The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-06
nIs MoRsr %ExPERIENoE.
Remarkable Physical Endurance Of
scout who HAD Lost his Companions


REMARKABLE Physical Endurance OF .
Scout who Had Lost Ills Companions
YUMA, ARR, August 5.-Thsre was
brought to this city a few days q man
who comes as near being q physical
wreck as a man can become without
dying. vet this same man, three months
ago. was thought to be the most perfect
specimen of physical manhood in the
whole territory.
James Gordon, prospector, gul1e n
scout, has been known in this part Of
the country for years, and his wonder
full endurance has carried him through
many tight places, and Is nowthe cause
of his being alive. He has undoubtedly
passed through the worst experience
ever allotted to man and lives to tell the
tale. He left this city three months
ago to guide a party OF gold seekers,
and took them into . desert IN the Gila
River country. At that time he was
strong and weighed over two, hundred
pounds. being six feet two inches tall in
his stocking feet and built like a giant;
By some mischance he got separated
from his companions and the guide be
came Lost. The party with whom he
was travelling returned to the city two
weeks after he left them, loud In their
condemnation of him and under the
impression that he had purposelV de-
serted them and left them to starye IN
the desert. AS he had not returned the
suspicion at one fixed itself ! the
minds of his frlendsth that something was
wrong, for he would never have left q
party in such a condition.
Search was at once instituted BY his
friends and continued for q whole
month with no success whatever, no
trace Of the man being found anywhere
in the desert. 1t wa finally given up.
and the people believed that he had
been murdered by some wandering
band Of renegade Apaches and his
| bones hidden in some out OF the way
chasm.
On July 5 a wagon came into town
and stopped at the door OF the hotel.
There was lifted from it the form OF a
man which was 80 emaciated that It
was supposed TO be some dying invalid
who had come to this country, as so
many do, to find life again in the in.
Migrating air. When he was carried
into the h6tet he told the clerk who he
was, The clerk was utterly astounded,
for he was one Of Gordon's best friends
and had been one Of the search party.
At first he could not believe that the
truth was being told, but the strange
tale told to him soon convinced hlmthat
it was really the long lost scout
Gordon says that after he got lost he
wandered around the desert until he
saw he could find no way out, and then
he bent all his energies tokeeping HIM
selt alive, as he was confident that ne
would pull through some way. He
knew that If he travelled far enough
south he would come to civilization,
and with this end in view he went on
and on as we'll as he could, living on
anything that he could find that would
sustain life.
At one time he was without water for
three days and almost went wild from
the terrible thirst. He worked his way
along and it was a month before be
struck a trail where he knew wagons
would pass along. Here he lay down
and waited on the verge Of death for
assistance, which came in the shape OF
a Mexican with a cart, and he was
driven to a house where he got a wagon
to carry him to Yuma. He now weighs
only ITO pounds; but the doctors say he
will recover and be as strong as ever
again if he takes care OF himself.