The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-09-10
THE DESERTED CABIN.

Ia the FAQ of a. on Qpl-iOOkln2 .
morning, a chum of mine Tom Bayhss, .
and myself left PIaiusburg, en- route for /
Indian Gulch, some twenty-five miles dis f
tant Tom was an old miner, and had F.
located q claim in French Gulch early In .
the fifties from which he had taken a good .
many thousand dollars, and felt certain
that there stIl remained localities in the
Indian GuIch District of Marlposa Co, Col,
where a man could, at any rate, make grub
money, and might by chance, strike IL
rich" Each of Us packed double blanket,
and took an old shotgun along In order
TO somewhat vary the monotony OF beans
and bacon with q rabbit or quail. Soon
after we left Plainsburg it began to drizzle,
but having once started we determined TO
Keen right along. About noon it cleared
of a trifie, and we halted TO take lunch
and rest at a deserted cabin close TO what
had once been q sheep corral. Just as we
had finished our after-lunch pipes we were
startled by vivid flash Of lightning, fol-
lowed almost instantaneOusly by clap Of
thunder which made the TiCkety old cabin
fairly shake Flash followed flash, and
dsafeninR peals of thunder simultaneously
echoed through the adjacent foothills.
Then came the rain, and such rain
II Ruess we'd better make night OF II
heran said Tom Bayiiss, after we had
waited in vain for three hours for 1t 70
clear up.
l perfectly agreed with him, and as we
had taken the precautiOn TO bring along
some biscuits, bacon and coffee, We started
a fire in the big adobe fireplace, put the
coffee-pot on, and after patching up the
leaky roof as well as we could prepared
TO make the best Of the night.
It must have been about IL P. NJ. when
we were startled out of a sound sleep by
loud shrfeks Of murder murder! IN
skyiu vvou1an's voice Our dog was bark
ing furtously. l ciutched my shotgun,
and Tom. taking his revolver, we sailed
forth TO discover the cause OF the cries we
heard. The rain had ceased, and young
moon. aided by the stars, shed q faint
uaht over the plains. Some hundred yards
away we could just discern the outline OF
a covered wagon AS we approached the
voice became fainter and fainter, and had
srbsided into a series of mOans, when we
finally halted, ten yards from the wagon,
and shouted out: " What's the matter
there y"
The only answer we received was the
tbrustfnZ of what looked like the barrel OF
a Winchester rifle through the aperture
for fDgress of the Uil-cloth cover Of the
wagon, and request to "get out OF that
or7ick II YOU don't want some hot lead
Not desiring 70 be made targets OF, we
beat q peaceful retreat toward our Gaohi-
That the wagon could not get away with
- o,,v krovgledaye we were assured, as
10th of the horses were sheltering from
the wind in an old barn close TO the CABIN
,ze were in. Tom, who was somewhat 70
rnanticaliv inclined, insisted that it was a
case Of abduction, and that some villain
"a eto,en away q lovely maiden or fail
vmnr wife. l, being somewhat more pro
&c Supgested that II was mere family
far betyTpen husband and wife, and that
nsrhaps the old woman had lmoloed q
tri6e too much. So we talked and speeu
lated upon the case until the first gray
s+rssEs Of dawn began to light the eastern
~-l IN he
~ zgnfor and at once discerned signs o
Bfa a fire had been lit on the creel
Lo,k and we could lust make out the out
HDo of a mans form against the flames
Presently we saw the figure leave the nr
ord walk slowly in our direction rifle Il
hand. We carefully looked to our wear
ons. and awaited results with fast-beatlni
hearts. -,
-,.a-er arproach of the riie-bearing foYn
we recognized the countenHnce OF BE
Collins the Marshal of Plainsburg. W
ho+h started out to meet him, and afte
tol,iro, a pull at q flask that he producec
- handing 1t around, be said: q" / got o.
tba road last night, got lost in the storm
- rad to camp out Were you tn
cbeDs that came around the wagon las
night ?" we todd him "yes," and he COZ
tinued: al had a pretty hard time OF IT.
con tell YOU ! started from a ranc
. I,,-a1,e miles from here, with a oraz
y woman that had TO take to Napa. ~
u seemed quiet enough, and took 10 trout
20 baud-cuff her but somehow the thund'
al saerned 10 raise the very old boy with he
r,,st as had decided that it was 10 u
Df Going any further in the rain, and VI
ne tr,sna 10 make the poor woman as COZ
foTtafle as possible, she sprang on me fro
behind and clutched me by the thTG
~ ~ i'm both hands, and it was all could ,
In stop her from choking me TO death, {
,,.. ebs,s q woman that weighs one hundr
~ sDd sixty or more, and these crazy fOl
4 are as strong as mules for squirt.
Is last however l shook her of, was pl
cesding to put on the bracelets, when s
yelled out blue murder and l guess y
heard her"
G. We returned with Ben and took lo'
- at the crazy virago. She was MeXic,
n woman, about forty years Of age, and ST
u xvart as a man. When she saw us she
" s;eted that she had been stolen from boz
ias bv brigands and got 80 excited that '
k1- left. and. wishing Colli1s good luck W
Il. his unoanny charge, started OF on
. road TO Indian Gulch and fortune.
month let us out there, as we could :
even strike pay dirt, but shall always
member that night at the deserted cab