The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-04-20
STARTING A GRAVEYARD.
Che First Inquest and Funeral IN the
Black Hills.
from the Kansas City Times.

From the Kansas City Times.
Death demanded sacrifice. A grave
ward had TO De started in Custer City. No
one had volunteered to die, and no ruttian
had offered sacrifice. Fate led Charley
Holt and John Picket across the plains
from Sioux City, and hope and ambition
led them to "drive their stake" upon the
southern slope in the suburbs OF Custer.
Poor boysl they were not yet men, and
their combined fortune and earthly
effects would not reach five dollars
in value. They selected town lot
upon u grassy knoll, close to a small
grove of straight, tall pines, and being
unable to chop large logs or buy lumber
with which to construct habitation, dug
a cave These boys made their deadtaIl
eight feet square, covered it with pine
brush, propped this up with eight small
poles, threw on several tons OF earth, and
went to bed to dream of home, ofmother,
of father and the fortune they, in their
hoyish imagination, had already carved
out of these golden realms. When morn
ing came yesterday morning, March y,
a sad sight was revealed to the young
man who went to the dugoGt to borrow
n shovel. The angel of death had been
there in the night and had
buried the sleeping 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! l am
diving" The boy who had come 20 Dor
row a shovel fed in horror from the fatal
spot, calling loudly for help, which came
from all directions, from fifty cabins in
the gulch. A dozen yoeman 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 Rugged and pressed its icy embrace,
for eight long hours, the struggling sur.
viyor. The story told by the mangled
and mutilated youth is a brief one. de
told 1t to me while gasping in agony and
pain. stretched upon couch oil pine
boughs on the hill side.
I'VE finished our 'dug-out' yesterday,
and went downtown to beg for work
or flour. We had eaten up our last grub.
Ctarlie-that's my partner-stayed at
home to ax up things and finish digging
out the chimney. went to the miners
meeting at Swearenger's saloon, and
came home about 10 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 awhile woke up. could see the
stars and the moon. and l heard Charlie
calling for me TO help him. tried to
move but the dirt cane tumpliDg in on
nv face, so / quit. Then Charlie said,
Johnny, am dying; write to my moth
err / called out, Charlie, l can't get
out; God help you; we must die! then all
got dark again. That's all l know, SIR,
till Just now. Is Charlie desdT
Yes, Charlie was dead! His crushed
and mangled body was dragged out OF
the debris few minutes after wards and
borne down the hillside to deserted
soldiers cabin on Gustav street, and laid
out upon plank placed upen two logs.
Then came the inquest-first held in
the Black Hills. 1t was a queer scene.
There stood the City Marshall, tall,
rough, honest man. with bronzed brown
face and tear stained eyes, pain Of ma
vies on his hips, but gentle As lamb in
the face OF death like this.
The Coroner, q miner with grizzled
beard and hard. grimy hands, stood by
the body with book IN his hand. Two
doctors, just arrived this morning from
Platte county. Mo, looking more like
,ramps than professionals, stood by. A
reporter, a Jewish clothing-dealer, ss-
loon keeper, a lawyer and two miners
constitute the jury, which sat itself upon
a log, which insisted upon rolling over
every two minutes. The inquest was
brief; the reporter organized the jury,
swore them in, elected the evidence,
made the verdict and founded the hrst
official archive for the city. The verd'ci
was Academia. death from sufocation:
That was all, and material was ready
with which to start graveyard in Gus
ter.
TheA came humane hands and KIND
hearts and dressed the unfortunate
stranger. Charles Fahey found WHITE