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

"ienouI q rest. nen q broke / was q
good fifty miles from Salt Lake, and now q
strange thing happened. I was riding in
close to the foot hills, and had halted on an
emtnence to scan my trail, when two rider
less horses came into view three miles
away, and made straight for me. As they
came up I saw fresh blood on both saddles,
and the animals were blown as If they had
had a long run. Rifles, ammunition,
blankets, and a small quantity of provisions
were strapped to each saddle, and one pistol
holster had a revolver in it.
Did they belong to the two men who had
passed me in the night? We're those men
Danitesa Had they fallen into an ambush
prepared Tor them by wandering Indians!
this was proof that the affair had occurred
miles away.
I waited for half an hour to let the horses
blow, and then secured them in single file
behind the pack mule. While the find was
OF no particular value just then, the horses
would ave followed me whether or no.
In about forty hours from the time left
Salt Lake l had reached a point on the
and White Rivers, and about fifty miles
distant from those streams. I knew that
the rivers united at the western end Of
Little Bear Mountain, and that landmark
its head through the blush haze always
hanging overthe mighty hills. The stranger
had not said this was the spot, but I had
somehow got the idea firmly. fixed in my
mind that his locality would develop some
thing. had seen nothing more of the Dan.
ties, nor encountered other dangers, and
went into camp with strong hopes of being
undisturbed while I pursued my laborious
task Of unearthing a rich find for those who
had fitted me out.
searched for and found a narrow valley
breaking into the mountain. I followed 1t
in for about sixty rods, and Just where it
made a sharp turn to the left, and within
two hundred feet of the end, I staked out
ing up lu1uriantfy, and no one, unless
entering the valley, could suspect my pres
ence in the neighborhood.
On the second day Of my arrival, having
ride, I picked up my tools and proceeded to
the end of the valley. It stopped dead
short against the mountain, running to a
cliff up which my eye travelled five hun
dred feet before resting at the top. 1t was
hardly q moment before I discovered the
| mouth Of a cavern before me, and around
its mouth was a quantity OF fresh earth.
The place had the appearance of being a
bears den, and l approached it revolver in
hand.
tt the left of the opening, as I slowly
crept forward, / saw where some ~prospector
had been at work with his hammer. He
had broken from the ledge more than a
hundred pounds of specimens, and after an
inspection of five minutes I knew that /
had found the dead mans claim. ] had
some of his specimens in my pocket. A
comparison of the rock settled all doubts.
The man lying dead in an unhonored grave
hundreds of miles away had stood on this
very spot to gather his specimens. Acct
dent, good luck, my guardian angel, or
whatever you please, had guided me across
valley and hill and plain as straight as the
finger of the magnetic needle.
He was a prospector only. I was a geolo-
gist and metallurgist as well. he worked
on what was in view alone. could go far
beyond that. In less than two hours ] had
satisfied myself that there wasn't a thou
that valley. The man had Numbered on a
strange outcropping Of precious metals.
There is q similar one twenty-five miles
further west, and a third in Wild Jim Can
yon, and specimens from them may be seen
In the mineral cabinets of the Smithsonian
Institute.
In my anxiety about the outcrop, 1 for
got all about the cave and the fear Of wild
animals. had been hammering, testing,
breaking and climbing around for three
hours, and was standing on a shelf above
the mouth of the cave, when four pumas or
mountain lions left the retreat and skurried
down the valley like so many cats. UTTERED
several yells, and hurled a stone at the hind
n %Ssf t to ,k Ss99 p shsm t sO1P Rgors set fn III. s psss
was a lions den, n the lions had been
driven out. 1t was a matter, of little &C
count, but when, an hour before shutdown,
/ got down and took a look into the cave, /
WIS SURPRISED al The amount OF loose Q1TG
init. The lions had been digging at the
further end. What for? would see next
day.
To prevent the lions coming pack during
the night I built a fire below the horses,
and likewise tossed blankets and saddles
about to create objects of suspicion. There
was no alarm OF any sort during the long
hours, and soon after breakfast I was ready
to enter the cave. As / stood at the mouth
I fired q shot, thinking to scare out any
haqgf which miphf have GRANT in. huf no
nothing moved / boldly entered. / could
walk upright to the far end, and when /
had reached it my heart suddenly gave a
great leap. could hear a human voice.
tainly was the voice of some person. I
heard it several times, as if some one was
shouting, and a very queer feeling stole
over me. Where could it come 'FRONT.'
W. Md1 ,i could = be e here hsrea aB By a and by when l
anything further, I began to examine the
ban of earth ahead of me, and I soon dis
covered that it had been dislodged from
the roof, and that there were heavy pieces
Of rock among the soft earth.
The ions had dug a sort of tunnel five
feet beyond me. Invent back for my spade,
and then entered this tunnel and began to
dig. There was a huge rock in the path,
n l had to turn to the left, throw out
about a ton Of broken stone weighing from
one to fifty pounds each, and then find my
self d~igging-for whatl ! asked myself the
question as I wiped away the beads Of
sweat, and it was answered in a strange
manner. The dirt in front of me suddenly
settled, and daylight streamed into the
tunnel.
For a minute I was too dumbfounded to
move, and I could not believe that my eyes
saw what they seemed to see. Before me
was an almost circular basin an acre in
| patches of grass. On every side the cliffs
rose hundreds of feet high, and so perpen-
dicular that a squirrel could hardly have
made his way up. The sun never shone
hardly dispel the darkness of night.
Opposite me was a lodge or tent made
Of gray blankets, and standing beside it was
a human form, while another bent over a
low fire near by. I climbed over the dirt
into the basin, and as rose up two women
screamed, mi both figures advanced to
meet me. In the dim light I saw that they
were women OF middle age.
Good Heavensi but who are you, and
what are you doing herer I demanded as
we met.
For reply, both fell at my feet and be-
sought mi to take them home, zach one
gasping and sobbing and on the point OF
Mysteries.
It was ten minutes before I could get a
word of explanation from either, and il
might have been much longer had / not
dragged them through the tunnel and out
into the broad day and sunlight of the
valley.
"Now cease you crying and tell me what
/ want to know"
1t was only after had prepared for them
a hearty breakfast that l got the story in
full. The one, Annie G.. Hardy, was thirty
five years old and had left Georgia two
years before with other converts, under
charge of a Mormon elder. The other wa:
named Eloise French and had left South
Carolina at about the same time and under
like circumstances She was only thirty
years of age. Both were widows. Or
reaching Salt Lake these women were mar
ried to a Mormon named Slyne, who hat
one wife already. Disgust and despair
were soon succeeded by a desire to be re
venged on those who had entrapped then
by false pretenses. Together they rar
away but were speedily o~verhauled. Their
their tongues were let loose against on,
and all, n they plotted to poison a mum
Der of church dignitaries. For this offens,