Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-12-13

would put Il, We had been compelled
up to this time 10 subsist upon roots
aud herbs and such game as Ira MIN
rod could shoot Gas nothing is cOnsid-
cred game unless IL 10 shot, and ne we
had TO have some meat the more MIN
ble footed of the party-Brewer aud
L. NJ. Perkins-caught all the game
we had aud held Il while Ira shot ~.
About 2 O'Clock Of that day our com-
missary department came up and join
cd rs, and from that time on Brewer
rode on top OF the "grub box" The
whole train was then Get IN motion
and headed southwark. Six O'Clock
that evening brought us to one Felix
Neidever's, where we tarried for the
night.
About midnight, when we were all
quietly and peacefully and sweetly
slum bering - all except Hemstreet,
who laid awake there In the soft still:
ness of that Cherokee night connecting
his dark crime-that fiend Hemstrect,
vino lay near the door Of the ten,
caught by the leg pig that was
providing near aud flung the animal
in among and upon those innocent
cherubs slumbering as aforesaid and
yelled out "The Greek, tho Greek !!
they come, they comet Instantly
there sprang from the earth Gas In the
ancient story a myriad Of forms with
their armors on, and as that pig
those two pigs-saw the lowering
brows of that host as each reached for
the nearest weapon, they fed /; the one
we never saw again, the other came
back an hour later clad In white raj.
ment (half way down, the other half
being as nature clothed him) and with
teeth chattering and knees knocking
on Bonded knee aud with lowly head,
asked to be forgiven and to be receiv'
ed back into our bosom, and our
hearts softened and we forgave.
At $50 the next morning friday
we left Neidever's, taking Mr. Neide.
yer aud his team of mules with Us and
permitting Joseph Smith to return to
Baxter with one of the teams we had
started with. Mr.. Neidever was by
universal acclaim proclaimed guide,
be being thoroughly acquainted with
the country and it's wicked ways Of
deceiving, and we had no further
trouble as to getting lost.
A short drive brought rs to Claws
ford on Grand river q short distance
above the mouth OF Horse creek. The
river here is about $50 feet wide. Al
ter fording 1t we moved on briskly
until noon, when we camped for din
ner on Drowning creek, q small, cleaI
stream flowing into Grand river from
the south and said to derive it's name
from the circumstance of little negro
boys having been drowned in thu
stream several years ago. That night
found US at Washburn's Mill on Dry
Fork, about q mile from it's junction
with the Spavina and from 70 to 2:
miles from the mouth of Spavina.
About half q mile before reaching
Washburn's we stopped few minutes
10 examine a crude machine used bI
some Indians for making pine shin
giles. 1t was an interesting piece o
machinery and seemed to do its wort
very well.
The next morning at 7:l5 found
eight of our party Of ten of for Field
Diygings, situate down Spavina abou
six miles. About two miles on oul
road we stopped at Eucbalata's, an ole
full blood Cherokee who in the years
agone stood high in the councils OF TIT
Cherokee tribe. We reached the dig
gings duly and found that some fou'
or more shafts had been sunk within
a distance of half a mile, one of th'
shafts said TO be 100 feet deep. W.
also found q tunnel and sort OF quar-
nv about half way up the bluff on th
south bank Of the Spavina. The tun
mel contained some indications Of lesd
but the quarry, If I may 80 term II
gave much the best and strongest evi
dence of mineral. There 1t was stick
ing in the face of the rock, but II
what quantities it may exist there Il
of course a problem yet.
At IL a. m. the four Of rs who haC
started with the purpose Of returning
after reaching Spavina started upoI
our return home. We followed VI
Spavina for several miles, the higl
flint cliffs frowning dow II upon us, th'
tall trees silently gazing at us, the 90
casiOnal raindr0ps falling with thei
gentle patter upon the dry leaves, tn
horses pulling away faithfully at lhei
load aud letting the carriage drop 90
casionally with q "ker-chunk" into
hole that looked harmless enough nm
iii we had learned by the Earring o
our anatomy that fraud and deception
even in the shape of q mud hole, cal
put or a smiling and innocent face
lie sky dark, the hills and the VALLEY
and ali about us silent and forsaken
and 'The day was dark and dreary."
And thus we plodded steadily on
mile after mile. uD hill and down hill