The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-12-04
"Gnbricl Conroy."

DIV 'iHItcS llrSI mover begins :iS Il
serial in Scrilncr's for NovcIIbcr, AMI
opens with the following description OF
the Sicrras in winter:
Snow. Everywhere. As far as the
eye could rcacll-lilty miles, looking
s"uthward from the highest white peak.
fi'ling ravincs and gulchcs, and ,lrop,
ping from the walls Of canonS in white
lshr"ud-likc drifts. !'aslioning the divid-
in" ridge into :; likeness of Il munstrous
grave, hiding the bases of giant pines
AMI completely covering young trees and
IarchrS, trimming Will, porcelain and bowl.
like edges of still, cold lakes, and un-
lulating in motionlrss white hilows tu
the edge of the distant horizon. Snow
lying everywhere over the Cnlitnrni.,
SicrraS on The l5tl, day OF March, lSlS.
and still falling.
II had been showing for ten days {:
showing in finely granula,cd powder, in
damp, spongy flakes, in thin, irathcry
plumcs: showing from Il lra,lcn SKY stead
/ lily, showing iicrccly, shakcnout Of purple
black clouds in white toccuIcnt MASSES,
or dropping in long level lines like white
laccs from the tumbled and broken hcav-
ems, but always silently. The woods
were SO chokcd with it, the branches were
50 laden with it; it had so pcrmcatcd,
filled and possessed earth and sky; it had
so cushioned and muillcd the ringing
rocks and cchoing hills, that NIL sound
was dc;,cncd. The strongest gust, the
licrccst blast awokc no sigh or complaint
from the snow-packed, rigid files of
forest. There was no cracking Of bough
nor cracklc of untlcrbrush the over
laden branches of pine and fir yielded
and gave way without Il sound. The
,I,,t,,
Nor could it nc said that any out
ward sign of life or motion changed
The fixed outlines of this stricken land
scapc. Above there WAS no play of
light and shadow, only the occasional
deepening of storm and night Below,
no bird winged its ligh: across the white
cNN!lsc, no beast haunted the confines of
the black woods; whatever of the brute
nature might have once inhabited these
S"lltudcs had long since flown to the low
lands. There WAS 10 track or imprint;
Whatever loot mi yht have left its mark
upon this waste, each succeeding snow
lall oblitcratcd all traces or record
Every morning the solitude was virgin
and unbrokcn; a million tiny feet had
stepped into the track and filled it up.
And yet, III the center of this dcsolation,
III thc.very stronghold Of this grim for
trcsS, there was the mark of human toll.
y few trees had been fcllcd ut the en-
trance Of the canon, and the freshly cut
chips were but lightly covered with snow.
They served perhaps to Indicate another
tree " blazcd" (" with IN ax, and bearing Il
rudcly shaped ciligy of Il human hand,
pointing to the canon iicnw the hand
WAS y cIuarc strip Of canvas, securely
nailed against the bark and bearing the
following inscription:
Capt. C"nr"y's party Of rmisrants are lost
III TIE *i'"" and c;l,ll'c,l up this canon. Ont
ol provisions and starving!
Lett st. Joe October Sth, 1917.
Left Salt Lake january list, lSlS
Arrived here March lSt ISlS.
| Left half our stock on the Platte
! Abandoned our wagons February 18th
HE'LL!
Our names are:
,I"cl Mccormick, Jane Brack,tt.
Peter l'mmpny, t;ahriri tnnroy,
Paul Dcvargcs John Walker.
Grhrc t'"nr"y Henry March,
olympia t"nrny, Philip Ashley
Mary Dumphy.
CIhcn in SMALLER letters, in pcncD:
Mamie died November s. Swrctwairr
Minnie died December !, Echo Canon
; Jane died january >, Salt Lake
James l'rackctt, lost February ..
HELP!
The language Of suffering is not ant tu
Inc artistic or studied. but think that
rhetoric could not improve this actual
record. So let it stand, rvcn :,s il stoo,
this 10th day of March, 1878, half hidden
by 4 thin iilm of damp snow. the snow.
wlilcncd hand stiilcncl and pointin.
rlgldly to the fatal canon like Tie finger