Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-02-20

THE KILDEE MUST CARRY ITS PRO.
| VISIONS
across it. This must be rented until
James Baskins has been carried to
Abraham's bosom, and the interest then
goes to his wife. The son-in-law of al.
dermanic size and the rubicund counte-
nance gets the lions share. The an
cient elder was gathered to his Fathers
On November 9th. we think it was,
we were on the Court house porcn,
when be of the rubicund countenance
called US aside. and said he was charged
with a message to US from his sister in
law, the spinster, and that she wished
us to write
HER FATHERS OBITUARY.
In momentwe cast eyes on the elder
who wrote the will, asked as to its pro-
visions, and who was to execute it. He
gave US the details, and said he was it's
executor. We told him of the difficult
| task that wp were asked to per fofm.
He went on to defend the deceased
said that the widow of q prominent
pastor OF thirty or more years ago of the
congregation, thinking as we did, came
there perhaps in the ancient elders life,
to talk to him and his daughter in be-
half of the much-wronged daughter in
Texas, es ninety nine hundredths of
the public regard her, and after hearing
what she had to say, acq,iesced i
don't pretend to know what that was
| asked if he would carry her letter.
He said he would 1 wrote her briefly
yet politely, though pointedly, declin-
ing the task. understand my position
has not been understood, and 1t is my
purpose in this communication to vim
dicate myself. On the night of January
3lst, read an appeal from this poor,
prosecuted, maligned individual, James
Baskins, dated December 22d, to per-
haps the most prominent elder in that
the largest congregation of the largest
Presbytery in the largest Synod OF the
Southern Presbyterian church,
FOUNDED BY HIS GRANDFATHER,
asking those among whom he was
born and raised to remember in their
prayers, a. also in their generous contri-
buttons, the feeble Presbyterian church
of Lancaster, Texas, to which he and
this shamefully wronged daughter of
this ancient elder belonged. Let me
appeal to that congregation in their be-
half.
l was at one time in a greater strait
than considering the request touching
the obituary. On the evening of May
18th, 1869, friend, the present Mayor
of the town of Staunton, and myself,
when the sun was setting, sat on our
horses on the bank of the Grand Gas.
cades, that empties in a few hundred
yards above its mouth into the Merced
River, the largest tributary of the San
Joaquin in California. For ten days
the mercury had reached ITO degrees in
the shade. Huge banks of snow lay
around us in ride of 35 miles through
one of most God-forsaken, wild vol
canic looking regions of the Sierra Ne
vada Mountains as he rode from Hite's
Cove, in the upper end of Mariposa
county, on our way to the Yosemite
and Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. The
only living animal we saw was our In
dian guide "Jocho," lad II or 13 wears
old, who walked and rode behind us by
turns. We had not match to strike q
fire, or vestige of food for man or
beast, Our path led abruptly down to
the edge of the stream, and as Jocho
knew no English, parrot like, he re-
peated the questions our friend asked,
when he said, mo bridge" The water
was running like mill tail, and over
great bOulders, as big seemingly as the
half of railroad car
The Yosemite was yet five miles off
We held brief consultation. when we
resolved to risk the stream. Our friend
had no whip nor spur. and his holse
manifesting far more brains than either
of us, refused to enter it. He borrowed
our knife, cut a switch, and with much
effort. forced his horse in. In moment
he was washed from his feet, and the
rider and him at the mercy OF the mad
dened waves. We watched them with
breaihless in crest He was fineswim
mer, and through unheard of exertions
both succeeded in reaching the opposite
bank. Try, if you can, gentle reader,
to put yourself in our stead. We could
not swim O stroke, with 35 miles of such
country behind US, no fire, no food, to
say nothing of the disgrace of deserting
our cumrade, the thoughts that run
through the mind under such circum-
stances might as we belive, be compared
to those of the man on the
GALLONS, AND THE ROPE AROUND HIS
NECK.
Our noble, generous steed from Missou-
ri, and carried a year or more across the
plains, and found by US in livery sta
BILE in Mariposa, and to see him and
clasp him around his neck, if he was
within fifty miles of US, would be the
greatest pleasure, that never stumbled
or required whip or spur-didn't hesi,
tate, but plunged in, and before meas
uring twice his length, was lifted off his
feet, head up stream, and fell back upon
US. AS we were being washed as feath.
er, we grasped at the top of a big bould-
er the white caps marked the position
of, and were floated away like feather,
three fingers of the left hand clinging
to depression in the boulder. AS the
horse arose, our saddle-bags, with my
clothes, and some of our friends, fioated
off on their way to San Francisco. At
the same moment the end of the rope
halter, that was nOOsed over the high
pommel floated by me. seized it with
the right hand, and the horse striking
out after his companion gave me lever
age enough to enable me to Chamber to
my feet on the boulder, when springing
off towards the other shore, what with
my struggles, and the horse aiding me,
a mercifuI Providence saved my life.
Aiding each other in wringing our
clothing, we in few moments came
upon two white men, a horse back, each
leading horse, surrounded by group
of 25 or 80 Mono Indians of both sexes,
and one boy, "Jocko," of the number.
AS we rode up, one of them. Mr. Coal
ter, on his way to the Yosemite, to fix
up ladders, &c, for Summer visitors,
seeing our condition, asked where we
had been? When told we had crossed
the "Grand Cascades" raising their
hands in astonishment,-"Great Heav
ens"-no one thinks of crossing it in the
Summer; why did you not 90 to the
bridge, mile up stream?
Could we have had "Jocko" out by
himself,
HE NIGHT HAVE HAD TO SWING.
Gentle reader, we have given you
plain, unvarnished history of what we
have heard of the venerable Revolu-
tionary patriot, as more minute, and,
we doubt not, more interesting one of
his persecuted grandson and his wife
Have we not vindicated ourself, and
cannot be considered extravagant or
much excitable when we say there are
whited sepulchres over whom thousands
plunge into hell?