc- trings
Of Joe Humphreys, and whis. lei ss;scord-
antly by . pack Of curious boys as they
trudged along after
Arrived at the waters edge. the body
was lifted from the wagon and taken to
its fi'ial resting place, up the rocky siair>
way anu into The recess Of the chcerless
cavern. Here the last will and testament
of John Wilson was read to the strange
group. His lands and estates were given
to his children's children; his horse and
wagon to the doctor who attended him in
his last illness, and his good will To all
mankind. The seven frleids detailed be-
fore to escort his body to the tomb were
instructed to put the jug OF WHISKY at the
foot of the coffin. and aftcrward fave the
mouth of the cage walled up. Further,
sitter the lapse of seven years. these old
neighbOrs Were to come together on the
anniversary Of his death, and, in company
with merry Joe Humphrey, the fiddler,
break down the walls tefore the cavern
and drink to the memory of the old man
out of the precious jug diseptolhbed. to
the tune Of "Old R0ssuin the Beat The
body was thcrcupoa to be taken frofn its
rocky grave and buried alongside the
bodies of his wife and children, long
since dead, in the country graveyard hard
by.
John Wilson wss buried, as related
above. 10 the Spring of 1855 Seven years
rolled BY, and the spring of 1859 found
the country c0nvulsed with civil war.
The old friends and neighbors Of the her
NIT Of Big Tavern creek were scattered
and gone-some hal died and others had
few had moved away. and the places that
The iEjunctions Of the strange old Scotch
man were forgotten and unhecded. The
seventh anniversary of his dealh and en-
tombment rolled around and passed away.
aud the cavern in the lone cliff of Big
Tavern creek was left undist1rbed by hu
man hands.
Since then stra age awe has fallen upon
the spot. When the clouds OF war had
been dispelled and peace once more smiled
upon the land, no cntreaty could prevail
upon the surviving friends of old John
Wilson to tear down the rocky gate Of
his silent tomb, or disturb the slumbers
of the hermit dead, And 10 this day oil
that is mortal of the strange old man lies
aosllssing IN the solitary rock, unm0lest-
I'd Of human hands. The bat and the
owl may penetrate the crevices of the
crumbling wall and make the gloom hid.
e0us with their scurr and screech, and
Shiny reptiles may coil themselves in fan.
tastic shapes about the mossy ledxes of
the cliff but the voice of no man echoes
in the silent chamber of the dead. Van.
ished hands may not hear the hermit of
Big Tavern creek to the iOnged for rest
ing place beside his wife and children In
The old country graveyard hard BY; and
the sound of voices long since stillsd will
ne'er chant the melody of .'Old Rlssun
The Beau" to the melancholy strains of
poor'Joc Humphreys, dead long ago, long
ago.
On twenty three of the princidal rail-
roads. whose earnings are reported for
November In the Finsncia' Chronicle. tbs
total increase over tho same month tn
1873 10 ESQ, $40 Nearly every IUsd IN
tee hist shows IN increase of moro Ct teos
importance. Another favorable indication
70, that iailroad bond ore in good demand
st steady o. sdvancisg prices, the general
tendency being towards sn increased COM
fidence h the bonds "of all companies
whieh ere believed to b able to pay their
interest regularly.
TEE shirt which buttons bekipd hAs
reached japan.