Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-05-16
DESERT ROMANCEs.
, xvanderer OH the Moflave Sur.
IA. Two Railroad Men.

waud.rer Oh the Mohave Sur
A,ns.f' rises Two Railroad Men.
ond;ng from the San Bernardino
Ian on the west to the Colorado
n Il!au On the east and from the south
llNet - Invo County on the north to the
ille ~ line of San Diego County on the
n 'utb is that vast expanse of "melan-
so QUIZ waste" known as the Mojave
cho,S Many are the tales of pri-
p ".;on and suffering endured on this
'aAs1n,eless expanse. One of the
]strangest and yet true occurrences has
Seeu experienced near his place, which
!, IN the middle Of the desert. Last
y T,asday evening, as engine 81, En-
l"oer Spencer, was returning from
a,.;c he encountered the following ex-
.r;aoce. which is told in his own words:
u had lust rounded the curve neal
,,;1e.nost 672 and had taken my watch
sr r1m my pocket. Noting the time,
Ec'os o'clock, | returned it to its place
md naturally glanced ahead of my en-
zine. What was my intense surprise to
eaa not over thirty yards ahead Of me
opd approaching the track from the
south. a man apparently six feet tall,
abort thirty-fye years of age, with
LONG. black hair hanging down his
sho1lders and a heavy black beard. He
was entirely naked and his skin was
canned. Putting IN the driver brake I
hronrht the engine to a stop Just as the
man crossed the track. After crossing
he stopped and looked at us.
II Immediately crossed owe to the
6reman's side. and as l started to climb
down to the ground he started off. 1
called to him as 1 reached the ground,
Init, with a frightened look, he dashed
away. Thought l YVES good runner.
but,the way his bare feet got over the
cipders and gravel led me to believe
otherwise. Once or twice he looked
back, but did not slacken his pace.
Reaching the hills, which are about
half a mile from the track, he soon dis
appeared. The fireman, who had re-
NAMED with the engine, now came up,
and we went around the hill, but he
had disappeared from view. l con-
fess | did not care to follow him around
there alone. AS it was late, and our
engine was standing on the main track
niNlI. We ttAtl SSdICIl Ill
returned to the engine"
On Wednesday a party of ten or
twelve, under the guidance of Mr..
Spencer, went to the sceneo of the chase.
We had no difficulty in finding the
tracks to where the man was last seen,
AMI a mile or more farther into the
hills could be seen the bare footprints
in the sand. Every cavern and canyon
was explored and the search kept up
until all the parties, tired out, gradu-
ally staggered back to town.
Conductor Fitzgerald. on the morn
Ing passenger train, reported seeing a
Spencer had seen him, but no trace of
HIM could he found.
On Thursday morning Deputy Sheriff
Medlin, with an experienced desert
man, came down and spent the entire
day securing the hills, but no trace of
him could be found.
Various theories are afoat, some
logical and others hardly probably, vet
possible. The one having the best hold
lis that he is some prospector who has
become deranged, and that he was cross
Ing from the mountains on the south,
heading for this place, when his reason
fled. Another is that a week or ten
days ago a man answering to this mans
description was seer in Death Valley.
which is about twenty-five miles north
of here. He had neither blankets, food,
nor water, and seemed to be wandering
both mentally and bodily.
The most sensational theory is founded
on the following fact: A year or two
ago a mar got off Of Condo Wild's
train, near Siberia, and was never seen
Or heard of afterward. A large party,
with Indian t~railers, hunted for days for
INN and We're obliged to give up i'll
Despair. Can this be the man? Pos
s;bly.
During our, search we found rabbits,
quall, coyotes innumerable, small
ground animals and %terrapin. All these
can not exist without water, and their
presence shows conclusively that there
must be water attaipable. Why should
not a man devoid Of reason still have
enough Of the brute instinct to find
means OF sustenance as we'll as the
lower animals? The principle Of the
survival of the fttest would lead the
man to stand guard over the water sup
ply, ard when the smaller animals,
ctlEen by thirst, We're compelled to
COM within the dead line" his food
would be assured.
All IS, however. mere conjecture, and
whether any one OF the above theories
IS correct or not, the fact of the poor
laoftaps existence remains an awful
ana living reminder of the dangers at
lending the traveller over this dreary ex-
nanse. Could the drifting sands tell
.ne1s story, what startling things would
De brought before us! But, silent and
MSsterlous, naught is known except
mere some poor mortal's whitened
zones are found, which silently tell the
I~iul tale of suffering and death
r1g0aa (Cal.) Cor. San Francisco
Chronicle.
julius Disposes OF a. Preacher.
tell yo', dar's a heap O difference