Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-09-07

NJ
nal, and when j went to bed [ left
the door wide open. 1t seemed to
me that the air was getting foul down
there and by opening the door the
room was greatly purified. 1t was
midnight. as / afterward came to
know, and the fire was all out when
some noise in the room startled me.
i sat up In bed and was soon con
WINGED that some one or some living
thing was present. / could hear a
sounds as of some one pulling himself
along the floor, and I climbed over
the foot of the bed and lighted the
candle. What was my amazement
to find a third savage in the cabn
He had quite reached the side Of the
bed, and had got out that way, as
usual, ne would have at least wound,
ed me, for he had his naked knife IN
his hand and was bent on murder.
The hatchet was at hand, but ] did
not need a weapon.
The warrior had been dreadfulIv
hurt, and acknowledgement, had
been buried lust beyond the other
two. When / left the bodies he had
dug his way to my tunnel. and then
tending to have my life as / slept.
When baffled in this, he glared at me
with all the hate q human heart can
betray. He was crushed at the hips,
and none but a savage could have
accomplished what he did. / could
have killed him at a single blow, but
the horrible work was spared me.
Death was already beside him, and
a
him, candle in hand. he uttered a
faint War-WhOOp and fell over dead.
When l was sure that life had de
parted dragged him into the tunnel
and shut and barred the door, and so
upset had my nerves become by the
adventure that did not sleep again
that night.
In the morning 1 eXcavated d hole
/ near where the two bodies lay and
pushed the three into it, and packed
the snow over them. Then 1 began
running q tunnel for the ledge in front
! of the cabin, and had gone about 20
I feetWhen the second night came. Early
inthe third dayI had tOabandOn this
tunnel on account of q cave-in which
nearly smOthered me- Then turned
to the right to come out down the
{
when the first week closed. Early in
the second week I was stopped by
bank Of rocks and earth, and when
the second week closed / was drifting
q tunnel to the left. 1t was slower
work than you would think for. The
snow was packed very solid, and all
/ L dug out had to be thrown behind
/ me, and evidentually carried off and
tops. Every few feet I met with a
/ big rock or a trunk Of a tree, and it
was hard work to get around such
/ distractions. Again q caVe-in would
! take place to hinder further progress
/ for a day or two, and finally I came
/ to the conclusion that 1 could never
! get out by tunneling.
1 started in on the third week more
to be atWOrk than from any hope of
escape. All that week 1 tunneled to
the right again, and at o'clock on
Saturday afternoon / broke into nv
/ own tunnel In other words, had
/ done as q man does when lost in the
woods. 1 madea halfcircle and came
back on myself, while all the time I
felt sure L was going straight ahead.
/ The fourth week was spent mostly in
weaker, and was ready to give up.
It was on the 25th night that the
cabin began grOaning and racking
! again and I knew that the snow was
settling down around it. The noises
continued all night, giving me many
q fright, and at Z o'clock next morn
ing, when opened the door / found
my tunnelfl up. ] was lamenting
this when I noticed that the fire was
drawing better than usual. Going
, over to the fireplace I took a look
up the chimney and saw the dark Sky
of heaven. At the same moment
three or four drops Of rain fell upon
my face, and then 1 understood that
a great thaW had set in and was re-
ducing the snow around me. 1t was
three days more, however, before I
got daylight through the window and
could force my way out of the door.
1t had been raining for three days
and nights, and the creek below me
was q mad torrent The snow on
the trail was yet very deep. and /
was compelled tOwait two days more
before I could get away. Then the
weather changed to colder, and I got
down to Virginia City. 1t was nearly
q month later before. we could get at
the bodies I knew were under the
snow. The hermit had been caught
in the edge of the rush, and killed by
being dashed against the rocks.
His body was carried across the
frozen creek to the edge of 81 thicket,
and such clothing as still chung to it
was III shreds and tatters. They
had known Of the avalanche both
above and below, and had given me
up for lost. AS near as the men
could judge the snow above me
: r-aa La 1aat. don I'D n - L-. p 49,