Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-28
The Startling Experience and
Ghastly Find of a Party
OF Lost Travellers.
a Lonely Grave at a Stage
Station the Sequel of
Their Story.
From Wednesday Daily.
(wRITTEN FOR THE mNER.l

oe OGrodu 10 Olg up 61l
- thing that | think would prove acceptal
However, as you insist. / will endeayor
:. comply with your request.
1t was during the memorable winte,
80 and'S1, a winter SO frausht with sui,
ing, misery and death to the few hardy !
tiers and ''prairie men, who then ma
their homes on the trackless prairies
{ Eastern Montana and it's neiphbor. I
kota. That winter will always be recall
with a shudder by those whom circumsts
ces compelled to lace it's terrors and under
the h~ardships which it caused. Hu
dreds OF cattle persisted from hung
{ and cold and it was not an infreoue
occurrence to hear Of the disappearance
men who had left their homes to witt
/. distant neighbor or look after their sea
tered herds as they drifted aimlessly oy,
the wind ridden, snow covered plains, whie
like a vast ocean stretched their white su
face Tor miles and miles, and continued "a
beyond the line where heaven and cart
seemed to come together. The spring 10
lowing the remains Of many an unfortunat
man were found in coulees and gulche
where, lost and bewildered they had war
dered during some of those awful storms
and finally worn out and drowsy, they ha,
laid down, never TO wake from the slumbe
which was creeping over them and which
they were powerless to resist. Poor fellows
where Identification was possible the bodie,
were taken to their former homes anc
tur ned over to friends, who buried them il
some quiet little churchyard and aSsinglt
headboard was placed over their graves to
mark the last resting place, where slept
humble and unsung heroes who gave ur
their lives in the struggle which always goes
on when brave men set forth to conquer
the wilderness.
1t was a bright, but bitterly cold morn.
ing, . few days before Chris man, when q
party Of us left in one OF those large, lum.
bering stages which were then rum
ming between Pierr', the terminus
OF the railroad, and Deadwood,
v 200 miles west, nestled snugly in one
Of the deep, narrow gulches OF the Black
Hills. Although, as ! said before, the day
was intensely cold, We were a jolly party,
rather enjoyed the prospect Of the
long ride before US. The sur shone as
bright as only q mid-winter sun on q
western prairie can shine. The horses.
strong, clean-limbed animals, were impa-
to get under way. The last good.by
was said, the messenger mounted his seat
alongside OF the driver, and we were of.
OF us wore immense fur coats, several
suits OF underwear. leggings and all the
other things that go to make up the "har.
ness. OF men accustomed to staging in the
Besides our own wraps, the stage
company q supplied us with s. liberal
OF robes, and the bottom OF the
coach was well filled with clean, dry hay;
as men in our places could be. In |
few minutes we had driven across the
Missouri, stopped at old Fort
Pierre, taken on the mail, and our trip |
began in earnest. A few mills brought us
but OF the river bottom and we were on |
.op OF the high, rolling prairie, which
out from there away out, on
10 the Cheyenne river without a break
n vestige OF timber excepting an
occasional cottonwood or a small patch
II plum trees or boxelder shrubs which
eebly try to keep alive along the edges of
he few Greeks" as the dry water courses
re called, which are met with at intervals
4 fiom ten to fifteen miles. In the spring
hese Greeks run bank full, but as
DON as the snow is gone they dry I'D
ompietely and remain SO until the next
pring. In nearly all of them are deep
oles worn out in the hard gumbo, and
erve as ~cisterns OF reservoirs, in which
ools OF s~tagnant water remain, and from
hese the ~freighters and others who tray
led the road obtained their water. But
m wandering from my story. In much
ss time than you would think we arrived
t Willow creek, the first station out,
here we changed horses. As soon as the
nange could be made we resumed our
,urney. Thesnow here was aboutsix inches
eep, and as no track had been broken
Or progress began to get slower. The
heels tqueaked and cried, making a wild. i
noise that went through
nd through us and almost drove
crazy with it's weird mo-
otony. Lance creek, the next station,
as only sixteen miles away, but it took
five hours to reach it. Here we again
Hanged horses and also had dinner. By
le time we were ready to start again t
was 4 o'clock, and q decided i
lange hod taken place in the weather. ,
be sun which up to this time had been ',
lining brightly, had gone out of sight. q
sky had assumed a dull, leaden ap- 4
.arance; the Wind began to whistle from r
10 northwest; the little snow birds were =
ing hither aud thither keepirg up q con. =
nued twitter and chipping; their little II
bodies assumed q whittier appear. p
re q storm, and as non OF US were tender. b
st we knew at a glance that a blizzard il
tn all that the word implies, v ou'd soon c
upon us. The station keeper and his q
nd wife asked Us to remain over night II
ID implored us not to venture out into t
70 approaching storm, but we declined
cir pressing invitation and set out, for
were determined not to loss an hour as
Q second day after that would be Christ. a
rs and we were all anxious to be- at home
ID with friends on that day. I have Of
q wished since then that we had taken ~
cir advice and remained. We had pro. ~
eded only q mile or go when the storm "
oke upon ne, and those who have never Il
en- in q genuine blizzard cannot imagine
w the the wind howled and the snow, or
Their minute particles OF ice, few through
Q air. With the storm came darkness v
d the Jokes and stories with which we :,
d beguiled time ceased. We all knew =,
lat was before US and the possibilities u
itch beset our way. Suddenly the stage
oppsd; the messenger carrying a Ian
n, dlsmounted ald began running,
W east. now west. 10Y north and IL
W south looking for the road, as we FL
found out from the driver, for we N
re lost. After waiting what seemed .
urs, the faithful messenger returned and ic
nounced that he had "found it." The u
cells began to squeak and grind "
ain, only for q little while, for we were u
It again. Again the messenger began to a'
for the road. but this time he was
able to find it. Determined to make the
It station if possible, the driver and
decided to 60 on and trust to W
to take US through. Hour after hour NJ
drove, and finally the messenger told us h,
there was no use trying to 60 any =
'ther, that the team was worn out and ~
aid not pull the coach any longer. Moth. 70
remained but to ''go into camp"-and 90
h a bleak camp it was! The horses or
unlocked from the coach, blankets DC
over them and then led to the lee.
I'd side Of the stage and fastened to the
cells. The driver and messenger crawled
ide, and having plenty OF good cigars in Dc
party We began to smoke and patiently lei
for the storm to cease. At last day di
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