The Osceola times., 1883-03-24
LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.
a Thrilling story of a Wandering Woman
and n Man with q Great Heart.

a Thrilling Story of a Wandering Woman
and u Man with u Great Heart.
Mt. Hamilton Letter In San jose Mercury.
On recent Wednesday, at 10 a. m,
Mrs. Ruger, who, with her husband and
two children, lives near the sumit of Mt.
Day, the highest peak which lies to the
north of Mt. Hamilton, lef, her home in
search Of her cows. which were but
short distance away. II was a cold,
freezing day, raining and showing alter
nately. The woman was slightly near
sighted and the stormy weather assisted
in confusing her and she became bewil-
dered and instead Of going home, as she
thought, she took the opposite direction
and was soon hopelessly lost. About
noon her husband became alarmed at
her prolonged absence and went in
search of her, aroused the neighbors,
who are cattlc-ranchers and wood-chop-
pers, who live in the adjacent hills, and
soon dozen sturdy mountaineers were
searching the rough mountain sides and
deep gorges Of Mt. Day.
Camp fires were built all along the
mountain sides, and the lurid glare shot
up toward heaven lighting up the deep
gorges TO guide the wanderer home. At
daylight the following morning a syste-
matte plan of search was arranged and
each party took its course, with the un-
derstanding that three signal guns
should be fired in case she was found.
Like all persons who are lost she crossed
and recrossed her tracks so that it was
almost impossible to get 'hot" trail,
owing to the rough nature of the ground.
The party searched faithfully till late in
the afternoon, when one after another
dropped off and returned home, worn
out with hunger and fatigue, to recuper-
ate before renewing the search. No per
son thought it possible for the woman TO
live through the night, as she was thinly
clad and barehcaded.
But there was one man in that crowd,
an old mountaineer, who determined
not to quit the search while ray of hope
remained of finding her alive, and, most
wonderful TO relate, he was successful
About 3 p. ". of the second day Of search
three signal guns were heard booming
up the deep gorge through which Smith
creek runs, proclaiming the glad tidings
that the lost was found. don't know
whether there was Joy in heaven" or not
but / do know there was joy in this
neighborhood, and many an eye glisten-
ed with tears of gladness. The man OF
whom we speak is J. r. Kincaid, OF
Bob" Kincaid, as he is known all over
the mountains, poor in this worlds goods
but with q heart as big as Mount Hamil.
ton, whose latch string always hangs out
bait for every tramp, dead-beat and
sponge of the mountains, who never
miss meal and never pay cent.
With the instinct of an old hunter he
OWNED her course and followed it to q
successful end. He followed her for five
miles from her home, through the deer
and almost impossible gorge below the
junction of Smith creek with San Isa.
bella. Many places she had slipped and
rolled twenty or thirty feet and one
place three hundred. Yet, strange to
relate, not bone in her body was brok-
en-. When found she was Just sinking
into an insensible sleep, which would
h ave known no waking. Kincaid took
off his shoes and covered her naked feet
and his clothes and wrapped her in them
built fire and warmed and rubbed hel
into semi-consciousnes and with the
assistance which the signal guns had
brought he carried her to her home
which she reached at ten o'clock p. m.
just thirty-six hours from the time SHE
left it, in an insensiblc condition, but in
fair way for recovery.