The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-06-21
SIuMPY MCkS."
How the Occur d'Alene Boys Started Hin
Upon His Last, Long Stampede 'sOver
the Range"
Occur d'Alene Eagle.l

the Range"
Occur d'Alene Eagle.l
S,umpy Wicks was dead. The noun
tain fever had killed him. A few days
before he had started OF into the hills
telling the boys that he would fine
something rich, or never GO out again
He did not find anything, and he never weus
ont again. The fever laid its grip upos
him, and in three days he was dead
He had -. ne over the range" the boys
said.
1t became necessary to bury Stumpy
Wicks. And how was he burieds BY his
relatives! He had no relatives. BY the
town. There was no town. By his
pardy He had no pard. Forty years
ago Stumpy Wicks had left his home
no one knew where-and his people--no
one knew whom-to wander alone in the
West. He died alone His wife, his
mother, his sister, il he had one, will
never know where he died, or what
hands laid him in his grave.
1t was the boys. They got together and
made coffin out of box or two, and
covered it with black cloth. They put
Stumpy into it, with clean -four sack
over his poor, dead face. They Clipped
in and hired an ex.parson, who for years
had abandoned his profession, to "give
Stumpy a send-off." They dug a grave
tc good and honest depth in the
tough red earth. They went out and
found fiat rock for headstone, and
on 1t, with an engineers graver, they
scratched the brief epitaph, "Stumpy
Wicks." Then they followed the coffin
wagon to the grave, walking through tn,
mud and rain.
There were forty men In that funers
procession, and not one woman. Very fe~
were drunk, and nearly all had taken "a
their six.shooters. There were forty men
who stood around that open grave, and no,
one woman to drop tear, as the ex-parsor
read brief portion Of the Episcopal burial
service and offered short prayer for the
safe journey of Stumpy's soul across the
range. There was NO history of Stumpy'
life. No one knew that history. 1t wa,
doubtless sad enough one, full of slips
and stumbles; full Of hope, perhaps, DO
fore he "lost his grip" They found q
woman's picture, very old, and quite worn
out indeed, in Stumpy's pocket, and THU
was buried with him. This was probably
his history.
There was not tear shed at Stumpy'i
funeral. Not q sob was heard. But Meth
or was there any oath or any laughter.
When the time came to fiji up the grave,
ready hearts assisted ready hands, and the
experienced miners quickly did the work.
They rounded up the mound and fitted Ut
the headstone. When the ex.parsoH
stepped back from the grave he stumbled
over the headstone Of Billy Robbins, the
gambler, whom Antoine Sanchez knitted.
There were a good many of the boys rest
ing there. The bullet, the knife and the
those whom the committee assisted. Il
was the committee who put Antoine San
chez at the foot of Billy Robbins grave.
There was no green thing in the grave
yard, no living plants, no little flowers. u
lay red and bare, upon red and bare hill
side. There were no white stones to mark
the homes Of the sleepers; those used were
of the rough, red granite.
The boys were quiet. They were think
ing, perhaps. They looked up at the sky.
which, strangely enough, had in it no tings
of blue, and the sky, in pity that nc tear
was shed, wept some upon them.
As the procession broke up and moves
back to the saloons one was heard to SAP
that it was the "mournfulest plantin' he
ever had hand in In fact the camp did
not get back to its normal condition until
the next day There was something ton
sad even for these rough souls in the lonely
broken life, the lonely, unwept death OF
Stumpy Wicks. 1t made them think--and
l wonder if some of them did not reach
out their hands from their blankets that
night and hold them up and cry out softly:
"Oh, Stumpy, Stumpy! What is it you
see over the range? After a broken,
wretched life, what is there for man over
the range"