The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-02-16
THE INDIANA STATE SENTINEL WEDNESDAY FEBRt Y M 1881

and seemed glad TO enter into q converse
ton. In the course of this he narrated in {
graphic way his experience in the lonely
cabin. In substance he said: ~ was three
miles up the gulch the afternoon before
looking after some prospect holes | had uI
there, and didn't start for home till quite
/ late. i had no more than started when the
snow began to fall and in fifteen minutes
the storm was in full fury. / knew the way
well, but the 6erceness of the storm
alarmed me. and the snow fell so thick and
fast that all landmarks were soon blOtted
out, and il was utterly impossible TO see
more than twenty feet beyond ones face.
/ My principal guide had been the trail made
/ by the burro's feet. but the thick. white
mantle that speedily covered the earth SO
entirely obscured this that had no earthly
means of knowing whether or not
was on the right path. After
wandering blindly for half an
/ hour | became convinced that / was
not, and, in fact, the extremely rough and
rocky nature of the path gave me warning
! that / had strayed far from the proper ronte.
| Up 10 this time j had forced persistently
ahead, but there stopped, my back 10 the
gusty wind. and tried To calmly consider
the situation. Taking the extreme suppo-
siton that had walked in an exactly Oppo-
site direction from the right one, / could
not be over four miles from home, but in
the binding storm / had no assurance
whether | would be right in
walking back OF forward, right left,
but finally at random chose the
first and continued my journey straight
ahead Up TO this time / had felt no cold
but when / stopped to think the warmth
created by my active exertions died away
and began to feel severely the biting air.
Besides this the temperature was plainly
falling lower and even my warm breath
began to CONCEAL in brittle icicles in my
beard and on my scarf. just in front of my
mouth. Still / walked briskly on, but
somehow my utmost eXertsOns failed 10 cir.
culate NV blood and warm me as il had
before. Ten minutes later | began to feel
singing pains IN my feet and hands and the
numbness that invariably follows extreme
cold. IL was about this time that noticed
my eyes seemed swollen and the lids so
heavy that had ditlicultyin opening them.
When they were closed constant sHeees-
sion of brilliant lights flashed before me- and
presently these lights began to appear when
they were open. In every direction seemed
to see them-green, purple, red, blue and
golden-until with difficulty | could trace
the outline of my hand as | held il before
my face. If | staggered before ! reeled
blindly now. and when / pressed NV be-
numbed fingers To my face found
it covered with frozen tears. By
tits time the pain in my limbs and
feet had grown To the most intense
agony. The prickling sensation felt at
first was gone now, and in its place long,
steady, keen pain, as from a great open
wound. At one time CROPPED my way To a
little sheltered place beneath some rocks
and pulled my mittenS off i'm vain attempt
to warm my hands by friction. The flesh
was perfectly livid and blue in places, rs if
it had already began 10 decempose. The
! a. l. I. r
| blood seemed to have settled directly be-
meath them. Finding it impossible To
create any warmth, rose to my feet and
walked on, resolving TO die, ii die must, in
| a desperate struggle.
The prismatic colOrs had now faded before
my eyes to long parallel bars that seemed 10
stretch from the horizon. AS walked faster
l noted, too, with JOY that the pain in my
feet was not nearly so intense as before.
attributed this TO the rapiC circulation of the
blood, but-was sadly deceived, for when
stopped down and touched my foot il
responded no more to- the finger than to a
| block OF marble. 1t was practically dead
| Up to this time my mental sufierings had
equaled my physical, but with my stffen-
ing body my mind seemed TO grow dull
and torpid, too. Presently / felt nc
more pain and a heavy and drowsy
! sensation substituted itself. This grew
stronger, and felt as though il would be
| Heaven itself TO sink down into one of the
snow drifts and go to sleep. A most dc,
licious sense of laSsitude and tired ease be-
gan to creep over me, aud il seemed as il
the warm breath of summer were playing
in my face. knew dimly and vaguely, as
one knows things in dream, that was
! freezing to death, but had no care or anxiety
about il whatever. My outstretched hand:
struck against something. 1t was the door
of cabin-my own, although ! did not
know it-and, falling in, l rolled upon the
/ floor.
The next thing remember was sense oil
awful pain, and. opening my eyes, | could
see people rubbing me with snow and
screamed and begged them 10 desist. The
pain grew keener and more intense. and il
| seemed if my whole frame was being
rasped apart. | felt this pain for days, and
then they cut off my feet The doctors said
that ten short minutes more would have
made me frozen corpse.