The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-04-12

Coroner's Inquest in tho Hills-A Frontier
Funeral - Gentlenoss Of tho Rough Pr
oneers.
Fate led Charlie Holt and John Picket
across the plains from Sioux City, and hope
and ambition induced them to "drive their
stake" upon the southern slope in the sub
urb, of Custer. Poor boysl they werc
not yet men, and their combined fortune
and earthly effects would not reach FIVE
dollars in value. They selected a town lot
upon the side of a grassy knoll, close to a
small grove of straight, tall pines, and be-
ing unable to chop large logs or buy lum-
Der with which to construct hsbitation,
dug cave. They call them "dug outs"
| here, but better name would be deadfalls,"
! for they are little else. These boys made
their deadfall 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, of moth
er, Of father, and of the fortune they, in
their boyish imaginations, had already
carved out of these golden realms. When
morning came yesterday morning, March
81. cad sight was revealed to the young
man who went to the dug out to borrow
shovel. The angel of death had been there
III the night ana nAd
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 am dying" The boy who had
como 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 aud pressed in its icy embrace for
eight long hours the struggling survivor.
The story told by the manged and multi
ated youth is brief one. Ho told it to
rue while gasping in agony and pain,
stretched upon a couch of pine boughs on
the hillside. awe finished our dug out
yesterday, and l went down town TO beg
for work or flour. We had eaten up our
last grub. Charlie-thats my pardner-
staid at home to fix up things and finish
digging out the chimney. l went to the
mlners' meeting at Swearengers saloon,
and then came home about 10 o'clock and
went TO bed. When woke up was bur-
led, but had one hand free, with which
/ scratched away the dirt and brush and
got air. Then all was dark again, and af
ter awhile woke up. l could see the stars
and the moon, and heard Charlie calling
to help him. l tried to move, but the dirt
came tumbling in on my face, so l quit
Then Charlie said johnnie, am dying;
write to my mother cried out, Charlie
| can't get out God help you; we must
die then all got dark again. That's all
tn e;r i,,st I'll 81; H. !
His crushed and mangled body was dragged
out Of the debris but few moments after
ward and horpe down the hillside to de-
serted SOLDIERS cabin Oh Custer street. and
laid out upon PLANK placea unnn TWO
logs.
THEN CAME THE INQUEsT-FIRsr HELD IN
THE BLACK HILLS.
1t vas queer scene. There stood the
city marshal, tall, rough, honest man,
with bronzed brown face and tear-stained
eyes, pair OF nsvies on his hips, but gen.
tie as a lamb in the face of death like this.
The coroner, a miner with grizzle beard
and hard, grimy hands, stood by the body
with n book in his hand, two doctors just
arrived that morning from Platte county,
Missouri, looking more like tramps than
n
porter, a Jewish clothing dealer, q saloon
keeper, lawyer and two miners cousti.
tuted the jury, which sat itself upon log,
which insisted upon rolling over every two
minutes. The inquest was brief. The
verdict wac accidental death from suf-
location" that was all, and material was
ready with which to start graveyard ia
Custer. Then came human hands and kind
hearts and dressed the unfortunate stran-
ger. Charlie Fsbey found white shirt,
the only one in the city, n sheet was con-
verted into a 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
roo: opened to allow the smoke to escape.
and then a half dezen noble men Sat and
watched until daylight. With the rising of
the sun came ladies-yes,
LADIES, KIND-HEARTED PIONEERS,
who had woven n wreath of pine twigs,
winter ivy, pine cones and four little trsg-
ments of white tarletan and pieces of the
black silk strings of Mrs. Dregmond's bon
net. This wreath was laid reverentialy
upon the implanted pine box ii was all
these five noble-hearted women could do,
and they did it well. Then site for city
graveyard was found-a natural cemetery,
already planted with groves and trees and
laid out by nature into broad. irregular
avenues, all sodded and half green. Cas-
cades orzamented with gttering icicles
lent their aid to the frosted evergreen foil
age and snow-whte grotto of quartz to
beautify the newly selected site for the city
of the dead A half dozen brawny athletes,
with pick and shovel, tore open the virgin
sod and made the grave. But the trouble
was only half over.
WHO WOULD ACT AS rARsoN?
There is no preacher in Custer and a
two hours canvass Of the city failed to find
professor of religion. Think Of it Here
was city without one protesting christian
among 800 people. Worse than that close
search failed to find a prayer book. The
mayor, honest man, appealed to one OF the
two lawyers in tho city to say few words
at the grave, to be christian-like, but such
pleading was not in his line so the three
doctors were applied to, but with like sue
cess. Then came committee OF judge,
mayor, and marshal to the reporter. Surely
''paper man" knew something about fu-
nerals and, said the mayor, 1--WE want to
put the poor lad away kind o christian
like not like a dog sir" Then came Miss
Ida Simms, like an angel of goodness, with
a small gilt-edged Bible, the only one in
the city, and the funeral cortegc moved on
through the main street of the city. 1t
was picturesque scene, on this bright sun
ny day. A wagon containing the implanted
coffin upon which lay the ladies' evergreen
wreath, then the mayor, judge, councimen
and marshal, rough, blue-shlrted men IN
miners' boots and SLOUGH hats A dozen or
two miners, merchants and hunters brought
up the rear and the procession moved 81
lently on. Then a shallow grave on the
hillside, sunk, as one of the amateur sex
tons sad,