Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-02-21

n Sheephe1der discovers AN Aged
Woman Living Alone I'm a GuIch
west OF Ruby VaIley-EIer Condf,
tion and Whht She Divuiged o.
Her Past Life.
II was never more surprised In my life
than l was some three weeks ago." sale
Joe Donovan, q sheepherder Of Rubyvalley,
in Mendes' saloon yesterday afternoon.
Il had driven my band Of sheep along
the side OF q range Of low mountains Dor.
dering the western part Of the valley, in
order to keep them out Of the deep snow
in the lowlands, and when l got near q
certain gulch, which / never remember OF
ever having noticed before, / saw one Of
the most hideous objects of humanity il
has ever been my lot to see. 1t proved to
be an old woman with o~veralls and q mans
coat and hat on. Underneath the coat
was whath had been q skirt, but nearly the
entire OF II was torn from her by the sage
brush and CROSSWORD. The hair on the
back part Of her head was tied up, l no.
ticed afterwards. with q piece OF baling
rope, while that on the fore part Of her
head fell loosely about her face. The way
l happened to spy her was by some Of the
sheep which lead the band darling to the
side suddenly and running as though they
had seen q wild beast. Not know
ing what II could be, / spurred up my
bronco, ana with q six-shooter in hand,
approached the frightful object. I don't
know which Of us was the most startled,
but, boys. l actually thought 1t was the
devil She ia at least 60 years Of age, and
she looked like a yeritable witch. l finally
spoke TO her and asked her who she was.
About the only reply she made was Q sort
OF q piping sound. / then asked her where
she lived, and she pointed up the ravine.
| was determined to find out more about
her, and she finally offered to show me her
habitation. But she would, every now and
then ask for salt. Notwithstanding l would
tell her / had none, she would repeat the
request. She appeared almost crazy for
some. Finally | saw where she lived. 1t
was in tunnel some forty feet long, and
in il also existed half q dozen goats, q few
chickens and o broken down sheep or Two.
What she lived on, God only knows; for /
could not see anything eatable, except q
few dried-up potatoes and what looked to
be q piece Of dried goat. At first the
woman talked with considerable difficulty,
but finally / learned that the former owner
Of the tunnel had been her husband, and
that he had been dead for five years.
The old woman had lived with him
while he had run his tunnel, which
had probably been q good prospect,
aud when Death came to him she buried
him on the hillside near BY, and he, doubt
less, WAS the last white man she had talked
TO. She said the Indians had been good TO
her. and would sometimes shoot a rabbit,
a sagehen or u coyote for her. l tried TO
get her full name. but all she would tell
me was Henders. She said, too, that she
and her husband had come from Utah
nearly twelve years ago. The next day ]
gave the old dame what provisions | could
spare, and told her / would probably do
more for her. / told her / would report
her TO the county authorities, but she
mumbled and intimated that she would
never leave the tunnel. Whether she re-
CARDS ii as valuable piece Of mining prop
erty, or whether she is insane On the life
she Is leading ! can't say. l am inclined
to believe she has money buried somewhere
near the tunnel. She spoke Of having been
in Elko and W~innemuccs, but how long
ago / did not learn. ! Am going o that
way again in the course of q couple or
three weeks, and l will then learn more
about her.