Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-11-16
LOST IN the WOODS.
The Frightful Experience of a
Tucker County Man.
Five Days and Nights In the Mountains
WithoutF ood---Both Feet Frozen
An interesting Collection
of State News.

Of State News.
One OF the most heartrending stories OF
personal deprivation and peril comes from
Tacker county, this State, it being the
terrible experiences Of James Helmick, a
hunter, who lost his way in the great
"Back. Bone" mountain last Monday, and
wandered through the dense woods and
thickets of the Wilderness for five days,
without food and over ground covered with
half foot Of snow.
Before daylight on Monday morning
James Helmick and Abe Dowson started
from q little settlement at the foot Of the
mountain and assembled the Back Bone for
the purpose OF killing deer. AT dark Dow.
con returned, and stated that Helmick had
become separated from him, and that he
feared be was Loaf. Early on
Tues day morning party of twenty-five
men, headed by DoWson, started up the
mountain to search for the missing man
The locality which DoRsop said his com
panion had entered is in the northeastern
end of what is called the Land OF
Canaan, about ten miles from Davis City,
and is wild rugged wilderness, which for
fifty square miles has net an human hsbi-
tation. The land ia high, cold and damp
the thick woods keeping off the sum- and
the dense and matEea>mssses- Of laurel so
covering the ground that inpieces no iv-
ing thing eau penetrate the thieksts. 1hs
country is not well drained sudis sHampy,
the water standing in dark pools IN the de-
pressions of the ground, and in The deep
caverns among the lodges OF rocks that
here ard there pretru6e, ice forms during
the early autumn aud does not melt till
late in the succeeding summer. So dense
are the branches Of the trees that in places
the sunehine has not touched the ground
perhaps fer centuries, and an eternal twi-
light broods over the wilderness. Here, q
few years ago, two hunters, John Losh
and James Evans, lest their way and were
never heard Of again, although friends
kept up the search Tor weeks.
The quest for Helniek YVES kept up all
DAY Tuesday and Tuesday night, and was
resumed on Wednesday morning, but with.
out success. Tuesday night had been cold
and it was feared that Relmick had frozen
to death, as he had with him no means of
building Ere, that they knew Of.
Wednesday they found a track in the
snow just beyond The summit of the
mountain, and followed it ill it proved to
be Dowsons track. Il seems that he had
been loat too, but he stouily denies il. He
had been travelling in circles and had
been running, and leGping logs,
Mean Rh.le, the saoW had been melting,
and when al last Helmick's track was
found 1t was di(icultto follow it. However
they soon sscsrtained that the tracks were
made on Monday. he had gone up nearly
to the top of the mountain, from tae other
side, Just back Of tie Little Sugar Lands,
and was going toward home, when sudden.
ly he turned to the left las lost man al
ways does) ard entered the almost impea
etrable wilderness that reaches 10 Black
Fork and the Canaan Valley beyond. He
had been running, which was sill further
proof that he had been beWildered.
Wednesday night came aa3 put stop
to the search Gu Thursday a still greater
nunher engaged in the search; parties en-.
tering the woods from Dry Fork, Black
Fork, Thomas and Davis, % we'll as from
his side. The following Of the trsil
through the laurel was resumed 1t was
exceedingly difficult TO follow tho track
through the laurel. They had TO creep at
times on their hands and knees and search
infinitely in the moss and wet leaves sor
the trail. Thus they spent Thursday and
when night cara 80 tsey had not followed
the troll more tbsn four miles and it had
led south toward Black Fork. The men
slept that night in the laurel, ready to pro. /,
csed early the next mcs2;9a, At daylight
the search Eas renewed, and about noon
the party came to deep ravine, and on
!ts further bauk they saw Helmick leaning
against tree.
He had reached that place Monday
eTeaiDs. Having no matches, be had |
twice tried to bGild fire BIZ dischGrzipg
his gun into stump, but had both times !
been unsucceasSll. His clothing was
soaking wet, Thelaurel was so thick that lie ,
could scarcely move foot from where he
stood.
On Tuesday ucrniog he gave up the
dea Of reaching home the wsy he had
3cne, and thought TO get cut BY following
town the stream and down Black Fork. ,
dis feet were 90 badly frozen that be could
lot walk on the land so he waded doyl Ire
stream, which Was about Wa;ct deep. At
sDgth he came &c tas high falls where the
'reek plGUGges over the bluff into Black
'orS, and he could find no way to get
lown the cataract. He decided 30 wade
ack up the stream aud tFy to find the
ummit Of tho mountain. II
gag late in the evening be.
ore be got back to the place
There he had spent Monday night.
t was now Tuesday evening and he had
aten nothing since Monday corning. He
'as unable to walk; 80 as leaned agains,
be tree end thus spent Tuesday night,
Ieeplpg zone and again freezing. By this
me he bad no feeling in his feet and no
se ofthem. When he tried to walk be
ould not tell when his feet were en- the {
round, and as often as &c woald try to I
ak he would fail. Finding it impossible 1
} maize alY headWay, hs returned to the {
zee and there he remained until found.
Ie bad cut his shoes from his feet because
the pain, and in doing so had gsshed t
IS feet In q terrible manner, the loss of b
God weakening him terribly. 1t took an b
ltire day to get him to house, where he o
now receiving medical aid. 1t 10 feared r
9th feet will have TO be spPutated. n
GTT HIs THROAT. q
Breckenridge White. of Doddridge il
unity, committed suicide last Tuesday BY "
ttiDg his throat from ear to ear and stab II
Dg himself in the breast No cause has
en- sssiG2ed, as far as our information :,
ss, but it is supposed that temporary
entail derappemept induced the acs