The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-11-10
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Seeing 700 Deer at n Look on the Pixies
oN Peak Trail attacked By Lions.

= 1915 tColorado springs Gszettel
= Sergeant Keefe returned last evening from
an unsuccessful attempt TO ascend the Peak.
He SAYS that il Is the first time within his
experience that he has been thus baffied,
and he asks TO be excused from ever being
subjected 10 a similar experience. By the
reports which he had received from Mr..
Sweeney, who is stationed at the Peak, he was
led 10 infer that but little snow had fallen,
and in consequence he was not prepared to
contend with the obstacles which blocked his
path. The journey for the first few miles of
the trail was without any Unsatisfactory
feature, but while making an abrupt turn
in the trail in the vicinity of Minnehaha
Falls, tie Sergeant wGs brought to a stand
still by an immense herd of black-tailed
deer, which impeded his further progress.
He contends that the herd contained fully
700 head, and says it took just one hour and
forty minutes for them to pass given
point. The Sergeant was only armed with
a thirty-two caliber, Smith Il Wesson re-
yolver, and with this poor apology for
firearm, he succeeded in killing
seventeen of the deer. The only
plausible reason that Sergeant 0'Keefe can
give for the remarkable appearance of this
vast herd, is that they were driven from
South Park by the recent storm. AS the
Sergeant was compelled to continue his
journey TO the Peak, he gathered the game
which he had slaughtered, tied their tails
together and slung tn EN- over the neck of
his faithful mule, ~fBalaam,'' and continued
ON his way. Everything passed off smoothly
until timber line was reached, when the
Sergeant encountered another serious bar
rfer, as the fierce northwest wind which had
accompanied the storm had formed noun
tains of snow across the trail, With
the emuch-frusted veteran mule,
"Balaam,ii-- and an-unusual amount
of perseverance on the part of himself, Ser
geant o. Keefe contrived 10 surm0unt tire
mendous snow-drift twenty-eight feet in
depth. When safely upon the other side he
paused for moment, and taking his field
glass o. r and examined the difficulties with
which he had to contend AS far as the eye
could reach, nothing but snow-banks could
be seen, some of which were at least 100 feet
in hight. 1t only required a brief space of
time for the Sergeant to make up his mind
that il would be useless for him TO risk his
life in making another rash attempt so
he concluded TO return 10 the Springs,
but upon q turning to- step into the
saddle, ne discovered that the mule had dis
appeared. The Sergeant was now in sad
plight Had he only survived the terrible
rat raid OF 1876 to find death again staring
him in the face from starvation. He
retraced his steps through the mammoth
snow-drift and after terrible siege of over
one hour he found himself standing upon
Tie OtilcI Siut, CAHduSbCu AllcI
he had somewhat revived he glanced around
him in hopes of finding some traces of the
lost mule, and what was his chagrin to per-
ceive the much trusted "Balaam" lying upon
his back with feet uplifted in the air
at the bottom of deep ravine
The deer, with which he had been fes-
tooned, were scattered from top to
bottom of the ravine. The Sergeant secured
the game and the mule and again started ON
his homeward journey. While passing
along very secluded portion of the trail he
was attacked by six ravenous mountain
lions, and, in order 10 save his own life, he
was compelled to cast away the game which
had REQ sired 50 much exertion to capture.
Even the seventeen deer did not repienish
their ravenous appetites, and still they pur-
sued him, but by the proper manipulation
of that mule O'Keefe managed to evade
theni.L h reached thesignal Office in this
city at o clock last night, and itit doubtful
whether he ever again attempts to ira
verse the Pixies Peak trail.
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