Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-30
-ar pn3yED ABR AVE- WOMAN
>-,obt in a snow Storm on the
>Ionutajns Near Crested Butte.
0urov DisDafch 10 chicago H'


o.-,,, 7jsuafcb 10 chicago Herald.
ro- tbroe or four years there lived IN
teadyille little black'eyed' oiack-nalreo
oman. Agnes Mayham. She was a
.ridow who bad one child, little girl.
W. Nayham made living DIV peool,hg.
ar little stock in trade cohsls teu Oh
atoctinrs. gloves, handkerchlels, buttons,
tbread and other knickKnacSs' her race
was familiar to almost every woman III
,so carbonate Camp, When business
Iue Anil Mrs. Mayham would sling her
,,,,7o mack over her shoulder and pay
risit n neighboring camps, where she ire
Ia,tIv reaDed quite harvest from the
wives of the miners.
Early last spring she took trip 10 AS
on about 60 miles west OF Leadvllle.
tIor attention was next directed 10
Tested Butte. another camp or town,
Cho,,t AZ miles still farther West Be-
'yeen the TWO places there ls range OF
Iigb and rugged mountains. Mrs. May
ham travelled all day and stayed over
niobt at the cabin Of q ranchman, VINO WIN
bis family had settle on the eastern SIDE
nj the mountain range. Inc next gay
sbs resumed her journey, and hoped by
njGbttsII 10 reach Der destination. The
worst of the road still lay before her. She
Nod 70 cross the bleak range over which
tSo,e was only a dim trail, which none
but the hardest mOuntaineer had trod-
don This trail lay over what Is known
os pearl Pass, one of the mos difficult
and dangerous passes in the Rocky
Maintains. 1t lies at an altitude OF l2,-
Goo feet above the level of the sea, and
600 feet above the point at which vegeta-
iIon ceases to grow. On this bleak and
desOlate pass nothing can be seen but
hold and pr, ciptous mountains, with
rugged peaks piercing the clouds that
constantly hover around them. NO living
creature breaks the mOnOt0ny OF this
owfnl solitude. The trail, however, was
comparatively plain, and Mrs. Mayham,
VINO had been in the mOuntaine until she
could .Ollow a trail almost as we'll as O
man. felt confident that she could make
the trip.
The COURAGEOUS little woman trudged
along. climbing by slow degrees the cir
cultous pain that gradually led to the
summit of the mountain. About O'Clock
ipthe afternoon she found herself at the
very TOP of Pearl Pass. No sign Of vege-
tatiOn appeared to cOeer the lonely pros
meet. The wind whistled and nOwled over
tbe unbrOken solitude. Tired and foot
sore. she pushed forward. She reached
fine summit, The clouds began to thicker
around her, and in few minutes the
snow began to tall. The wind
blew it in eddying gusts
around her, and it was not long before she
realized the terrible truth that the dim
trail would soon be covered up. To miss
II in a snow storm is almost certain
death. A single misstep might plunge
her down hundreds of feet and dash her
to pieces gu the jagged rocks below. The
way was soon entirely o5scured. The
frightened woman paused to think. To
proceed was certain destruction, and to
remain would be equally fatal. She could
not retrace her steps, for the snow had hid
from view the serpentlne trail so com
petely that the most experienced pros
pector could not follow it. She did not
dare to 20 forward for fear of losing her
way, and she could not lie down, as she
would freeze TO death and be wrapped 10
a winding sheet Of snow. She decided to
walk backward and forward along a GER
tain beat Tor a distance of about 80 feet,
where she knew The trail lay, and by this
means keep up the circulation and at the
same lime not wander from the trail.
1t was drawing toward twilight, and
the snow fell SO thick and fast that it al
most blinded her; but she continued to
walk up and down the be at she had laid
out, following IN her own tracks, aud in
this way she prevented the falling snow
from hiding them from view. Back and
forth, back and forth, hour after hour, on
that stOrm-swept mountain she traced
and retraced her weary way. Darkness
came on, and still the snow fell and the
wind hoWled. The plucky little woman
neld her beaten path. Her clothes were
wet with snow. Her sOggy skirts hung
about her chilled and weary legs. The
hours OF that lonely night dragged slow ~
on, and each succeeding hour found her
steadily keeping up the measured tread
rom one end OF the little path to the other.
sne knew the necessity of economizing
ner strength SO that she would not become
exhausted and be compelled TO lie down
ara sleep the sleep OF death. she real
Yea that IN constant motion lay her only
nope oil ever seeing daylight again, All
through the long and dreary hours of that
seemingly endless night she kept up her
pace until tue snow was banked up on
either side OF the little track. Several
tlmes her courage nearly failed her, and
sue was On the point OF lying down and
IeslEnlng herself to her fate when the
recollection OF ber little orphan girl in-
spIIeu ner anew and gave her rene wed
suehsth ana courage. Her strength was
gradually being exhausted. Unless nelp
came within few hours at most, human
HatuIe would nave to yield.
AT last the gray dawn of morning be.
gan 10 break over the mountains. Ii
iound the heroic little woman still tread
Ihg me path. AS the sun rose the snow
ceased to fall. The clouds broke away,
anu the snowy peaks glittered like nina.
Ieto In the bright sunlight. she continued
ueL weary walk till about 10
CLOCK, wnen ANAL carrier on snow shoes
zane over the pass from Crested Butte
ana rescued her. He placed her on his
,ong norwegian snow shoes, fastened her
Ieel TO the runners with leather thongs.
anu, oiudlng her put her arms around mis-
neeA ior support, he soon landed her in
saIety at a cabin on the western slope OF
we mountain. A sled was lmpro.
Used and she was taken to Crested
por weeks she lay in burning fever. 1t
So ae hard struggle between life and
ue ',n, A strong constitution, however
o euieu ner through, aud she finally recov
e o. A subscription paper was passed
a,9und among the miners and $500 was
seieeu' with which she started a little