Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1880-04-02
The Sad Fate Of an Aged Shoshons
S0LD ADAM TUMBlED INTO HIS GRAVE
WHILE YET BREATHING.
A Life Of One Hundred Years Within 4
Radius Of One Hundred Miles,
the APPEARANCE Of SAceLANO A CENTURY
AGO.


diana Shoshone-who has been visible at
intervals about the town for the last ten
years. He was gray and wrinkled. and
seemed to have scored at least one hundred
years. From his great age he took the
name Of "Old Adam" among the whites.
Though aged and lettering. he was not .
mendicant. The old fellow had . bright,
intelligent eye, and carried about him .
degree of dignity seldom found in the In
dian character. He scorned to beg, and
was never known to raid . swill barrel.
In conversation with the writer, . year
or two ago, he related that he was born on
Duckwater, some twenty miles south Of
Eureka. He seemed to have no means Of
computing time, and could not convey .
very correct idea Of his age. He could
recollect, however, back to . period when
there was not q tree to be seen on any Of
the mountains Of this section-when the
whole country was q barren, desolate waste.
The nutritious pine nut did not figure in
the domestic economy Of the red man in
those days. But, according to Old Adam,
the hills abounded in mountain sheep, elk,
antelope, etc. Jack rabbits were also plen-
tiful along the water courses. The sage
hen and grouse came later, not having been
known in these parts prior to about thirty
years ago. Game being plentiful, the In
dians Jared much better in the early days
than now. Their greatest want was wood
in the winter time. The sagebrush had
not then attained its present rank growth
and it was . close call to keep up a fire with
IL Mast ~ <ho TpAsonc obalkoraI ~ xbo
caves and cliffs OF the high mountain peaks.
1t is q mistaken idea that the Shoshones,
as q tribe, were ever stronger than they
are now. They have steadily increased in
numbers since Adam was q boy.
Old Adams observations in this world
were confined to a limited sphere. He had
never been farther north than the Hum
boldt river, 90 miles. and his travels to the
southwark were confined to Typo and the
Blue Eagle ranch. Thus he was born and
lived, a hundred years within q radius Of
one hundred miles |
Adam was an old man when Fremont and
Kit Carson made their first trip across the
continent. He did not see them, but heard
of their passage through the country from
other Indians. The first white man Adam
ever saw belonged to some of the early
emigrant trains for Oregon, probably about
1916. He had q vivid recollection, Of
course, of the big rush for California in
lS49, and the subsequent years. There
was no road in those days except that fol-
lowing the Humboldt river, and down this
w~ater-course the EN- grants poured, each
season, by the thousands. 1t was the cause
OF much worryGaent to the untutored mind
to imagine where they wera all going.
There was much fighting in the vicinity OF
IRA va1lv Ford nnar Rattle Ala,,x,cA -
the early times, but Adam always declared
that the Duokwater Indians were peAceable
and never Joined in any Of these conflicts
with the whites. Adam was an amiable sort
Of Aborigine, and we were wont to believe
him.
But, alas the poor old man ia no more.
The fossiliferous link that bound us to the
silurian K has been severed. OLD
Adam went, toes up, on the south
end OF Adams Hill q few days ago.
The last we saw Of him last fall he shool
his head and said he would never more be-
hold the budding Of the nut pine. But II
is not likely that he realized the sad fate
in store for him. He was actually buried
alivei
We are indebted to Mr.. ]. M. Craw,
ford and Mr.. Tom Brown for the par.
t~iculars Of his death.
These gentlemen have been doing
the assessment work on the claims Of the
Northwestern Company. Several wickiupi
are hard by. The other day an Indian
| approached Crawford and Brown to Dor.
row q pick and shovel to dig q grave. The
tools were furnished, when Q round hole
was scooped out on the hillside about two
feet deep and six feet across. Prompted
by curiosity the miners ON the way to din.
ner called at the camp to inspect the corpse
They found the dying man for he was not
yet dead to be Old Adam. The grave had
been prepared and a half a dozen bucks
were just in the act Of dragging him of
The miners discovered that the man wal
still breathing and was likely to live sew.
eral hours, and they promptly ordered q
postponement Of the last sad rites unit
life should be extinct. The Indians de
INJURED aud insisted that the old man was
dead enough to bury. To prove this they
put snow on his forehead, which not melt
ing, they argued that he was far enough
gone to be put ont Of the way. But tn.
miners demanded q suspension Of thu
funeral ceremonies and succeed In getting
the old fellow put back into his blankets
The Indians are superstitious about having
dead people lying around loose, and fol
this reason it 10 q custom with them Il
hurry the corpse. The miners. however
were successful in extracting . promise
that Old Adam should be kept sbov,
ground until shutdown. With this under
standing they passed on TO their meal. Re
turning forty minutes later the same way
they found to their astonishment that tn,
still breathing man had been buried and til,
whole campoody had broken up and gone
They have not the slightest doubt that Ole
Adam was deposited several hours in I'D
anc Of the fight Of his spirit to the hap
py hunting grounds.
Serious Illness OF AN Old Citisen