The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-05-20
A VETERAN rOLGHsDO EsiG.
He Claims ia Hare Seen screen
Hundred Deer on the E5erJicisy
Of Pixies f'PH..

Colorado Springs G0sct,c Sergeant
. O'Keefe returned last evening from
= IN unsuccessful attempt 81 ascend the
, Peak. He says that il IS the first
, time within his Experience that he has
. been thus baillcd, and he asks to he
excused from ever being Subjected to
Il similar experience. By the reports
which he has received from Mr..
Sweeney, who is stationed at the
Peak. he was led to infer that hug
little SNOW had fallen. and in consr-
quence he was not prepared TO ron.
tend with the obstacles which locked
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 the
sergeant was brought to u atand-StiI
by an immense herd OF hlack-tailcd
deer, which impedcd his further pro
gresS. He contends that the herd
contained fully seven hundred head.
and says it took just one h0m and
forty minutes for them to pass Il
given point. The sergeant was only
armed with Il thirty-two calihrr Smith
and WeSSOn revolver, and with this
poor apology for tircarm lac >uc-
ceeded in killing seventeen of the
deer. The only plausible reason that
Sergeant O'kecfc can give fer 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 con.
tinue his journey to the Peak he /
gathered the game which he had F..
slaughtered, tied their tails together
and slung them over the neck of his
faithful mule Balaam, ana continued .
on his way. Everything passed off
smoothly until the timber line wa
reached, when the sergcUnt CncOun-
tered another serious barrier, as th, .
fierce northwest wind which accom-
panied the storm had formed noun
tains of snow across the trail. With .
the much triIStcd veteran mUl"
ltalaaIn, AMI an unusual amount Of
perseverance on The part of himself.
Sergeant O'kocfc cOntrivrd to sur
mount Tremendous SHOW drift
twenty-cight feet in depth. When
safely upon the other side ne paused
tor moment, and taking his field
glass he viewed the prospects o Grand
examined The difficulties with which
he had to contend. As far as the eve
could reach nothing bat snow banks
could he seen. some of which were at
least 100 feet in height. 1t only re-
quircd Il brief space of time for the
sergeant to make up his mind that it
would he useless for him 10 risk his
life in making another rash att"m'G.
SO he concluded tn return t. the
Springs. hut upon turning to step into
the saddle he discovered that the
mule had disappeared. The sergeant
WAS now in Il sad plight. Had he
only survived the terrible rat raid or
1876 to find death again staring lim
in the face from Starvation II" lc.
traced his steps through the mammoth
snow-drift and after Il terrible siege of
over one hour he found himself
standing upon the other side. thor
Oughly exhausted. After he had
somewhat revived he glanced around
him in hopes of finding some trac" of
his lost mule, and what was lis Ga.
grin to perceive the much trusted
Balaam lying upon his back with his
feet uplifted in the air at the bottom
of deep ravine. The deer with
which he had been fcstooucd were
scattered from top to bottom Of tn" ,
ravine. The sergeant secured the
game and the mule and again started
on his homeward journey. While
passing along Il very secluded portion
of no trpi hn ut l,t
ravenous mountain lions. and, in order
to save his own life, he was COM
PEELED to cast away the gam" which
had required SO much cXcrtion to ]
capture. Even the seventeen deer
did not replenish their ravrruu.
appetites and still they pursued him. \
but by the proper manipulation Of .
that mule O'kcefe managed 10 cyaGc
them. He reached tie signal Office ;
in this city at 8 O'Clock last night.
and it is doubtful whether he ever
again attempts to traverse the Pixies
Peak trail.
The Value Of thnracfc"
Minneapolis Tribune.
There is one feature Of the star
route scandal which must hav" struck
the least OhServant OF newspaper
readers. There is no disposition in
any quarter to claim for :he principal
persons accused such poStrOncmCnt
of public judgment as would hc
readily accorded to persons whose
previous high character created Il
strong presumption of innocence.
Doubtless there has been manifested
too great readiness to believe even
the widest and most cXtraVagant
charges against these people, evolved :
from the fertile brains of Washington
correspondents eager TO earn their
salaries by telegraphing sensational
statements. But the fact remains !
that Mr.. Dorsey, for instance, in spite
of the prominence he had reached.
and the undoubted efficiency with
which he served the republican party {
during the late campaign, has no ,
influential friends rallyinS about him
confident of his integrity and eager {
to press a thorough investigation rs
the speediest means of completely {;
indicating "a stainless citizen. In i |
word. Mr.. Dorsey's life. his political |
and financial methods, have all been 5
such as to leave him no balance in
the bank of general confidence,
against which he can draw in the I
hour of disaster to his reputation.
He is a representative of consider.
able class of men who have reached !
hurtful prominence and during the
past fifteen years, not few of whom {
have left the trail of their passage on
the records of tile Republican party. {
Adventures, with nothing of wealth,
or social standing or previous repute !
to lose, and all to gain, of infinite
assurance and really admirable energy,
these persons are habituaily ION the {
make" ready ut all times to use any
public station they may foist them
selves into as vantage ground for
personal and pecnniary aggrandiZe-
ment. In some instances their ap
parent or real success in accompl .sh-
ing their purpose has daZzled meh
less pushing and daring themselves,
and invariably their example has
been misleading and demoraiZing.
But there is some compensation for
the harm done when conspicuous
members of this class overreach
themselves and fall, the victims of
their own corrupt and corrupting
methods. And there is further cause
of satisfaction in the fact that when
discovery and consequent calamity
overtake such people they cannot
enjoy both the fruits of their devious
courses and the strong presumption
Of innocence, which would have
upheld them had their career been
even apparently one of upright and
downright openness and integrity.
The present pitiable and friendless
condition of these star-route manipu.
lators, in spite of their wealth and
prominence, is an added proof where