The Helena independent., 1894-11-22
AN AWFUL 70 HOURS.
NO FOOD, NO DRINK, A BROKEN LEG.
Shouting by Night to Keep OH Wild eoasts
and Crawling by Day to Prevent
Freezing,


Among the visitors 10 Helena thiA
week was james Stuart, who came
over from Granite county pnd stopped
here few days on his why 10 Winston.
MFR. Stuart has gone through what Is
perhaps one OF the most terrible eN-
perienceH that man could have and
still live to tell A. lie In Scotchmhn
by birth. and, though he has been ln
America FOR many years, he stlll re-
tains the broad hcccnt Of his country.
lie came into Montana with the advent
OF the Northern PRclhc, and has been
engaged In mining and In other occu-
patlons ever since IN this state. Up
10 the time Of the closing down OF the
! Bl-Motallic mine Inst year he was
the utorekccper for the company. Up
TO that time he was as sound In limb
and body and as rugged and hearty MS
any man In the state, He was stlll
rugged and hearty when here, but he
limps little. His limp Is the only
thing he has by which TO remember the
three days and three nlghts he spent
IN lonely gulch, with broken leg,
without food or water, and with no COM
| panion but dog and no other visible
signs OF life but wolves and mountain
sions-that In. all but the memory,
which Is freshened every time Mr., Stu
are feels tinge In the neighborhood
OF his right thigh,
on Nov. s. 1898, Mr., Stuart and Ed
Bascom started out from Bi-Mctallio
for days hunting, They had fair
success In the morning and, after
lunchlng together. started of In new
direction. Coming TO a ridge Of hill,
Bascom took one side and Stuart the
other. After travelling along for some
time. Stuart thought he would hunt up
his companion and began 10 retrace his
steps TO get around the hill. There was
no sign OF Bascom, and, as II was grow
ing late, Stuart decided TO make short
cut for Drummond by a path which
he knew quite well, II he could only
find IT, While searching for the path
he walked along "A narrow ridge. on
the one side was a steep hill and on the
other a sheer precipice. He was pick
ing his way carefully when a rock on
which he stepped gave way. As he
slipped toward the preclpice he threw
up his hands and his gun went sail
Ing down the hill. Another large boul-
der stood beside the one which had
proved such treacherous foothold.
This he grabbed as he slid over the
side OF the ledge. II, too, seemed to
have been lying in wait for victim,
| for u.aI .rtA sg..lr
reached the bottom, twenty feet below
about the same time. With them came
a mass OF rock and earth. most of which
fell on Stuart,
As soon as he could get himself to-
gether" Mr. Stuart took account of the
damages. All the skin was torn from
his forehead and he had too many
bruises to count. But II was when he
tried TO move that he found out the
worst; his right leg was broken away
up near the hip. Bascom's dog. which
had followed stuart along the ledge,
also followed him when he fell. Here
was a situation: He was alone but for
the dog. his leg was broken and use
less, his gun was on the other side of
the ridge. and night was coming on;
he had no food with him and nothing to
drink but a small bit Of whisky in a
flask. This he felt sure must have been
|
ton he found the flask intact. With no
thought OF the future he drained every
drop of liquor from the flask, and, az
there was nothing else to do, he lay
where he had fallen and waited for the
help which he knew his friends would
send when they found he had not re-
turned.
The nights during November In Mon
tana are chilly, no matter how fair the
| mn hua arn n1 oil oil
that chilly night, with the wind blow
ing a gale, and unable to make any
great exertion TO warm his numbed
limbs, Stuart lay where he had fallen
But the cold was not the only enemy
he had TO fear. Now and then the
faithful dog would give a growl and
running Off a short distance, bark Wig
orously His instinct told him danger
was near, and the other noises that
came responsive to his barking told
Stuart there were both wolves and
mountain lions about. Even the cold
was forgotten then In the still greater
danger. and Stuart simply sat and hal
looed all night till his voice was husky
TO frighten the wild animals away. To
have fallen asleep would have meant
to have been torn to pieces. even II the
more merciful cold had not first claimed
the victim. When the clamor Of the
awhile the dog would come back to the
man, but, as the hldcOus circle mar
rowed once more. the barking OF the
one and the hallooing OF the other had
TO be resumed. And so passed the first
night.
When morning came Stuart saw
about hundred yards away from him
and down the slope OF the hill, clus'
| ter OF boulders with some brushwood
| NAM IIa woa chilled tn the marrow
and determined 20 reach that spot ant
build himself a fire. II was slow work
| this travelling. He had To lie on hi.
left side, with the useless right les
resting on the other. and with only hil
hands drag himself along. He had on
his gloves when he fell from th'
ledge, and he had not taker
some protection from the sharI
: stones. but still his hands were tori
and bleeding when he reached the spo
Ihe had started for To gather som'
brush, in his crippled condition, was .
D task OF some magnitude, but he KEEP
/ at II and eventually had the plehsur,
= lof sltting-or rather lying down-be
= fore n cheerful fire on the leeward side
OF n big rock. The fire he meant L
serve "A double purpose by day, and bl
might still another II would Keep hin
a warm and the smoke would attract tn,
y attention OF those he knew must b'
l searching FOR him, during the day
while by night, n he had 10 rcmair
there that long, the frc would do al
that and keep the wild beasts away
, as we'll
The day was an uneventful one
: Stuart. strange 60 say, did not fee
, hungry, though his thirst was terrible
There was no water In sight, Had there
: been he says he would have crawlet
miles 20 reach n, dragging his broker
5 Ilog along behind. Then he regretted
that hr had admitted his whisky flask