The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-01-28
A NARROW ESCAPE.

AA4S4VO LIN VAL La
How q Prospector Rescued Two
Women From the Danites.
In the spring Of 1871 q man reached st.
Louis with some choice specimens of gold
and silver which he Said he had mined in
Utah. His object was to sell his secret Of
the whereabouts Of the mine, but before he
had succeeded in interesting any capital to
speak of, he was one evening knocked down
by a hack as he stepped from a street car
and SO badly hurt that he died next day.
I had been employed by a certain
capitalist to pump the stranger regarding
his find. Not that anybody had an idea Of
robbing him Of his secret, but to put this
and that together and attempt to ascertain
something definite about his affairs. Both
gold and silver had been found in Utah,
but at distances wide apart. If the man
had taken his specimens from any known
locality, It might be a good speculation to
buy his claim. If he told us of an unknown
place, it would be like buying cloth blind
IN my last conversation with him, not
two hours before his death, he gave me the
information hat he had been prospecting
in the intah Mountains, to the east of Salt
as the range mentioned extends half way
across the Territory and far into Wyoming
and Colorado. To hunt for the spot from
which he had taken his specimens would be
dixie searching for a silver dime on the wide
prairies. He realized this as fully as I did,
anything.
Instead Of the mans death upsetting all
our calculations It only strengthened the
idea in the minds of half a dozen capitalists
that the general hint thrown out should be
acted on. In less han a month / was in
Salt Lake City, with plenty of money to
purchase an outfit, and instructions to
strike the mountains about fifty miles east
OF Salt Lake n follow them to the Colo
rado line. II met with no success was to
Green River breaks through, and return to
the west on the northern side Of the mount
aims. II ! could make the trip before winter
set in, all right; if not, I was to lay up in
the FOUNTAINS and finish my prospecting
Upon reaching Salt Lake I went about
my business in a very quiet manner, know
ing that Mormon spies watched every
stranger and made it a business to find out
what brought him there. I wanted a
~snoro9ghly good horse and a strong pack
mule, but n several instances those same
spies prevented my making a purchase. 1
knew that they were dogging NV footsteps
day and night, but / dropped no word from
which they could extract a hint of my
future plans.
One evening 1 was accosted on the street
by a man whose look and speech proved
nm to be . Yankee. he was brusque and
to the point.
Stranger he said. .you van to make
and . stout. mule. I've got 'em both.n
NAnd you want to sel1f,,
ALFRED badt l want money to take me
back to New England and my Jerusha.n
Where can I see the animalsp
YOU So sm me,is In nov. The spies are after
let You bny EN-. Stranger, be squar' with
. sqnar' old pumpkin-pie eater from Com
nect1cut; Going prospectingf"
That's what these dod-blasted Mormons
quiet IS . cat, or the Danites will make
doSsmeas Of you'll Which wayp
"Noy you look herei You've got to
throy these devils of the scent; you kin
eel me when You want to 60"
sTo-morrow night, il possible"
"Goodi Now tell me what you want
bought for your outfit, and let me buy it.
About twenty Of US New Englanders, who
. camp at the end of this street. We are
trying to sell out everything but Q team or
Two, and are going back to Gods country
and our wives and babies"
/, l made a bargain for the animals and
gave him a list OF wha WANTED, and 1 had
no fears that he would deceive me. During
the greater part of the next day / sat
eround the hotel, seeming to have aban-
doned all idea Of purchasing horses, and in
conversation with a stranger, whom 1 sus-
that / should leave 10y California i in , das
or two.
That afternoon I sent my rifle to the New
England camp, and about dusk showed up
there in person. Job Haskell, my friend OF
the previous evening, had carried out his
instructions to the letter. While I had
brought with me q large quantity of fixed
ammunition for rifle n revolvers, he had
purchased blankets, medicines, a few min
ing tools, provisions n little odds and
ends necessary in a trip of this sort. The
saddle for the horse and the pack-saddle for
the mule were all that could be asked for.
When we had completed our business ar
rangements Job lowered his voice and said
when it gets fully dark you must be off.
Hope you'll get away all safe, but I'm
thinking the cussed Danites will strike
your trail before morning. If they over
haul you they'nshoot you down. Be ready
to shoot first. They hain't got no more
mercy han a wolf, and it will be a pleasure
for them to put a bullet into YOU"
! replied b I had had some experience
with the class of men referred to, and
meant to protect my life at all hazards
n he whispered: "You kin depend upon
them beasts. The boss has a strain Of
Kentucky blood in him, and kin be pushed
hard for twenty miles, while the mule viii
carry five hundred pounds and run like 6
deer. II u comes to wuss, depend or
the beasts
When it was fully lark Iclimbed into the
saddle and was ready to go. The mule wal
packed and nothing had been forgotten.
"Push 'em right up to the notch for two
long hours afore We haiti" whispered Job
Take it easy after that, but peel yer eye'
when daylight comesf"
We were on the outskirts of the city.
rode straight to the northeast to strike tn,
to broken ground the mountain lowered
up black, grim, and silent against the star
Ii sky. Then I turned to the east and con
tinued the gallop. and it was certainly two
full hours before I drew rein and brought
my animal to a walk. 1t had been a lone
some ride, uninterrupted, save by tn,
sudden futter Of a night bird or the chirI
of q cricket.
Just as l was about to set off at a gallon
again the horse entered a wagon road.
that it was considerably wor n by the trave
Of animals and vehicles. AsI afterwart
~ascertained this road was used by severa
ranchmen located near Cherry Spur il
going to and coming from the city, and
had been within a stones throw Of it TO
the last ten miles. The fact of my dis
mounting probably saved my life. Will
was down on hands and knees examining
the road / heard the boof beats of horses a
gallop. ! was sursued. Waiting only to b
certain hatI wasnot deceived in the sounds
lied the horse sharp to the left, toward th
mountain, and the mule followed. W,
wpfs not fwu hundred feet from the foe,
H43In q couple Of h0Tsenasr passed kt y sas,
aAiisSt geing 10 tss east, - ry yeass