Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-07-28
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON: FRIDAY EVENING" JULY 28 1893

Topped out uninjured. The next on
the docket was Miller. Between the
fire and the spring there was q cotton
wood tree that leaned toward the path.
This he was desirous of stunning, of
course he kept his eye on it, the result
was he ran against it and was knocked
down.
He repeated the trial three times
before he succeeded in getting past it,
When we were eating supper, my
brother dropped his knife and in the
act Gas we snppose) OF picking it up, he
gathered up handful OF leaves, and
examining them into his mouth,
chewed and swallowed them. asked
him what he was doing. He gave me
a correct answer, and while | was
talking with him he seemed to be per.
fectly rational, but as soon as quit
talking he repeated the same act. My
wife now became alarmed, and sus-
pecting the cause, threw the mush-
rooms away. In short time, he be-
gan to have spasms. 1t was evident
that something had to be done, and
that Immediately. ran to the wagon
as fast as I could for some tartar
emetic. BY the time got to the top
of the bluff, everything was red. The
air was full OF wheels. l had strange
feeling accompanied by ringing in
my ears. was sensible that all de-
pended on keeping calm and keeping
my mind on what was going for, and
where it was. l happened to take the
right course to the wagon, though
when got in reach of it could not
see it, because like everything else it
looked red. l felt my way in, got the
vial and felt my way to the trail. AS
it was old and we'll beaten l had no
trouble in following it. After starting
down the bluff, the feeling changed
and seemed to he in the top of my
head. / got so could see and felt as
light as a feather. At the foot of the
bluff | broke out in profuse perspira-
ton, then the ringing in my ears left
me and l was all right. l gave my
brother dose OF the emetic, but could
not remember how to give it for mush-
room poison, so gave it all at one
dose, instead of giving small doses
till it operated. set by him and
watched till morning. At midnight
the pulse began to be full and soft,
and The spasms grew lighter. In the
morning he threw up the mushrooms
and came out all right except that
same dizzy feeling, and when he went
to the spring to wash he had to try
his dexterity at butting that same
cottonwood tree. But unlike the rest,
when he recovered he placed his back
to the tree and fixing his eye on the
spring went to it, without noticing the
tree again, or showing any desire to
renew the unequal combat.
At Willow Greek it rained so hard
that we laid over one day. In the
evening it turned to snow and showed
through the night. But soon after
we started in the morning the sun
came out and by ten o'clock the snow
vanished leaving the ground dry and
dusty. We overlook Mr.. Sprouts at
the Deschutes, and sold our teams to
him, reserving the right to buy one
yoke in the spring for the same price
that we had sold them to him for.
Here l resigned to other hands, the
whip had carried more than two
thousand miles, Mr.. Sprouts having
agreed to haul our wagon in with his
own team. Here we attended funeral
the first that we had witne ssed on the
plains, though We had seen many new
graves, and in one place thirteen that
had died at one time out of one train.
We and our company we're blessed
with health and good appetite all
the way through. But to consign one
to her last resting place, that had
braved the dangers OF the plains, en-
dured its hardships, and reached the
borders of civilization, alone, by the
dim rays of the moon, with no mourn
ers but the parents and none but ones
sell to perform the last sad rites, was
a task so truly melancholy that no
one, not even the most callous and in
different, could restrain the yelling
stream. Though they were entire
strangers, left that lonely grave with
the same feelings of regret that
would il had lost a friend. We
stayed with them that night, but lef.
them alone in the morning, to mourn
the loss Of their only child. What be-
came of them is more than have ever
learned. From there to the Dalles
nothing occurred that is worthy of
note. We left the Dalles about noon
aboard the Sea Serpent, loaded with
emigrant wagons and few passengers.
We had fair wind, down stream. for
two or three hours, but it died away
and finally became calm and as they
were afraid to run in the night we
landed and tied up. In the morning
we found that the wind had changed
and was blowing heavily up stream.
AS we were in an exposed situation
among rocks, We hoisted sail and ran
for sheltered cove on the north bank.
We succeeded in finding one, two or
three miles below, where we started
the day before. We ran in, made fast
and let the wind roar and howl as it
only knows how to In passing through
the gap made in the moutains for the
channel of the Columbia river. Here
we lay till about an hour before sun.
down. Then the wind, dying away,
we got aboard and cast off. For a
mile or two it was 30 calm that
thought We were making very slow
prOgress. vet the captain so;d that ,,o