American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-01-23
Lost In the O"r.,tains-Terrible Pri-
vatiOns and Death.

vatiOnS and Death.
d THE Sacramento Record of a late date
tells this story of terrible privation and
final death:
A gentleman who has just arrived
from Bartlett Springs, Lake County, re-
Yates thrilling account of a party of
hunters lost in the dense fog which has
SO long prevailed in the Sacramento Val
ley and the mountains lying to the west.
We have only his authority for the truth
fulness of the story; but his precision is
such as not to admit of doubt. He says
party of two arrived at the Bartlett
Springs late Saturday evening last,
almost famished from hunger and cold,
and In very pitiful manner gave n
hurried detail of their misfortunes. They
said that on the 10th inst. party of
eight of them left their homes in Napa
County for a hunting excursion. After
three days travel and hunting they came
into Lake County. Soon afterward one
OF theirparty became seriously ill, and it
was decided upon to return and abandon
their first project. Accordingly they
started hOmeward, with only a very linn
tied supply of provisions, not having
been very successful in their hunting ex
ploits. At the close of the first days per-
ambulations they found themselves en-
tirely destitute of provisions, and their
horses too lame to travel. They now
FOUND themselves in sad position; no
food, game scarce, and the horses utterly
unable to travel. Besides one of their
party being very i'll made it out of the
question to resume their journey on foot.
what they were to do was more than
they could conceive All.their endeavors
to capture deer, or even a rabbit or a
bird, were fruitless. Would they leave
the unfortunate invalid to perish in that
wild and mountainous country? That
was more than they could think of.
Would they stay and perish?
Such thoughts as these employed their
minds through the long, wearisome night.
But the morn brought with its light a
solution. Their fellow-pilgrim had
passed out of the land of the living to the
more genial hunting grounds, " from
whose bourne no traveller returns" They
buried him low, with as formal cere-
mony as the circumstances would per-
init, using their wagOn-boX to make a
rude coffin But twas Heavens will,
perhaps, that he should not remain to
undergo the uniform sufferings of his
companions. The remaining party of
seven now started on their way on foot,
taking nothing but few bed-clothes to
shield them from the cold at night. They
had now gone one whole day without
food, and the opportunities for procur-
ing any offered but little consolation
They could obtain sufficient water at
springs and rivulets.
The fog became so dense that it was
impossible to distinguish an object any
considerable distance. These regions
being very difficult to travel even by a
person acquainted with the country,
they found it much more SO to them
who were complete strangers and in so
dense a fog. Yet they travelled, for
travel they must in order to find some
place where their craving appetites
might be satisfied. But it soon became
evident, as they wandered at random,
that they were lost. AS is generally the
case in such instances, their assumed
course was almost quite opposite from
that which they should have taken.
They had no guide whatever by which to
direct their course. All that met their
gaze on each side were huge, rugged
mountains. They could scarcely have
been placed in a more helpless condition.
Besides all this encouragement they
were made sensitively aware of their in
attention to the 'man Within" Hunger
full consideration, and all their
consolatory schemes fell to frag-
ments and were scattered by the
winds of despair. The night of the
second day found them in this same de-
plorable condition. Hungry, cold and
fatigued they lay down, but to sleep
would have been to walk into the mouth
of death. Their minds were too full in
considering the present and the sorrow
to come and in contriving some mode of
escape. They arose on the morning of
the third day to meet its coming with
hearts of dread and despair. In the fore
noon one of the party observed a snake
crawling in the brush and seized upon
the opportunity as the only chance of
preserving life. True, this would seem
but very uninviting dish when prepared,
but what would not seem delicious when
life is rapidly ebbing from the effects of
starvation? 1t was eaten, greedily dare
say, and was the means of preserving
life three days longer. The latter three
days were passed much like tie first,
they having obtained meanwhile nothing
but water, as they were now destitute of
the means of procuring game. All the
time they wandered from place to place
and on Saturday came to a spot where
they had been twice before and then
gave up all hopes of recovery. In the
evening, amid all the agony the human
mind can endure, five of the seven ex-
PRED The other two it seems felt more
hopeful than the rest and decided upon
travelling even to the last. They did SO,
and chance directed their footsteps to
the place where my informant saw them,
but only to tell their sad story and share
the fate of their comrades. They ate a
supper, perhaps too heavy a one, were
both taken seriously ill before eight
o'clock, and by morning were both cold in