The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1884-07-12
"STUMPY WlCkS."
How the Occur d'AIcne Boys Started Hi0
Upon His Last, Long stampede cover
the Range"
Occur d'Alcpo Eagle.


the Range"
Occur d'Alcno EaGle.1
Stumpy Wicks was dead. The noun.
tain fever had killed him. A few days
before he had started off into the hills,
telling the boys that he would find
something rich, or never go out again.
He did not find anything, and he never went
out again. The fever laid its grip upon
him, and in three days he was dead.
He had gone over the range" the boys
said.
1t became necessary to bury Stumpy
Wicks. And how was he buriedy BY his
relatives: He had no relatives. BY the
town: There was no town. BY his
pard? He had 10 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, if he had one, will
never know whore he died, or what
hands laid him in his grave.
1t was the boys. They got together aud
made collin out of a box or t"o, and
covered it with black cloth. They put
Stumpy into it, with clean flour sack
in and hired an ex-parsou, who for years
had abandoned his profession, to "gve
Stumpy IL send-oil." They dug Il grave
to Il good and honest depth in the
tough red earth. They went out and
found IA Hat rock for a heaostone, and
on it, with an engineers graver, they
scratched the brief epitaph, "Stumpy
Wicks." Then they followed the collin.
wagon to the grave, walking through the
mud and rain.
There were forty men in that funeral
procession, and not one woman. Very few
were drunk, and nearly all had taken oil
their X.shooters. There were forty mel
who stood around that open grave, and not
one woman to drop tear, rs the ex-parson
read u brief portion of the Episcopal buriai
service and offered short prayer for the
safe journey of Stunpy's soul across tn.
range. There was no history of Stumpv's
/ life. No one knew that history. IL wa:
doubtless sad enough one, full OF slip
and stumbles; full of hope, perhaps, be-
fore he lost his grip" They found 4
woman's picture, very old, and quite worn
out indeed, in Stumpy'S pocket, and this
was buried with him. This was probably
1 his history.
There was not a tear shed ut Stumpy',
funeral. Not a sob was heard. But Meth
er was there any oath or any laughter.
When the time came to fill up the grave
ready hearts assisted ready hands, and tn,
1 experienced miners quickly did the work
They rounded up the mound and fitted W
the headstone. When the ex-parsoI
stepped back from the grave he stumble,
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 tn,
mountain fever had finished them, excep
those whom the committee assisted. |
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.
lay red and bare, upon red and bare hill
side. There were no white stones to mari
the homes of the sleepers; those used wer
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 ting
of blue, and the sky, in pity that no tea
was shed, wept some upon them.
AS the procession broke up and move
back to the saloons one was heard to sa
that it was the "mournfulest plantin' h
ever had hand in In fact the camp Iii
not get back to its normal condition unit
the next day. There was something t.
sad even for these rough souls in the lionel
broken life, the lonely, unwept death
Stumpy WickS. II made them thuk--an
/ wonder if some of them did not reac
out their hands from their blankets thu
night and hold them up and cry out softly
"Oh, Stumpy, Stumpy What is it yo
see over the range? After a broker
wretched life, what is there for a man owe
the range"'