The morning call., 1891-12-12
A CORPSE sALTED DOWN.
How NIountaineer Temporarily Pre-
served the Body of His Wife.

How Mountaineer Temporarily Pre-
served the Body of His Wife.
In that wild and rough country beyond
the Cheat River in West Virginia, where
forest. mountain, valley and dale mingle in
such confusion as to make one marvel al
the creation. there are singular goings-on.
Even huts are far apart and living rude be-
yond anything that we had ever before
seen. We finally fixed ourselves at the
home of Isaac Kyle, in the foothills of
Shafer Mount ain, on the border between
Randolph and Poeahontas counties.
While we were there we had plenty OF
sport. at night we sat about the fire telling
OF the experiences of the day. and hearing
strange tales of existence III these woods
from our host, his wife, and Wilbert
feeders, who was our guide and, like them,
had lived there all his years, joined in the
chatf and chat.
On the mountain side, away above the
lands over which we were hunting, lived a
strange and brutal people, known as snake
hunters and "sang-diggers." They live by
digging ginseng, blood-r0Ot and other me-
dicinal herbs, and working q day now and
then at some odd job.
One night, after the hunt, we were listen
ing TO Mr.. Kyle tell stories of these people
that would almost make the blood run cold.
But the one about Herman 0rtman saiting
the body of his wife down capped the eli
max.
"OnIy few days ago." said he, 81 had
the strangest experience | ever had in these
ar woods. Up on the mountain yander
there lived 'sang-digger' by the name of
Herman Ortman. He didn't come down
this way often, but his wife took sick, and
then he'd come oftener, and we'd always
ask him how she was.
"'G;ttin' along said he. But one day he
came down ana asked him how the old
woman was
60 She's Dead said he and | came down
to get some of you to go up and help bury
her.
"'When did she die o. L asked.
Two weeks ago. said he.
"'You don't say" said /. Great guns !,
she must be spilled by this time
Not by burned sight said he. 4
sailed her down, so she'd keep
The next day me and the old woman
went up the mountain to see what could be
done. True enough, Herman had told the
truth. There was the body OF his wife,
with bushel of salt or more 81 rinkled over
it. 1t was q terrible sight, but we helped
to bury her, as best we could, along the side
of the mountain, where she had seen such
mighty hard times. Most of these sang
diggers are pretty hard people; but this
is abOat the toughest case / ever hearn
tell of in this region, and reckon
anywhere. When l came off the mountain
ana told the story to the neighbors there
was a bitter feeln' ag'in Ortman, who
/ didn't stand well nohow. He didn't stay
long arter this when he made himself scarce
| in the neighborhood. l don't know as
whether or no some one would have taken
his napier. but he thought he had better
skin out, and | luther reckon he done about
right"
Mrs. Kyle corroborated her husbands
story. and frequently interrupted his nara
tive with some phases of the strange and
brutal proceeding which her husband had
left out.
IL reckon he thought he was sailing
down hog meat" said she very Indignantly,
.'but what more can you expect of such a
brute?'
Incredible as this story may seem. Mr..
Kyle stands ready to substantiate every
word of 1t, rs does Eli LoutZ, who lives far
Their up the mountain, and with whom we
afterward stayed. - Correspondence Gin
einnati Enquirer.