Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-05-12
Scene in the Black Hills.

et across the plains from Sioux Slty, ana
hope and ambition induced them to
+" drive their stake upon the Southern
slope in the suburbs of Custer. Poor
boys they were not yet men, and their
combined fortunes and earthly effects
would not reach FIVE dollars in value
They selected town lot upon the side
of a grassy knoll, close to small grove
of straight, tall pines, and being unable
to chop large logs or buy lumber with
which to construct a habitation, dug a
cave. They called them dug-outs +"
here, but better name would be "dead-
falls" for they are little else. These
boys made their dead-fall eight feet
square, covered it with pine brush, prop
ped this up with eight small poles, threw
on several tons of earth and went to bed
to dream of home, of mother, of father,
and Of all the fortune, they in their boy
ish imaginations, had already carved
out of these golden realms. When morn
ing came yesterday morning, March Sd, }
sad sight was revealed to the young
man who went to the dug-out to borrow
shovel. The angel of death had been
there in the night and buried the sleep
ing boys alive,
A faint, piteous voice beneath this
living grave broke the icy stiffness of
the frosty morning, crying out, In
Gods name, pull me out am dying"
The boy who had come to borrow the
shovel fled in horror from the fatal spot,
calling loudly for help, which came from
all directions from fifty cabins in the
gulch. A dozen yeoman arms delved
down and tore away the cruel earth
which had already clasped and claimed
one of these boys as its own, and which
had hugged and pressed in its icy en-
brace, for eight long hours, the strug-
CLING survivor. The story told by the
mangled and mutilated youth Is briei
one. He told it to me while gasping IN
agony and pain, stretched upon couch
of pine boughs on the hillside. 1--WE
finished our dug-out' yesterday, and
went down to beg for work or flour
We had eaten up our last grub. Char
lie that's my partner staid at home
to fix up things and finish digging out
the chimney. / went to the miners
meeting at Swearenger's saloon, and then
came home about ten o'clock and went
to bed When | woke up was buried,
but / had one hand free, with which |
scratched away the dirt and brush and
got air. Then all was dark again, and
after while woke up. | could see
the stars and the moon, and | heard
Charlie calling to help him. / tried tc
move, but the dirt came tumbling in OF
my face, so quit, Then Charlie said
Johnny, ! am dying write to my
mother. / cried ont, Charlie, can't
get out God help you we must die,
then all got dark again. That's all | know
sir, till just now. Is Charlie dead y
Yes. Charlie was dead His crushed
and mangled body was dragged out OF
the debris few moments afterwards and
borne down the hillside to a deserted
soldiers cabin on Custer street, and laid
out upon a plank placed upon two logs.
Then came the inquest-the first held
in the Black Hills. 1t was queer
scene. There stood the city marshal, a
tall, rough, honest man, with bronzed
brown face and tear-strained eyes, a pair
of navies on his hips, but gentle as a
lamb in the face of death like this.
The coroner, miner with grizzled beard
and hard, grimy hands, stood by the
body with book in his hand two doc
tors Just arrived that morning from
Platte County, Missouri, looking more
like tramps then professionals, stood by
awaiting. A reporter, Jewish cloth
ing dealer, saloon keeper, lawyer,
and two miners constituted the jury,
which sat itself upon a log, which in
sisted upon rolling over every two min
utes. The inquest was brief The yer-
dict was accidental death from sufo-
cation" that was all, and material was
ready with which to start grave
yard in Custer Then came humane
hands and kind hearts, and dressed the
unfortunate stranger. Charlie Fahey
found white shirt, the only one in the
city, sheet was converted into shroud,
and Charlie Holt soon lay in rough
pine box upon bier of logs. This was
not all fire was built in the corner of
that black, deserted cabin, the roof open
ed to allow the smoke to escape, and
then half dozen noble men sat and
watched until day light. With the
rising of the sun came ladies yea, Ia
dies, kind hearted pioneers, who had
woven a wreath of pine twigs, winter
ivy. pine cones, and four little fragments
of white tarlatan and pieces of the black