The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-04-05

| tempts: the secord dav brought me face
tc lace with the grim, horrible pain oi iu-
: anI;inn. Each hoIr increased any misery
! TO greater degree thirst began % add IFS
/ OWN horrors to those of starvation That
/ day aud the following night wore their
/ Si"" length away; the third morning
/ dawued ana cTCpt slowly Though its
long slow hours Seventy two hOurs with
ont food og wafer. Ny sIaIwari frame was
{ Weakening under the terrible abstinence.
Hope was Waning as my body weakened.
Great heavens, would they cone too late .
1t WAS horrible for me in the vigur of
manhood 90 tamely starve there. Whqt
more could | do? Did Providence viii
tha. / should die thus? They must Ger
taiuly be looking fol me / took eff nv
leather jacket. spread IL fiat upon De floor,
AMI poured the contents Of NV uoxder
flask upon ir. l found that there were
eighty small charges. These deter mined
go fire az short intervals. hoping that I
might attract their attention by .he re-
ports. BY shooting every half hpuI during
the day. and once au hour during .Helfpht.
/ would bo able 10 keep up these Signals
tor iUo days longer b-fuie my stock was
rXhAuSied. II they tariy beyond that tiulc
Cod have mercy on nae. placed MY rifle
close lu creviCe and fired. The Spuisd of
adiScharge Ievci berated through The muun-
tain tols. If they xere vi hin thee or
four miles Of me they VIII certainly Lca-
nat. During The fourth DAY fired ltgu-
'aiiy, listening with fevcTi>h anxiety frr
some sound so mark their coming NV
condition WAS now becoming appalling
my form was emaciatiug, aud intense lhis>t
made my mouth and throat feel like a fiery
furnace. u e day passed, tie night drew
nn, bui III they came not. Sleep was
stranger To my aching eyes, and in MY
wakctUl musings | was n bouuteuusly
aGcu tables. drinking great draughfs from
pid springs. | was bordering on inSani-
~ The Hiih day came. With great diff
tculty | raised Tire rifle, now heavy in my
weakness, 10 give the last few signals.
Great hlotches began to cover my limbs
would conf leie insanity follows
OF what followed remember with only
a slight shade Of reason. On the sixth
morning my last signal was fired and in
the last HenZy Of despair, | commenced To-
scream at he full extent of my weakened
condition. Several times I sank prone
down with exhaustion. but I would rally
Tor mighty eXertlon. How long I Ie-
manned IA tins semi-comatuse state was
difficult for me to determine bat I was
aroused by several shatp reports of rifles,
aud the fierce howline of a dying bear.
Hope suCcceded despair. and Uiih strength
amazing io myself | put my cracked lips
Ia the crevtce and screamed tuiji Iuy eX-
hau>ted frame sank unmindfu of the little
life it contained. Ny last effort was not
without avail fhr my friends haI heard my
cries and haSleued To- my ald but strange
10 say thcy had not heard any of lie many
shots | had fired aud would NOT have found
me had NOS the wonuded and bleeding
bear. which they had followed several miles
Dy ils bloody trail. led them directly Ia ms
prison. They removed tire rock and fui
many months carefully uuIsed mc buf ~
lhiS day the iHdrlOle results of that terrible
experience have not been eradicated.
LIE boy who has never sat dnr.n ~, n