The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-28
General Carlin Talks About the
Lost Party.
HE SCORES THE GUIDES.
A FULL STATEMENT MADE OF THE
CASE.
The Generals Reasons for Thinking
the Guides Played into Each
others Hands to Earn Money
The Ride in Rats Down the River.

General w. p. Cdrlln, idlely COIL
handing the department of the
Columbia, passed through Denver yes
terday en- route to the east, says the
Denver Republican. A month ago he
was retired from active service in the
army, having reached the age at which
officers are relieved of command and
put on half pay the rest of their lives.
General Carlin is, therefore, an elderly
man, soldierly-looking, with gray hair
and mustache and a hint of approach
ing age in his movements But the
firmness of command still fingers in
his voice and eye.
He went down into California for a
little trip after leaving Vancouver bar
racks at Spokane, and, while in the
sunny land, caught severe cold, which
has left him barely able to travel. The
general is going east to spend few
months in ST. Louis, New York and
Washington, and will return to Spo-
kane in the spring, where property in
terests demand his presence.
The chief interest at present attach
ing to General Carlin's name is that
aroused by the recollection of his SON S
recent narrow escape from the noun
tain SHOWS and the sensational charges
| of cruelty made against him and his
party because they left cook named
Colgate in the camp to die. when they
got safely out. These charges and the
consequent excitement over them have
echoed across the continent and have
caused diverse and Outlines cauStic
criticism of the conduct of both Cen
eral Carlin and his son. 1t has been
said suggestiyely that the whole capa-
bility of the United States army was
devoted to finding General Carlin's son
and bringing him out of the snowy
Businesses, but that no particular eff
fort was made to save the life of a
sick man in the employ of the hunt
| ing party. The press of Washington
and Oregon and California have been
filed with various versions Of the story
and 1t has been reported that the peo-
pie in certain localities where the de-
serted man was known have adopted
resolutions strongly condemning the
acts by which the cook. Colgate. was
left to die in a Snow-bound camp in
the Bitter Root mountains.
| Perhaps no event of like Importance
in itself has attracted such widespread
attention as the announcement of
young Carlin's predicament. showed
up and starving with his hunting
party, the discussions among guides
over his possible escape, the sending
| OF relief expeditions and the final res
cue of the party by Lieutenant Elliott
land his soldiers. Garlin and his friends
went on the hunting trip about the
middle of September and were rescued
on November b. after terrible expert
ences and after being practically given
up. 81
General -Carlin talked freely of these
things yesterday, and told fully the
story of his sons adventure.
A good many things have been
said,' the general began, (which are
not true. II has-been reported that
at Post Falls, the shome- of Colgate,
resolutions were adopted charging my
son and Himmelwright his compan-
ion, with cruelty in leaving their sick
cook to perish while they escaped. The
resolutions have never been authenti-
Gated. They were anonymous and
cowardly. No name was affixed to the
libelous document, and in no way has
it been shown to be a real expression
of opinion
I'm Spokane, Wn, and Missoula.
Mont, sensational stories of this same
kind have been $nvented They were
set afloat by Ben Kelley, a trapper
who was found in the mountains by
my sons party He was on bad terms
with his partner Jerry Johnson, and
was anxious to get out of their noun
tain camp. He wanted to leave and
go away with the. hunters. He had
not the honesty to say So but must
play game. He induced them to buy
his outfit at a big price and hire him
to go with them
when the party, Kelley among
them, was rescued by Lieutenant Ell
ho al IN
learned that reward had been of
tered for the rescue of the party.
Then he had the effrontery to tell my
son that he was entitled to part of the
reward. My son of course refused to
pay it to him, but offered him $3.50 as
a present. Kelley refused that, and
when my son had gone east to his wife
after paying the bills incurred by the
hunt, Kelley went to Post Falls and
represented to the people and friends
of Colgate that he had been abandoned
and left to die alone
'He went to Mfssoula and had him
self interviewed in the same strain.
His sole object was to blackmail me
and he is an ungrateful liar He has
told me he is suing me for a portion of
the reward. but 1 have not been
notified
THE reward was due to Lieutenant
Charles p Elliott, who did a heroic
thing in getting my son and his party
OUT alive, though the idea was that
the reward should encourage trappers
and guides to search for the party.
The lieutenant / sent on the relief ex-
petition myself.
Colgate was a sick man when he
started. My son wrote from New
York to engage him for the trip. When
ne came to Spokane he found that Col
gate was sick and objected to taking
him, offering to pay him for the time
he had been engaged if he would go to
his nome at Post Falls, Idaho. Colgate
insisted that he could go. My son
then told him to get written permits
sion from his physician DR.. Webb
who had been treating Colgate, gave the
permission, with the provision that
Colgate should take with him neces-
| sary instruments. used for his all
ment. bladder trouble
Upon this permission being given
my son consented to take Colgate.
But, with stupidity scarcely to be I'M
Iderstood, Colgate failed to take his in
struments, and trouble came of it.
The party, with Spencer as a guide
went down Clearwater river and al
kendrick, Idaho, left the railroad
There my son, knowing Colgate s
trouble urged him to go back. But the
cook refused again. in spite of all in
ducements. and so they went on in
the mountains. They started on hors IS
from Kendrick on September IS. On
the 18th they arrived at Warm Springs
on the north fork of the Clearwater
where they went into camp TO hunt
Immediately, almost, Colgate was taken
sick. He could not cook as he was
hired to do Instead of that the menl-
beers of the party had TO cook Tor nlm
and wait upon him. In the progress
of his disease Colgate's person became
lexceadilas ely nffa1asi1z. and he aca1