Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-05-29
4 RISE IN KIOMATIA.

My health making it necessary for me
to give up my clerkship. I obtained a
situation as wagon-driver to Spencer
Academy.
This, one of the two neutrality-suspicious.
of the Choctaw nation, is situated in the
heart of the woods, about twenty-five
miles north of Red river, and fifty from
the railroad.
To reach Paris, Texas-the base of
supplies-it is necessary to cross two
riyers-Red river and Kiomatia-in the
Territory. These rivers are sometimes
fordable, but more frequently must be
crossed by ferry.
They both-but particularly Kiomatia
are subject to sudden rises probably
caused by the bursting of water-spouts
in the mountains. These rises, are fire.
quently attended with loss of life and
property.
I had been at Spencer but few weeks,
when it became necessary to send to
Paris. Two wagons were sent-Ernest
Black, young man, driving one, my
self the other. I had been intimate with
him in Texas, but had lost sight of him
since his coming to the Nation, some
years before.
We started from Spencer early in the
morning, intending to make our noon
day halt at Kiomatia, twelve miles on the
way. The road crosses the river OBJ
iquely, so that it is 200 yards from where
it goes down into the stream to where it
emerges again. with high, steep banks
on each side.
Midway of the river, when it is low,
is flat, sandy island. I proposed to
Black that we would stop here to lunch,
as the water would be convenient for our
teams.
"No," said he. 81 tried that once,
and will never do it again"
Then, seeing my look of inquiry, he
added:
"Wait until we get on the other
bank, where there is good spring,
and, while our teams are eating, I will
tell you why have such dread of that
island"
So, while our mules were lingering
over their fodder, he gave me the fol-
lowing story of his experience with Kio-
malta
"Two years ago I first began driving
for Spencer. had been in the Nation
for several years, and knew the country
pretty well, but was not aware OF the
sudden changes in this river. 1t was, I
think, my third trip to Paris. Kiomatia
had been low all summer, and no one
thought of rise. A young lady-Miss
Ellen Cotter-had been to Spencer on
visit, and was DESTROYS of returning
home. AS her home lay directly on my
road, I offered her seat in my wagon,
which she accepted. I was in love with
her then-she is my wife now-and Of
course was glad of the opportunity of
long ride and talk with her.
"We started out on much such day
as this, just cool enough to make the
sun pleasant. When we reached Kio-
malta, stopped on that island to lunch.
I loosened the traces of my team, threw
the mules bundle of fodder apiece,
and then helped Ellen out of the wagon.
"We sat there chatting and eating
for half-hour, and then began to get
ready to start. It seemed to me that the
island was considerably larger when
we stopped. On looking more closely,
1 found that the river was rising rapidly.
Still I was not alarmed, but little I'M
easy. But lost no time. I put Ellen
into the wagon, hitched up the traces
and got on my saddle-mule.
"By this time, the water began to
come down in waves, and before we left
the island it was hub-deep. With.a
word OF encouragement to Ellen, I
shouted to my team and plunged if. I
urged on my mules all I could, but the
river was getting deeper fast, and it was
soon over the fore-wheels. Mules do
not like to go fast through water, and
in spite of my effort, we made slow prog
ress. But we were finally very near
the bank, and I thought we would make
it all right.
"Just as my leaders were beginning
to go out of the water, a scream from
Ellen startled me. Hooked around and
saw to my terror that the water had
lifted the wagon-bed out of the stand
ards, and 1t was rapidly drifting down
stream.
"Giving parting shout to my team,
| plunged into the river, thinking I
could easily catch the bed and guide it
to the bank; but had underestimate
both the depth and the force of the
stream. was swept off my feet in
moment and had to swim for it.
ST tried to push the wagon-bed along.