The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-01-09
A TRAGEDY OF TIE GULCH.

II was one Of Coloradu's marvellous June
days. The golden god of day sailed on in
his turquoise sea with not a single cloud to
shadow his brillaucy. Nature, in all her
gorgeous livery Of green, was in one Of her
most Joyous moods, scarcely zephyr dis
turbing the leaves of the cottonwood and
pines, and the only sounds heard were those
of the lark, whose glad notes as she twitter-
ed fiom bush to bush were accompanied by
the sad minor tones of the cuTew, the shrilI
monotony of the grasshopper's chirp, and
the endless peek" of the myriads of prairie
dogs, whose little brown heads and cunning
features peeDed from the numerous mounds
of their village. These were the ONLY sjpns
and sOunis Of life on Badger Gulch, vet
evidences Ot civilization were not wanting
Sluices and fumes, shOvels picks and dis
mantled rocker, were to be seen on the
edge Of the bank in the bed of the gulch
while some hundred yards distant on the
edge Of a cottonwood grove stood, bathed
in the heavenly sunshine, log cabin, rough
in its construction, but picturesque in its
surroundings
Outside on a bench were utensils for cook.
ing-rude, but fitted for the rough hands of
men and the simple wants of miners
/ These We're the only evidences OF the re-
/ cent presence of humanity visible outside
| the cabin-nothng to indicate the horrible
/ presence within. where, lying on the floor OF
one room that Nad answered all the pur-
/ poses Of the simple house keeping, was the
body of a man whose white face cleaned
with an unearthIy pallor in the dim light
from the small window, from the pool of
D pY,Ii inc t,a
golden hair The fixed, horrible stare of the
blue eye, the ugly, gaping wound in the
forehead from whicb che life had for some
time ceased to ebb, all told the fearful story
of murder, whose motive was only too
plainly visible in the inverted and empty
pockets and the absence of everything val
liable on the body, save one article, a small
medallion, which had been apparently jerk
ed partially from the neck of the wearer
and then for some unknown reason left. In
the violence with which it had probably been
snatched the spring mad been pressed, dis
closing the face of a beautiful, loving wo-
man, with the same blue eyes and fair hair
of its weareT, whose clotted blood on the
glass almost obiterated the features of the
portrait. Yet this man, whose beardless
face and smooth features indicated that his
boytood's years we're scarcely passed, had
been handsome. Nothing inside or outside
the cabin gave any Indicate OF the perpe-
traitor of the foul crime.
The mountain cry of the curlew came
floating down the Rulch on the gentle breeze
which was now rising. Occasionally a
frightened cottontail skurried to his warren
in the scruboak thicket, and the never-ceas
ing whirr of the erasshoppers were the only
signs and sounds of life. Presently two
horsemen came Galloping over the trail,
crossed the gulch, and proceeded to the cab.
/ in, seeking for refreshments. Knocking al
/ the door AMI receiving no answer, they lift
ed the latch and pushed back the obstruc-
tion, which they found, to their horror, tC
be the corpse of the murdered man, dead
apparently, for some hours. After search
( ing, but in vain, for some evidence of his
| identity, they went outside and saw the
I prints of horses feet, evidently recently
made and showing that their course headed
( mp the gulch. Examining their guns and
ammunition, the strangers, who were in
search of stray cattle, started on a full gal
lop up the guch and oyer the divide Their
experienced eyes readily marking the track
Of the fugitive, until reaching the main
road to Denver, which was on the top Of the
ridge, where il was lost in the numerous
others which had travelled over it that day.
Reluctantly they gave up the chase and
turned their horses toward Franktown,
where they gave the alarm. The murderer,
however. was never caught, notwithstand-
ing the hue and cry that was raised,
Just one year later some travellers stop
ped at the deserted and now supposed to be
haunted cabin. In fact, for several succeed
ing nights a light had shOne through the one
window far out into the night, and belated
travellers had seen shadows fitting in the
Interior yet no one bad the hariihood to en-
ter those terrible precincts after nightfa4l.
On this June day, however, everything was
the same as that day one year ago. The
IarK was singing his bright song, the curlew