The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-19

mountains where the snow falls almost
every day in the year.
The upper crossing Of the Platte was
reached on Oct 90. and winter seemed to
break over them in its fury. Snow and
hail beat upon them and freezing north
wind chilled them through. In the face
OF this these poor people were compelled TO
wade the ice-cold river. One man named
| Aaron jackson dropped exhausted. Two
| of his fellow travellers put him on their
handcart and hauled him into camp. but
he W as dead from starvation and exposure
before morning. The emigrants started
! out IN the morning In q heavy snow-storm
and from that time. IN addition TO their
| other other troubles, had to face continuous
| snow.
DROPPING DEAD FROM HUNGER.
Four hundred miles of mountains had ret
to be crossed before their Zion should be
reached, and the full force of winter was
now upon them. At first deaths were in
frequent and noticeable, but they increased
with each day until the people became
stolid and indifferent. Men and women,
while sitting and eating their scanty fare,
would fall and die in an instant without
warning. the life-current frozen in their
veins. With piece of bread In their
hands. in the act of conveying 1t TO their
moaths. men could be seen, apparently
strong and well, but cold in death. Such
scenes and others even more pathetic were
of daily occurrence. One day John Wat
son was dividing his scanty allowance
among his starving children, when an old
English soldier named Blair, In the last
stage of starvation, approached him and
begged for "a bite of food. Watkins locke ed
at his children and then at his friend. He
could not let his children starvs and re-
fused him. Blair returned disconsOlstely
away and died IN q few hours. Another
man named Stone wandered demented
from the main body and in a few moments
IN MI hu w
lowed closely in the track of the starving
emIgrants.
To add to their other trials. dysentery
attacked the party and spread with terri
Die rapidity. There were no remedies In
camp; and the men and women were re-
duced TO absolute helplessness. They could
not assist each other or take care of them.
became indescri babIy filthy. Their rations
had been reduced in the meantime first to
half pound, then to a quarter of n pound
OF flour TO each adult. and the snow
on their road bad increased to
foot and eighteen inches in depth. Deaths
were becoming more and more numerous.
and now camp was struck with
out leaving behind the bodies of sew
eral victims. At one camp sixteen Door
wretches were found dead one morning.
The burial OF the dead had become the duty
of certain members of the company assigned
to the work, and these. worn out with want
and privatioD, barely covered the bodies
IN,
in their wake soon undid the work which
had caused them such toll to accomplish.
AT night campfires were made fOr cooki ng
purposes On the ground warmed by these
from the heat absorbed. and in the morn
Ing these thawed spots were found the most
avail bic for digging the graves of those
who had expired In the night.
END OF THE TERRIBLE TRAMP.
Many of the handoarts had been worn
out. broken down and abandoned. The
clothing of the emiGrants was reduced to
rags. and their shoes were gone. and men.
women and children hobbled over the
frozen roads barefooted. some with their
feet wrapped mp in such rags as they could
find, others with theirs incased in raw
hide. the skin of some slaughtered beast.
Frozen streams were fOrded, the ice break.
ing ana the sharp pieces cutting the feet
and legs of the poor people. who were still
compelled to push forward, with only ap-
parent death before them.
mental numbness seemed to take pos
session of the survivors, and they evinced
callous indifference to their fate. The
ties of friendship or blood seemed forgot
ten. and all dunbly awaited their own end.
nor cared how soon it came for others.
Their movements became merely mechanic
al, and they pulled their carts for ard from
force of habit. with no hope for the
future.
AT DEVILS Gate, on the Sweetwater. W hich
was reached the first week in Novembe it
was seriously discussed whether the at
tempt to go further should not be
abandoned. Nearly a fourth of those
who had started had left their bones
on the plains, end of the remainder three
fourths were disabled; feet and fingers had
been frozen, sickness and starvation had
done their work, and the few who were
still able to endure found their burdens in
creaslng and their hope gone.
Word, however, In the meantime had
reached Salt Lake. and relief parties were
on the way. The emigrants pushed on,
most of their carts abandoned. q strsg.
CLING, disheartened, weary mass. But help
was near. At first u few wagons with pro-
visions arrived. and the tamished SAINTS
devOured all that came as only starving
people could. 1t was but q drop In the
bucket. Their sufferings were not over,
vived. Each day now brought fresh
assistance. until at last enough
teams with provisions. clothing and bed
ding had reached them to assure compare
tive comfort. The last of the hand carts
were abandoned. and the survivors of this
fearful journey were carried to Salt Lake.
where they arrived on Nov. so. Their ap-
pearance told of the intense suffering they
had endured. Some We're gaunt, thin ana
hollow-eyed. mere specters of their former
selves; others bloated and swollen. ALI
were sick and most of them disabled.
So ended ono of the most fearful expert
ments in emigration, and one claimed to
have been revealed from heaven. To this
day victims of this fatal march to Zion
may be seen In Salt Lake, hobbling about
on stumps of feet and legs or suffering from
other ply sical disa biliuy from the effects
of that journey. while the distance from
North Platte to Devils Gate was vast