The Benton record. [volume] (Benton, M.T. [Mont.]) 1875-1879, 1878-07-26
VOL. W.

Florence mines. One OF the three VINO Was
called Mormon Joe had lived at Lemhi
before the aban lonment. The party, how
ever, were misinformed as to the location
of Florence. Joe had told them that gold
had been discovered in the vicinity Of
Lemhi, at the time of It's occupation BY
the Mormons, and they were under the
impression that Florence was located
somewhere in the neighborhood, and had
started out with Joe acting as guide to
the old fort.
We learned with regret, that the train
was some thirty miles behind and would
not be UP for day or two at least, and
might be detained much longer by the
rough nature of the roads. We told the
men the condition we were in and begged
them to save our lives by returning to the
train and procuring US some provisions as
( speedily as possible They agreed to do
50 and road away after promising to return
/ by ten o'clock the next morning. We now
felt like men who had been rescued at the
brink of the grave and we spent the night
il thinking and dreaming Of the good
things we were to have the following day.
But the night was one of long, weary sut.
tering and the morning seemed as long as
three ordinary days. Bostwick laughed
at our impatience and when noon ap-
preached and the strangers did not appear
he encouraged rs by saying that it was
impossible to travel thirty miles and re-
turn within the time promised. I had
misgivings that the party would not return.
We were wretched looking objects for any
respectable person to encounter and |
thought probably the stranges, notwith-
standing our pitable condition and stories
Of suffering and starvation, might have
mistaken us for horsethieve8 or despera-
does who desired to misead them for the
purpose of decoying the train into an
ambush and capturing it with the assist
duCt VI OInCI Iulll1lIo VI d bdHd VI LII
dians had with me about I25 ounces Of
gold dust tied in a buckskin bag, but it's
weight had become burdenSome and il
now laid in one corner Of the hut where !
had carele8sly thrown it, supposing it
would never be Of any use TO me in this
world, | would gladly have given it all fcr
its weight in flour to save myself and
starving friends. Hour after hour drag
ged YEARLY along, until vi last We n,sa
nearly relapsed into hopeless despair: We
blamed ourselves now for trusting the pro-
misses Of the three men and wished that
one Of US had gone with them or that
Bostwlck had not given up the journey he
had started upon. 10 our great pay, how
ever, the strangers finally returned with
provisions enough to last Us for weeks.
Ehe sight OF the food made us raYenous,
and we would have filed ourselves at
once without waiting to cook an ounce OF
it. We enIeavored to use some Judge
ment, and did eat sparingly at first, but
for three days following we were not sure
that we had not been relieved too late.
BJstvicIz being the strongest and heartIest
eat more than the rest and without fear vi
the resu t. He was, consequently, the
slckest man of the party and suffered an
told agony.
On the ionrteenth day Of June our eyes
were gtaddened Dy tile appearance Of Tie
train moving Gown the valley. There are
a lew gentlemen still residing in Montana
who will also remember that day. Among
the party were Jack MendenhalI, now
MEMBER Of the firm Of Lamme i Co., o.
Bozeman, Tom Pitt, Boo Menifee,. now 81
GuIlatin valley, Morrell, Dalton and many
others, who were even then old time
friends and readily recognized as such as
soon as the train was corralled within the 4
fort. Il seemed proyjdential that this
party was led astray in searching for
Florence, for had they taken the right
road they would not have found d, aud II
is more than pfooaDIe that we should have
died miserablY. Their very fortunate
mistake in coming to Lemhi Was also tue
cause Of hundreds Of other parties taxing
he same direction only to ind the route
mpracticabIe after reaching Lenhi.
We were well tire ated by Jack Menden-
lall, and under his attentive care we soon
our health ANA strength. Alter
J lev days rest Bostwlck aud proyared
lorses from Mendenhall and went down
9 tie north FORK Of the Salmon and pro-
;urel specimens OF ore from The ledges
hat had attracted our attention "a the w4y
lp. We here discovered traces ofthe rest
# our party which had been ahead OF Us
rom the spot where We abandoned the
,oats. We saw where they had made 4
lltticult crossing, and what was more salts
actory, We found the trail of another party
4 white men who had evidently oyertakgn