Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-04-30


there we was amongst the mountings,
wadin' rivers, haulin' the carts up hills an
down through rocky gulches, with our shoes
an boots wore ofen our feet, er out up to
make boxen fer the axles, long string of
haggard, corpse-like men an wimmen an
children stumblin' an ightin' forred to-
ards the bitter end
''Then at last it got so there wasn't source
ly strenth left to put up the tents at night,
an every mornin' from six to ten corpses
had to be buried; an some got stupid, an
some got savage an lost their minds. My
Catherine jest fit on'ard like tiger. She
never gin back. She 'peared to me like she
was all eyes an leaders; there was nothn'
of her much, an fer the last week Of it she
never slep ner ct that I seed. was one Of
the stoutest in the band-w'y, when I was
young I could take OK by the horns an
throw i'm !-but couldn't nigh keep up
with Ter. My Catherine was insane was the
reason! hadn't no heart in me after that,
and staggered like a drunk man from weak
ness, but fit forred with Ter. We had our
one little thing an the two children of our
dead friends in the cart, and she thought
they was all our'n, the two from the
little graves in Tennessee alive again,
an she KEEP 'em kvered up an fed an tuck
care of 'em, an at times she'd seem happy
jest like child an stop an play pickin'
flowers along the way, an laugh, an talk of
the thousans an thousans Of miles we'd
come an of the thousans an thousans of
miles we'd hev to go yit afore we got to
Heaven, an I'd jest lay my head down on
the cart an cry, it broke my heart so.
"At last the storm came in earnest. It
begun to snow an blow turrible, but we
stumbled on'ard blind-like all day. We
seemed plum crazy to get out Of danger an
our misery, but was runnin' furder into 1t
every step. What we suffered could never
be put in language. ken mind one pore
| gal with awful look on her face ahangin'
an half draggin' all day at the cart next to
our'n. She now lives near Salt Lake q
pore helpless cripple, fer both her limbs
was froze that day an had to be cut OF.
A pore ole woman was clingin' at the same
| cart, but she let go to'ards night an fell
out Of sight. No body could 60 back fer Ter
wen dark come, an in the mornin' not fur
from us some tore clothes an hair was
| found, an human skull with the wet
| prints Of wolf-teeth all over it. That
mornin' we buried five froze folks in one
| grave, I mind, an then went draggin'
on'ard agin, but bout noon we could 60 no
furder, the snow was 30 deep, an we
stopped ready to lay down an die. But
| some Of the stoutest of US managed to get
the tents up, an fires started, an went
back in the snow am got the sick an the
froze, an some what was out Of their minds,
|
| rtble sight, My Catharine never said nary
word that day. Her eyes looked big an
| CLASSY, an she went weavin' from one side
| to tother, but she KEEP her eyes on the chill
dren an q tryin' to push. could see the
end was comm, but couldn't feel some.
how. seemed to be jest movin' in numb
kind Of awful nightmare. Sometimes !
didn't seem to know whar was; then agin
| things'd look clear, but wild an strange,
an seemed to be workin' with all my
might, but I'm feerd it didn't mount to
much.
"Well, that afternoon hep come. One of
| the elders that passed us was shore we'd
never get through an urged President
| Young to send US some pervisions. So
that day two Of party reached US an tole
US teams with supplies would be there the
| next day, an fer US to kill one oxen an save
ourselves. So we did, they q hepin' US, an
| that evenin' we had big fires and all the
meat we keered fer an used what was left
OF the provisions, an some on US got little
life agin. But many was past all mortal
hep, an that night my Catherine died, an
just afore she passed away my darter Trean
was bornp'
There he stopped and sat looking heavily
at the floor. A sweat broke out upon his
furrowed forehead, and for q few moments
he seemed supplied by the shocking retro
spect.
III hain't no words to show ye it furder
with" he said, hoarsely, without looking up.
"I've talked too much about it; it comes too
nigh to me! !" and he swallowed painfully a.
II the vision his memory brought suftocated
him. 81 kent say nothin' furder, only that
the child was saved an has always been sad.
like, an I've been a broken-down man ever
since" and he got up and went tremblingly
out with something like sob shaking his
form.
Elchard had said nothing as the story
progressed, and the alternate surges Of
anger and pity in his bosom had followed
each other with no sign upon tho surface
save . tightening and trembling OF the
fngers, clouds flying across the fAce, and
darkening and melting Of the eye
And when it ended no still remained
silent, but with tears clipping from under
the lashes Of his closed eyes. What could