The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-05-19


rom the dlgglngs TO Christ Church Nj
principal town Of the province, an,
Whlle the rush lasted, the human
master Kept two cooks constantly on
Pl,oyed feeding the poor COLA seokeI
VINO were hobblIng homewdrd wilhol
money, health, or provisions. Grahal
ana three comrades stayed at the ST.
llon nine days, Within iortyseiel
hours they felt the effect Of nourIsE
ing food They ate like cormorant
but II was the bread of industry IN
they turned In and washed 10000 hea
OF ,weathers tainted with the scab.
from the station the boy went I
Christ Church, but his experience o.
the road to the gold diggings had mo
washed away the desire for adventure
lie Joined government suryeyin
party. They began operations near ia
mouth OF the Bakio river, and lollowe,
to Its source in the mountains. Tn
OBJECT was to cut u puss that could b
used IN supplying the gold diggers will
cattleand sheep, The Australians wer
sending ship loads to the mouth of th,
llokitika, and selling them at BIZ
prices, and the New Healanders did no,
see why they could not feed the dig
gers themselves Graham saws the,
uailed up the Rakia until il was
mountain stream so small that yol
could catch II in your hat The loves
pass, discovered by Browning guide Il
the surveying party, was $500 feet
high, and II was thought that tuke,
path or sheep track might be cut
through II that would open tho way lol
the sheep herders and turn the gold
dust into the pockets of the New Ieal,
anders, The plan proved impractical,
bic owing to the numerous snow
slides.
Graham was the youngest and most
active of the party, He was ordered TO
60 up IL steep, dry water course to a
spur about two hundred feet high, to see
whether 1t was possible to cut a path
over it, lie had reached the spurwhen
he heard rushing noise behind him,
and saw a great avalanche moving toN
ward him, He used his gold.shoyel ms
4 brace, and, as the mass reached him,
threw himself flat upon it, expecting to
be impaled upon the needdle,pointed
rocks in the canon below. Fortunately
the middle Of his right foot caught a
projecting rock ON the point of the prec.
ipice. The weight of the avalanche
whirled him around like an indicator,
and shot him down the dry water course
head first, wrapped in feathery cloud,
leaving him buried in bank near his
comrades, His feet alone appeared
above the surface. The government
party dug him out He was seriously
injured in the left hip, and was lame for
more thaa lwoyears Daring that time
he drew small pension from the GOV,
His wound was so painful
that he finally went to Melbourne to
consult physician, Finding no relief,
he sailed back to England, and, after
much suffering, his leg got well.
Graham's parents were overioyed to
see him, and had strong hopes that he
would settle down. He was of age, tall
well built, had good education, and
ought to have been tempered by expe-
rence. lie had a remarkable voice
and coul | call birds and animals in their
own language. He was q great mimic,
and fancied that he might become an
actor. He had secured an engagement
and was about taking to the stage for
profession when his parents objected
lie protested, but his father was firm
md would listen to nothing but the
study of the law. In this dilemma he
met a friend, who said he was going
TO Texas on a buffalo hunt. He
was we'll off, and offered to pay
James expenses if he would accom>
pany him, The offer was gladly accepts
ed, but the friend got into trouble, and
went to Canada and joined the Cana
lian volunteers. His proposal, how
ever set Graham to thinking. About
this time he read "The Texan Ranger, a
work written by Captain
Face, an Englishman, who had spent
twenty years on the western plains,
This book created an impression so pro
found that Graham resolved to go to
Texas, with the view of joining the
Indians and becoming a
chief He left England about six years
ago, taking passage in the ship Charles
lie arrived in this city with
but little money, and made his way to
Steubenville, Ohio. A large raft was
sdown the river. He got two
boys to put him aboard, and applied for
a passage. He worked his way to Louis
vile by cooking for the crew of nine
men. On landing at Louisville they
ran foul of the painter of fiat boat,
and Graham was so fortunate as to
secure berth for New Orleans, receiv>
ing twenty-five dollars for the trip.
This money paid his passage to Jeifer-
son, Texas, the head of Red river navi-
cation. Here he told his story to one
a merchant, who laughed at
MS hairbrained ideas, and said, "Well,
young fellow you must mind and not
get killed. You see that man with a
wagon over yonder. He is going up to
a place called Black Jack Grove, one
and fifty miles from here. I'll
get him to take you as far as he goes.
He did 50, and they started on the
following morning, Graham's compan~
ion was one Finley, who was selling
portable pumps. The terminus of civ-
ilization at that time was Fort Richards
son, about one hundred and fifty miles
from Black Jack Grove. Fort Griffin
was eighty miles beyond, but the coun-
try between was known as 1.-THE dead
line" 1t was filled with hostile In
dians and had been the scene of nu-
merous massacres. The savages were
crossing and recrossing the Red river
watching the great trail between Forts
Sill and Richardson, raiding the from
tier settlements, and scalping settlers
and travellers generally. Graham walk
ed to Fort Richardson. He found there
Satanta and Big Tree, the Kiowa chiefs
who had Just been tried for the murder
of seven teamsters on the Salt Creek
p.;,;o Thav were the first Indians