Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-14
THE VALLEY oF DEATH.
Appalling Episodes IN the Journey %
harry pioneers.

appalling Episodes IN the Journey q
harry Pioneer.
San Fra nc,sco World
The HSmboldt has been called the
81 River Of Death" and well does it de-
serve the title. Rising in the midst Of
countless spiings-hot, cold, tepid,
,ulphurous, ard poisOnous--it IS the
channel through which the nOisome and
unwLolesome flterage Of land dead
20 yerdure is conveyed to the Great
Eas.a. Soue thirty years ago its banks
were white With the bones Of animals,
aId for q distance Of fifty miles,
including tvcnty.six miles OF de-
.e1.. the stencil Of decsying cat
re was positively sufocsting. The
GoseItw was an appalling picture Of death
md desclaticn. 1t seemed that a great
aimy-such an one as NerXes led into
Cfecce-had passed through It in dis
% lerly Ietiea,, casting tents, wagons,
clothing, arms, everything, from them
a. they rem. Cattle and horses, poison
,d and l,oated with the coarse grass
and bitter waters Of the '' sink,"
lcrishod by thousands along the
desert roadside, and abandoned We
hicles Of every description literally
lined the track Of travel. 1t has
been estimated that five thousand
wagons were left upon the deser. by
he immigration Of 1850, and that
lie carcas.es Of cattle, il placed in
lac, would have Fenced with pUtreiac
SION the road across the waste. With
,bc wagons were left stoves, water
css. trunks. clothing. and camp equip
axe O.. every kind and a few hundred
pounds Of type and a Rammagc
pnting-prcss gave variety 10 that mu-
SCUM IN tie wilderness. The bone, Of
csttle, still yoked and attached to the
deserted wagon, frequently met the eye.
aid The bridled and saddled skeletons
q horses were observed az every turn.
During the night cattle. refreshed
ly the cool air. slowly rose be-
foIe the advancing train aad for mo-
melt tottered along Ike phantoms, then
dropped, never to rise again; and as
clten as once in every mile yehicles
were forced from the road by blockades
Of dead and dying animals. Such was
the spectacle in August ami September
# was doubtless more horrIiylngin June
.rd July. Would that the story Of
TIE terror Of that desert in 1850 might
end here | shall not finish the tale
today. however. Should it ever be
written it will tell tale Of human suf-
tering and human death upon that sea
Of salts at the recital Of which the blood
viii freeze and the hair blanch with
horror.
But M purpose Is to write not Of
lie Humboldt. but Of the Platte. In
wandering back over tie trail Of early
in migration 20 the scene Of an event
" Itch cannot be forgotten, the eye
rested for a moment in is journey
upon the ashy pillows Of the desert. and
could not look beyond until had
liuaed a little picture Of what was seen
there some thirty years ago.
The reader need not be tod that the
immigrants Of $50 suffered severely
from the cholera. This terrible plague
o.. tho more terrible because alone with
u in tie Johannesburg upon the
ialk and rear of the Journey;ng hosts
Ike sL.r-isher Of Death, and thou
sands u -Iay,s along the Valley Of the
Platte tell Of its havoc. Medicines
were scarce. aud Of course inadequate.
ana s.rcrg men were cut down like
com before the sickle. The advance
portion Of tie immigration escaped the
Of the fell disorder 70 some
extent, but the broad swsth Of the grim
reaper through the remainder more
;Lan compensated for the mercy 50 un-
accountably extended to those who
list brsyed the perils Of the path.
In tie midst Of that portion Of the
emigration embracing the train to
which | belonged Death held high ear
nryal. The train consisted Of four
wagons and twenty-nine persons, among
them two women and three children,
the Youngest not more than six months
CD. had accidentally lost the train
81 CT o. Fort kearDey. and the MEM
bers Of il. with one OF two exceptions.
we've strangers to he. The work OF
death commenced, and within two days
thirteen men and one Of the women We're !
buried. Two Of the wagons were de-
stroyed TO provide rough collins for
the dead. and the train again moved
On. Morning after morning, night after
night. we buried our dead and left their
graves behind, until late one evening
We entered Ash Hollow with one wagon
and six persons-thc mother and her
three children, the driver and myself.
The father and husband had been
buried but q few hours before, and tn
poor mother, with her infant claspel
10 Ter aching heart, was stretched pale
Ind almost insensible upon bed in the
aagon. The children had cried them
elves 70 Sleep beside their mother.
lie cattle wee silently unyohed and
he tent pitched for the night. We we're !
lot alone in the valley. All around !
ls cleaned camp-fres, but upon every
hing seemed to rest the hush Of death. |
No one dared to speak above whisper,
est II might attract the attention Of
be Destroying Angel. 4 fire Of sage
lighted. and | lifted the little ones
rom the wagon. They stared wonder
Dgly at me. Perhaps they thought
Z as going to bury them too. | kissed
lie little girl, and she clung to me and
ried as though her heart would break,
nd the boy asked me if we would all
lie that night, and wondered who
would bury US. Death had lost It's
errors even to him.
returned to the wagon with 4 cup
# tea. The face Of the mother had
become paler, and her eyes were fixed
nd leaden. ! gave the infant to the