The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-03-06
NEvADA,s MONUMENTAL LIAR

color is orange.
NEvADA's MONUMENTAL LIAR.
" O'd Dan was an eccentric charac
ter. No one knew his true name. d.
would not divug9 it to even his most in
innate friends. His signature to what
ever it CHANGED 10 hp, note, bond. d. ed
or letter, was invariably Old Dan Un
der that name hp served one year as
Mining Recorder of Red Cedar Mining
District, and there are today fl e J within
the archieves OF the Secretary of the In
terror at Washington City abstracts and
certificates bea ing the signature vi
Dam He was once candidate for jus
nee of the Peace. but n young and rislnR
lawyer defeated him on the ground that
Old Dan was not his true namp, and
therefore all his Judicial acts would b+
void. The place of his nativity wa
equally uncertain and obscure. and he
was tuuaIly as Telicent about it. He
might have come from the pine woods
of Maine or the hoop pole and pumpkin
country of Ind ma. He was cosm0pulI
tan in his manners and language, and in
the recital of his various adventures hi
spoke in that earnest and sincere man =
ner which forced upon the listener the
belief that, like Washington, he could
not tell lie.
~ first met him early in the seventies
in U ali, at a lonely spring widely sep
arated by miles If desert from any other
habiiatiOn, where he was engaged in
herding few head Of gentle cows. h.
Indignantly replied the appreciation OF
COW bob,' and 81 imed. like Gurth, to b.
only common 'cowheId, mot 10 Cedric
the Saxon, but to Mormon bishop. |
was IN the mountains prospecting, MY
gu fit consisting of two mules, one
packed with gruD, blankets and tools,
and the other rode. One hot afternoon
IN June appros ched he spring where
l found odd D ~ rel lining in the shade
Of his cabin. ] asked of HIM the priv
lege of watering my 'carivan from the
spring and resting a while in the shade
before crossing TO the opposite range
This was readily gr,nted, and when
presented him with long plug OF soft
smoking tobacco our friendship was
lcempntei, and Old Dan became very
communicative.
"In the course of our conversation ]
Ike d him if he had ever engaged H.
mining. Yes he replied, 'once, in
Cuutani. My ell and partner, Jne, went
INTO that camp " hen it was fret dr.
covered. We were very lucky, and /,
less than five weeks we dug out SAC
pounds of good, clean g. Id dust; but il
di us no good. We could have taken
out a great deal more, but winter was
approaching, and as there was no CRU
in the camp we had TO get out. So we
put our gold dust into good. strong
twenty pound sacks, and loading it Of
three cayuse hor-es, and having on.
each to ride, We struck out for Wallu'a
1.-THE second day out fearful SNOW
storm struck us The wind blew at thu
rate Of thousand miles a mir ute, anC
the snow q ,kes we're as big az bed
spread. SuUn Ill trace was obliterated.
and we real zpd that we were lost anu
wandered aInIlessly in the binding
storm. Jre's feet and limbs began to
| free ze, the horses on which we had the
heaviest load of gold dust stepped be-
tween two fallen lpgs and broke leg,
and we made camp, shot the horse IL
relieve him Of his suffering, and alIemp.
ed build fire But il was no u-r.
1t was impossible to start fire in iha
whirling, twistIng. driving snow, for
nothing would Turn All that after
noon and night we huddled around tn,
dead horse IN the vain rndpavOr to kerl
warm with the scanty blankets We han
The next morning the storm brok,
away to some extent, bur Joe's iert and
legs were frozen as stuff and solid az
icIcles. l would nave gwen half If our
k.y haa,, ~, 81. n
~. However, Hs there was no use Ia
lament, we had o make the best of u
and try and get out il we could. got
the horses together aud packed them
the beat could. tied poor fr, Zen Jo,
on to his saddle horse by means OF strip
or bands torn from our bl inkets. o.,
hundred pounds uf gold dust we had u
leave. as our hOTs es could not pack
drought the deep snow. All day long
we struggled and toiled IN the hliudint
storm and drifting snow. As night ap
~ cached the storm became more furiOu.
and violent than ever. | was in aovanc,
OF the tram; joe was bring up the rear
| 4" i called halt in order TO consul
Joe what was b,st TO do, ard what d,
you think l discovered Why, Jue WA,
dead AS dead C Id and stiff ~ n CROW
bar. A mass of sol r., zen flesh anG
Dones, fTi zen 30 hard and sIIf that h,
It'll maintained he upright position
10 which | had placed and tied hin
in thu morning. | lest no time in Gu
ting Joe loose from his saddle, and lac
nIs ICY form bv the roots Of tree. Th,
snow by this time wa cunning dow !
thicker and faster than ever. Our hurse
punched themselves all up together, an,
IN less thsn an hour were completed,
hurled in the snow, and / would haV,
shared the same fate had / not tramppt
the snow down ana kept on top All nigh
long l Kept up this CONSTANT tramp
tramp. tell you it was worse thai
tramping through Georgia. The mex
morning It cl AIRED up, bu, the snow wa
forty ieet deep. realized that it wouli
be impossible 10 get my horses out .
that sea OF snow, and wauld be ia biI
uck II got myteif out. So dug dow
/ where the hoTses were buried AM
succee led in cutting open one Of th
sacks Of gold dusl aud took out a few
nandfuls and put II In my shot pouch
also got small piece Of bacon an,
ONE crackers. With these started t
find my way out. After two weeks u
Incessant toll and struggles reached
settlement more dead than alive. Tn
people we're good to met and soon re
covered strength sufficient to travel, AN
l made my way down % the seacOasl
where took a sailing vessel for Frisco
and from there came to Utah, wi ere y o
now see me-.
"'Oid Dan,' having retilled his pip
: began " puff away. IL answer ~
que,tion ot mine hr replied
"'NO; never went Oack "a fad ~,
gold dust, or to rec wheihrr pour
lad thsWed out NJ not. suppuse {
III there set, and some one Will foo
. -. - 49,. 49, 49, ....aI -.