The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-16
SIERRA WINTER PER|LS,
How a Miner Got Out Of the Noun
tains After the Snow Had
Set In.
Adventure of Thomas Agnew,
Who Lived at the San Joa-
gums Headwatera

Returning Hame lie Found = Mountain
Lion in Possession OF His Domicile
showed In.
Tn the heart Of the Sierra Nevada. along
the upper edge of the great fiji timber oslt,
hundred miles from even the smallest Oh
foothill towns, are rHnny little valleys OF
meadows, where the grass 10 always Rrsen
when the ground is not covered by SNOW
and when the sheep do not pass through
them Oh their way into and out OF mo
nonntains. These meadows are accessible
only by rough mountain trails, not always
plain, and difficult for any bus noun
taineers to follow. Most of them arc held
unasr s%ouatter titls by miners, pFospectors'
and Others whoss calling takes them INTO
the vast Sierra wilderness OF fock anu
70 est. and the grass that grows upon tue
meadows la invaluable to the occupants, Tor
without it they would not be abba to kesp
their mack and saddle animals through tho
snmmer. when the feed On the mountain
sides is dried up or has been destroyed ny
vagraut sheep.
The miner who has q claim on q ledge
almost on the backbone Of the slefras
builds his cabin in a meadow several miles
msybe from bis mine. ana fights the sheep
men for the precious feed. he has no tltie
hut that of POSSESSION, but ne 10 usually 9
tenacious sort OF person, and Wlll holu
whatever he thinks 10 justly his 50 long as
his Winchester will hold q cartridge.
ysry sslf-reliant chals are these lonely
old mountaineers. They live and work
alone nil Hammer, and they don't think Of
Going out Of the mountains until the snow
gets 80 deep that they have to run an up
raise through it to get ont Of their CABINS.
The Sierra winter is peculiar, but somewhat
uniform in its peculiarly and generally
pxedictabls in its phases, except when II
takcs a freak once in five or six years and
brcaks all rules, and then il is a bad thing
IL fool with. Generally there is a heavy
fall of snow early in the season, but that
doesn't staft the mountain men out. They
know that the snow will melt away rapidly,
and clear weather will prevail until about
Christmaa or y little later. But when 1t
h,pina moving after Christmas, no matter
Row trivial the storm may be, the noun
tanner packs up his stuff, makes all snug
ahout the cabin, saddles his horse and
Gathers up his pack animals, and lights out
over the trail as fast as he can travel.
Sometimes the first snow storm Is 9 big one
and lasts a long time, and then ths noun
taineer gets fooled ana mas = marc tinhe on
the trail.
AWAY up on the very headwatars of the
San JOAQUIN, where the shadow OF tie
minarsts makes carly twilight, llyes
Thomas Agnsw, miner. His cabin stands
in : meadow who're the grass y green ana
-arn aud -rclG all the timN. HE
liyes there alone, and works at his claims
on the Great Mother lode Of silver, and the
mountains hold no terrors for him. The
sheepmen don't bother him. He used to b'
the sheriff OF = mountain county, is knoW1
to be a yery determined man, aud can shoe
like Daniel Boone.
Last year the early SHOWS wsrs heavy, bu
Aunew was satisfied that the winter hae
not really begun, that it was only the falls
winter, and when he went out to Mammoth
to attend to some mining business he 10.
everything lying around loose and fsstenos
his cabin door with nothing stronger thar
shakes. At Mammoth he met q pan who
vaa going into Dead Mans pass to look a
some claims. and he told tbs man to stol
1t his cabin and make himself conaforta-
BILE.
Two wesks later Aguew returned. Th'
roof of his cabin was visible above th'
snov, but no smoke was coming out of thu
chimney. AS be approached this incline
leading down through the snow to thu
door, he saw that q beaten trail, made b,
some animal, ran to the cabin, and he az
preached with caution, having only a six.
shooter in his belt. The door of the cabil
was broken in, and it was evident that
mountain lion had been making a den o
the plaza and might be Mt home.
Agnew slid around on bis snowshoes tt
the other end of the cabin and pounded
upon the roof. The noise that he made wa
-, -. rows "1 n-1 ArrpN~ rert,t a
harder, and took a stone f ON the top o
the chimney and dropped it rattling dow
into the fireplace. There was 4 rush and
growl, and a mountain lion of unuaua
size. with dark brown name and long hal
OF the TANKS, shot out of the door an
ran swiftly across the snow toward til
mountain side. AQnew fired aud hit til
beast, but the shot only made him RIM VII
faster, and ~ it was too late TO follow hi
that day, Agnew vent dow into the eabl
to see what the lion had been doing.
It was yery'daTk in the cabin, and As
that was lying on the floor mot and nt
tionless. He CROPPED for the candle DO:
struck = match, lighted q candle, en
looked around. Even tbs nervy ex-sheri
shuddered and grew sick at what he saw
IT was a manglad MASS OF flesh, bone
clothing only could he identify the ms
whom he had told to occupy the cabi
Whether the man had gone into the cab
at night, when he could not see the tract
of the lion. or had been surprised the
while asleep, it was impossible to jud,
certainly, but probably the man had walk
unsuspectingly into the den aad had be-
attacked by the cornered brute. for tt
mountain lion is a coward and seldom,
ever, hunts man OF deliberately seeks co
6ict with him.
Moreover, it was evident that the amin
had been occupying tho cabin for son
time, as the Impress of his form WAS de
In the bunk, which was just long enough
accommodate him, and everything in t
cabin had been torn and scattered abol
The lion had pushed tho cover from Il ha
barrel of beef and eaten all but the botto
layer of meat. He had left the salt me
alone after the man from Mammoth c
tered tha cabin.
The next day and the next and the thi
day Tom Agnew followed the trail of t
murderous beast through the nouutalr
and then the big snow storm began, and
had to get back to the cabin and make hu
ried preparations for leaving Dead Mar
pass. He went down to u lower meade
where there had been but little snow, al
caught his two horses and lad them to /
stable near the cabin, intending to sti
ont in the morning. The storm ~increas
49, L.. x,-L4 --l To-. :,