The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-05-21
FREEZING TO DEATH.
It Is Pleasant, But Not So the
Restoration to Life.
A Memorable Night Ride In Maine In the
Cold Winter of Is40-Remarkable Sa-
gacity Displayed by Borse-Ex-
cruciating Torture.

Freeze to death if you want to.
You will like it. But don't let any
body fetch you to again. That will
almost kill you"
That was the strange remark made
by Captain r. l.. Zely, of Uniontown,
who gravely declared that in the terri
bly, rigorous winter 1S39'40 he was
actually frozen 10 DEATH" which
declaration he supplemented with the
above remark.
THE first snow of that season." said
the Captain, ''fell the last week in Oc-
tober. 1889. The last snow of the sea-
son came May 10, 1910 Between
these two dates there wasn't less than
six feet of snow on the level all the
time, and where the wind had full
sweep twenty feet was no uncommon
thing to see. We had eight months of
uninterrupted sleighing. and the Their
mometer for five months was at no
time higher than twenty degrees
above zero, while most Of the time it
sported between fifteen and twenty
below.
This was in Maine. | had an in
terest in some lumber that year up in
the Piscataquis country. and it was
necessary in February, 1910. for me to
GO into that region and look after my
interests. 1t was long journey. but
the sleighing was Ike glass, and | had
one OF the best horses that ever lived.
If he hadn't been | wouldn't be here
to-day to tell what occurred TO me on
that trip.
The second day of my journey the
weather was as cold rs twenty below
zero could make il. and was grad
ually getting colder. / knew would
reach one of those queer little villages
common TO the Maine backwOods early
that evening. There | intended TO
stay all night and drive on next morn
ing to the house of the agent OF the
lumber property. twelve miles further
along. / reached the village and
found that there was no tavern there.
Accommodation were offered me
as a private house. but j was informed
that ] could not obtain n drop OF water
for my horse in the entire settlement.
There had been no rain since winter
set IN, and there wasn't n well or a
spring anywhere in the region in which
there was drop of water. The near
est water was in the Piscataquis river.
nearly three miles distant, to which
what stock there was in the village
was driven every day to drink and
enough water was carried back in
buckets TO keep the personal wants Of
the villagers supplied My horse was
badly in need OF water. and l couldn't
think of letting him go ali night with
out drink. So ate my supper at the
village house. and. finding that | must
drive on TO the river if my horse was
to have his much-needed drink that
night, i made up my mind that | might
as well keep right on to the agents as
to drive back TO the village after water
Ing my horse.
1T was starlight night. but the air
was filled with that peculiar frozen
mist frequently noticeable in high.
frosty localities As We neared the
river this haze became more dense, IN
til finally it was with difficulty that 1
could see any thing ahead of me. 1t
was almost like passing through a
storm of scaly ice. Suddenly was
thinking that we must be almost on
the margin of the river-there came a
cracking sound. a loud splash of
water, and the next second my horse
was ioundering about in water. which
also covered the sleigh and the robes
and myself up to my waist In that
thick bank of icy mist the horse had
plunged into the river below where I
had been told to cross. and had broken
drought the thin ice that had formed
since the ice had been cut away that
evening to give the cattle from
the village place to drink The water
splashed about by the horse soon
drenched the rest OF me. and in less
time than / can tell il | was coated
with a rapidly thickening armcr of ice
! guess my nUble beast must have
foundered at least n minute in that
hole before he knew exactly what had
happened. When the situation did
come 10 him he became quiet. threw