The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-09-28
FATE or GOLD HUNTERS.

Driven insane by Thirst While seeking
Fortunes on the Colorado Desert.
Nisfortunes that have overtaken so
many wretched desert gold hunters
seems to have no effect on other seek
err, after fortune, says the Palm Springs
t.Il correspondent OF the New \ orll
.' Icgram Perhaps no fate has been
80 s,ad as that of the unknown pros
Dector who was carried into Yuma re-
Gently insane for the want of water
ana food The unhappy man put in
an appearance with his nurse at the
romantic village OF Durmil or the
Southern Pacific track. Durmil i in
the heart Of the desert. and q few miles
from >;aItpn. This and Volcano are the
sreariczt spots il the world. For many
miles IN the vicinity Of Volcano Springs
nothing crows The ground i treuch
crous. for under it, seemingly firm cx-
terror are boiling mud wells. There
j. shelter for neither beast nor bird.
Even the miserable sage brush gets no
hospitality from the lean soil. y pitt
less sun by day and hot wind by
night greet the travellers who cross the
desert in their hunt for gold deposits.
Here the prospector first brought him
self To notice by asking for shovel.
I've got dead burro out yonder, he
remarked. gazing to the west, and l
want t. bury it
The shovel was given him and away
he started. He came back some time
after and said he had buried the car
caSs some six feet under the ground. 1t
was considered strange at the time.
a. no one here ever thinks Of buryinr
an animal. The dry air desicatcs the
body as completely as if it had been
subjected to the heat Of an oven. lie
hung about the section house for 4 few
hours and then left for Durmii, where
he mentioned his loss There he stayed.
refusing all offers Of food. but picking
uD mis- subsistence from such food rs he
could find about the pllce-dry bits of
bread. which even Il coyote would have
,corned. he ate greciily. Then he
asked for shovel and announced his
intention To dig up his donkey. rs he
had found a sovereign remedy against
death. The shovel was rivCn him. and
though the beast had been Inferred
three or four days. the crazy man dis
inferred the remains. He came back
-iyIug that the donkey refused to get
uD and live. The section men sent
word that they had an insane man on
lheir hand and feared he would die
a. he refused food The conductor oI
. freight train was ordered u take him
into Yuma. and esSayed the task. The
wretched man would run like a deer
from his captors. offering violence to
anyone who came near him. Finally
one man more astute than the rest said:
Look here. the superintendent
wants To see you in Los Angeles and
pay You for the donkey YOU lost"
ii that i what You want m, for III
come" he answered. and if you prom
Use not II tie me up III bc quiet
He was taken into Yuma but all eff
fort- to discover his identity proved un-
availing. \ short time previously
another man came into Dur1nid raving
mad. His tongue was black. his eyes
rolled and ~littcred and he was in the
direst extremity. Water and food ju-
diciously administered saved his life.
Though his new found friends begged
him not to follow the destinations of
gold hunting he refused t. listen to
reason, Scorned the kindness Of section
men. upbraided them for being slaves
and working for wages. and continued
his hopeless quest of illusive gold
fields