The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-03-23
UNITED AT THE LAST.
PiTlFUL TALE OF AN EMlGRANT
FAMILY THAT PERISHED.
The Terrible Blizzard Of 1881 Had for
Some of Its Victims . Whole Family
Which AroEe to Death I'm Dead Mans
Cove-H eroic Efforts Of a Mother.

Cove-H eroic Efforts Of q Mother.
'That's Dead Mans cove right before
your eyes," said the old man as he point
ed to a recess of half an acre in extent
in the southern face of the Little Rocky
mountains. "That's Dead Mans cove,
and you kin see the iron work Of the
wagon lyin about when ye git closer.
When I first looked in here thar was
five human bodies lying dead in that
wagon. Me an my pard we dug big
grave and buried 'em all together back
agin that cliff, thar whar the rocks is.
We piled the rocks that way 80 the
wolves couldn't git at the dead"
"But there is no headboard - no
names," I protested as rode closer to
the spot pointed out
"Couldn't be no names, cause we
couldn't find any," he replied, "and them
rocks is gravestun as will last forever.
Well git off and sit down fur smoke,
and I'll gin ye the full particklers. I've
passed here hundred times in the last
three years. and 1t allus gives me the
heartache. Poor husband-poor wife
poor childrenl
"It was this way" he continued after
his pipe was alight. "Me and pard had
our shanty down the valley about a
mile. Plenty of emigrants in Their Xiv
cred wagons used to come by this trail
and turn south into Wyomin, or keep
west into Idaho. They'd come five or
six families at time, and they'd come
singly. Some Of 'em would take sich
chances Of Injuns, sickness, landslides,
starvashun and death as would make
your ha'r stand on end to think of. No
man kin begin to guess howma graves
thar be Of men, women and children be-
tween the Dakota line and the west
branch of the Missouri river. I've
counted hundred in days ride.
"Waal, one December mornin me and
pard woke up to feel that thar was a
blizzard maxim ready to bust on us. 1t
had been coolish but pleasant up to that
time. We could tell by the feel Of things
what was comm, and began to git ready
fur it. 1t was jest arter noon when a
woman walked into our shanty. She
was an emigrant. Right here in this
cove she had left her husband and four
children to try and find some help. He
had bin sick fur three weeks and was
little better than a dead man, and she
had bin drivin the team an takin keer OF
things gener'ly. She orter to hev turned
back long before, but some fool Of a
Doctor had told the man he'd get well il
they kept on:
'They had got separated from the
party they started with, and had made
the last hundred miles alone. They
war out O grub, hadn't match left tc
build fire, and the woman knowed 9
change fur the wuss was BLOWN up
She was a frail, leetle woman, and she
had gone through with nuff to down &
man, but she hadn't lost all her plucl
yit. As soon as she told us the story WI
got ready to go back with her an bring
in the outfit. We made q start, but WI
never got thar"
"The blizzard prevented, eh?"
"She did. She came swoopin down al
of sudden, like some great bird droppii
from the sky. A fine snow begun II
fall, the wind started right in to blow
livin gale, and / believe the thermom
eter went from 45 degs. above to 10 degs
below inside Of half an hour. We hadn'
any with us, but the change was suddel
an amazin. You couldn't face that gal
to save your life. It jest stopped us ant
turned us around before we had got fiji
teen rods from the house. As to tn
cold, it jest paralyzed you. We had t
go back, and arter takin big drink {
whisky all around and putin on NOR
clothes we tried it agin.
"Me and Sam was as tough as bar
them days and could hev laid down in
pond Of water and let 1t freeze up wit
us, but we couldn't buck agin that bliz
gard. When we made the second star
we got about half way up here, the littl
woman leadin the way all the time
Then we had to stop. You couldn't Sc
three foot from your nose, and all Of u
was freezin to death by inches"
"And you went back3"
"We did. The woman was deter
mined to push on, and we jest had I
pick her up and carry her back. It wa
only by the Lords hand pintin the wa
that we ever reached our cabin agiI
We had our ears, noses and fingers fri.
and an hour arter we got back wate
friz solid in our cabin within five fot
Of roarin fire. The woman prayed
God and appealed to rs, but we knowe
it was no use. That was the blizzard {
1881, and I've heard men say it was
degs. below zero IN this valley ths
night.
The woman got nipped wuss than v
did, but her mind was on the famil
back here. She was bound to come bae
alone, but we stood her off till abo,
dark. Then she made q bolt fur it an
got away"
"And went to her death2"
"Jest as sartin as If she had jumpt
of that cliff. The blizzard shet us
fur three days. When we got out '
found her within twenty rods Of Il
cabin. She had friz to death goin tn
fur. OF course we knowed how it wou
be mp here. The horses had been O
hitched and turned out. They lay ov
by that tree. The folks in the wage
had crowded together and kivered ,
with all the blankets, but all war st,
dead and as hard as rocks. They nev
saw that fust night come down.
me and pard overhauled the WACO
but we couldn't find anythin givin t
name OF the family, and SO, like hu
dreds Of others out in this kentry