Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-30
DEATH in THE DESERT.
a PrOspectOr's Melancholy End In
the Mountain OF Ghe Holy Gross.
Leadviae ChronicIe.

A sorrowful story, but one that may
have any number of unrecorded paral-
lels in the history of the mountains,
comes from the Holy Cross district.
Last week party of Gold Park miners
started up Turkey creek. south of Battle
Mountain. on n tour of pleasure and in
vestigation. Near the head of the
creek the country is wildly pic
turesque, and no human feet
have yet explored it thoroughly. The
land here rises in gradual ascent to the
west until it kisses the clouds in the ma
estic peaks of Holy Cross. In no place
is 1t level, but broken by canons and cut
by tortuous gOrges carved in some pre-
historic glacial age, while the tiny
patches of bottom land are covered with
verdure and spangled with wild flowers.
A more lovely spot nature could not have
fashioned in her most winsome mood,
each turn revealing some new beauty,
forever buried and forever enchanting.
By some strange incongruity of circum-
stances, here it was the that party found
a scene replete with sadness that words
fail to define. At the head of one of
the gulches, half hidden by a gigantic
accumulation of powders, knitted to-
gether by the roots of the pine trees that
found sustenance between them. was
little cabin 1t was so crude, so simple,
and so rough Of workmanship,
that it seemed part of ma
lures self and placed there when
the trees and rocks and mountains
came. 1t was, indeed, only noticed by
the sheerest of chance as the prospec-
forc Yaocad nm tho oopop lint nuao ooap
they resolved to pay it visit and see if
anyone lived in the vicinity. 1t was
reached by a half obliterated trail and
were surprised and half frightened,
when, upon pulling open the door, they
saw the PROSTATE form of a man extend
ed on the rude bunk At first they
thought he was dead, but as they APP
preached the bunk they saw from the
fluttering motion of the chest that life still
fingered. The body was that of man
about 40, partially dirObed, and the eyes
closed. On his breast, tightly clutched
in one of his hands, was a tiny Catholic
prayer book, stamped on the back with
a gold cross, and well wCrn. Shocked
beyond words, they endeavored TO restore
the man to consciousness. His livid
hue, his sunken cheeks, and all. bore
witness to the fact that he had been
stricken down by some disease, as he
appeared to have tainted from exhaus-
ton. In few minutes he regained his
consciousness, and began to talk in al
most audible tones. From what he said
it was learned that he had been working
some claims about a quarter Of mile
below the cabin, and had caught severe
cold. 1t had grown upon him until, at
last, he was barely able to be about, and
his lungs became vary sore. In this con-
dition he had ventured to visit the prop
erty down the gulch, and was there taken
very sick. 1t was only with the utmost
difficulty and after an hour of painful
eXertion that he reached his cabin and
crawled into his bunk. This was the day
before the party arrived, and during the
night swift congestion of the lungs
had set in. At the time he was discov-
cred this had progressed so far that, even
were the best physicians at hand, it was
easy to see that he was beyond mortal
aid. Realizing that the great destroyer
was at hand, he had managed to get his
prayer book down from shelf at the
opposite side of the room, and resolved
10 uI6 Will suppHCdtiOH W UOu OH LIS
lips. The cabin was far from any neigh
bors, and he gave up all hope of seeing
human faces again while, in a desolation
that forever beggars words, he lay dying
there.
He said that his name was Charles
Henderson, and that his home was at
Cincinnati, O., and left a few brief in
structions as to whom to write to. He
originally came to the Holy Cross, COM
ing here from Golden about five months
since. Even as he spoke the poor fell
low grew visibly weaker and still weaker,
and toward evening sank in to uncon-
seriousness again. In this way, as the
day moved away and died, his life went
out, and when night came it was corps
that the men tenderly Strengthened on
the clumsy bunk. In the morning they
buried him close at hand, in the sunniest,
brightest spot they could find, and
marked his name on a rude board at the
head.