The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1886-03-01
A MONTANA BLIZZARD.
How IL Howled in Dead Man's5G GuIch
some sad sacrifices.

F IN
New York Star.1
It was in the smoking car Of a train
on the Erie Road, aud some one asked
him how cold he had seen it in Montana
well, sir, I'll relate little exper-
fence OF mine 10 1876" he replied, as
he threw his stub away. Il was then
operating saw mill on Fat Injun
Creek. and courtipg girl about thr-
teen miles away. 0ne night in Febru-
airy, when the thermometer stood 26
degrees above zero, | went over to see
her.. The family consisted OF herself,
father, mother, two young children aud
a Chinaman cook. | was warmly re-
ceived, and the old folks had just gone
off to bed when blizzard came bowling
down Dead Mans Gulch. Snow came
with it and inside OF an hour the house
was banked in. The thermometer kept
going down and down, and before 3
o'clock next morning the mercury was
dead out of sight. There. was mighty
littlefuel for the FIRE, and the last stick
was gonelbefore daylight. We burned
up doors, chairs, bedsteads and tables,
but the cold kept growing more severe,
and along toward night the father,
mother and two children froze to
"You don't mean it y whispered one
of his listeners. , - a
.Essry word Of t." a
"How did the girl escape" - 4. = =
Il had her on my lap with my arms
around her. The old woman, when she
found death approaching, begged me to
hug her too, but | refused. There's no
Mormon about me- But for my pres.
ence OF mind / should not be here
to day."
"Why."
"Well, when the last stick Of fuel
was exhausted. I jammed the body of
the old man into the fireplace. 1t soon
blazed mp and made the hottest fire we
had since the cold set in. He WAS a
tough old chap, and lasted us till about
midnight. / then got up and threw
the old woman on for backlog, and
used the children to chink in with.
"How did the girl take it ?"
"All right until just before daylight.
Then she suddenly remembered that
the old man had 81 so in his vest poek
ct when l flung him on, and this of
course was lost. She reproached me
for my earelessness, and one word
brought on another until plainly real
ixea that she was no wife for me.
told her as much and she went off to
sulk in a corner. ! sat toasting my
shins before the grateful fire for quar-.
ter of an hour, and then looked around
and found her dead.
"You don't say Was she frozen?"
Stiff as erowbar. Affairs must
have been shaped by the hand of Provi-
dence, for it was ten hours longer be-
fore the blizzard broke, and / had to
use her for firewood, Not having any
more small children to chnk in with,
she burnt like log OF swamp elm, and
the end of my nose was frozen within
five feet of the fire. She was just
about gone when the blizzard broke,
and dug my way out"
"And you actually burned up that
whole family to save your own internal
carcass p exclaimed the man with the
briar-root. W VI
"Well, what could l do" "a,
"You look a.here!" /" continued the
other, 'I'm in a strange State now, and
don't know the laws. and don't want to
get in Jail; but live in st. Thomas,
Canada, and if ever / catch You six
inches into Canadian soil and don't
maui the daylight out of you, then may
st. Peter go back on me at heavens
gate = tta
The Montana man bowed his head
and would say no more, although ne
had not told what became of the China.
man.