The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-14

There is lonely spot in the Gunni-
son country not vet penetrated by rail
roads, but through which a stage pass
es at stated intervals. Stage drivers
dislike to travel through the place at
night, for they claim that the horses
suddenly stop before ravine in which
stand the ruins of burned cabin The
Denver NetoS says that nothing in the
shape Of ghost or unnatural appearance
has ever been seen to warn or frighten
the beasts or the traveller, but sense
OF something uncanny seems to lie
around the spot, as If
Over all there hangs a cloud of fear;
A sense OF mystery the spirit daunted,
And said, as plain as whispered to the ear,
The place is haunted
An old stage driver named Sam Eek
efelt gives the following explanation of
the feeling that affects the traveller. He
SAYS that for the few years that stage
line has traversed the spot the same
phenomena have been observable at
nightfall The night may be as still as
the heart of the dead, but whenever the
stage draws near the spot sudden.
whirlwind springs up and denise fog.
seems to settle over nature. The horses
always stop, and it is with the greatest
difficulty that they can be induced to
start again. The sense of something
near one, unseen but partly felt. comes
to the mind. What this something is it
seems impossible TO determine. Some
times it seems as if a cold hand passed
over the face of the one who waits but a
moment on the dreadful spot. and the
wind seems to carry voice low and
muttering. Sam AYERS that he has sew
efal times smelled blood in the air, as
his horses have stopped, and that he
hss heard sound OF a steel knife strik-
ing AGAINST a piece of rock. Saql al
ways declares he knows nothing about
the history of the place, but Jabez
Brown, an old miner who has travelled
all through the mountains, tells this
story, and has told it more than once to
Sam Eckefelt without variation or
change: u
About fifteen years ago, when the
GunnisOn began to be first settled, had
a friend in California gulch named Joe
Sommers. Joe cot disappointed in the
eulch and started off to locate some new
claim, he said he didn't care much
where He fell in with another fellow
named Frank Elder. Elder was rather
a weak, sickly fellow, a kind of tender
foot. nut was bent on making a fortune.
never could see how he and Sommers
could jibe very well together Sommers
was a rough sort of fellow, but with d
bic heart and was rather too fond OF
whisky Somehow or other the two
drifted into the Gunnison country. They
Toamed about for year OF more, and
at last concluded to settle down IN a
place they christened Desolation gulch.
1t was wild, rough sort OF place, and
mountain lions and Indians used toI
swoop down once in while and sneak
off with their grub. But they built a
cabin and went to prospecting. SOM
mers somehow thought the place looked
well. They dug away at a prospect
hole, but nothing seemed to pan out.
At last, one day, while Elder was lying
sick in the cabin and cursing Desolation
gulch and his own bad luck, Sommers
thought he struck+a lead He told Ed
er of it, and the brave young fellow
jumped out OF his bed, put on his pants
and boots and started out to dig. In a
short time they saw their efforts re-
warded, and in a few weeks they had
dug up a good quantity OF ore. In
about two months they thought they
had stuff enough on the dump TO be
worth quite Il little pile, and were going
to start off 10 the nearest smelter. They
had already loaded train of burros
with the ore, when in some way or 9th
er they fell to talking on a division of
the profits of the dump, and Sommers
said, Elder, I'll be id if you are en-
titled to an equal pile with me. You
were lying sick like an old woman in
the cabin when / struck this lead.
Elder said quietly Joe, / don want TO
quarrel with You but I got off sick
bed to work on that lead, and / think,
old pard. you ought to let me have half
the profits. Then they got into dis
cussion in which suppose pretty high
words were used on both sides. Final
II Sommers, having become thoroughly
mad, said, with a big vein swelling in
his forehead. You - ---- ---,
I'll teach you what sort of a dizzy there
is going to be in this outfit, and draw
L. a atiIottn from. his belt he iahhed il