Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-30
TRAGEDY OF A CAVE.
Did Not Fear the Law, but Ran Avax
From the Rome.


ut happened this way" said a western
man at one of the uptown hotels to n star
writer, who had asked him for particulars
OF a story he had casually referred to-
old man Jepps was about the meauest
man who had ever lived on the banks of
the Colorado, but as far as his ncighbors
knew he had kept within the bounds of the
law. He whipped his wife, abused and beat
MS children, was cruel to his horses, cattle
ana dogs, and was so close with his money
that everybody mistrusted that he would
steal If he had half a. chance He had
three children, two girls and a boy, the boy
about eighteen years old and cutie a de-
cent sort OF a lad, considering his raising.
ms boy seemed to be a special object Of
wrath to bis father, and many a time ne
doors against him.
Ihe boy wanted to run away, but his
mother and listers begged him to stay and
on tneir account he did so. About a milo
from the JeppS house was a big ledge and
CHM, and in this were several caves some
of them of unknown extent and to these
the boy often went at night and slept when
the old man would not let him stay at
home. One night the old man was particu-
larly ugly. and turned all of his wrath
loose on the boy and drove him out. The
next morning he did not appear at break
faSt, and after the meal the old man still
full of rage, went to look for him.
Just what happened nobody knows, but
at noon the old man came home to dinner
ard reported that he could not find the boy,
and 1t was a good thing for him that he
couldn't The mother and sisters made no
reply but their thought affirmed what the
old man said, for they knew what he would
do to the boy when the opportunity offered.
Next day and the next the boy did not an
pear, and the old man reported that it was
likely he had run off for good; but the wo-
men had their do! BITS. Things went on
md Sfin
Then the women could stand 1t no longer
and reported to the neighbors, keeping
their actions concealed from the old man.
They told about the cave and the old man
going to loak for young Jepps, and the peo-
pie rose in a body and sent out searching
parties for the young fellow Finally they
found among the caves enc with its mouth
walled up and blocked full of heavy stones
and dabbed over with mud from the stream
below. Very rapidly the willing searchers
tore away the obstruction, and with lights
they entered the cave. few ragged
pieces of quilts and blankets were found;
there was an old coffee pot a skillet and
ashes, and all about the inside of the wall
were evidences Of a struggle to remove the
stones
Some of them were rolled aside but the
heavier ones and the mud stuffed in the
cracks and grown hard was untouched But
lhere was no sign of the missing boy. The
cave was searched as far as possible but
many passages could not be reached, and
the Searchers gave it up at last and came
out empty handed. In the meantime the
father hai been arrested and was in JAIL
but there was no evidence on which to hold
him, as he denied all knowledge of the
young mai after he left the house on the
last night. Everybody was sure he had
walled the boy up in the cave and left him
there to starve. but the body could not be
found and nobody could swear he was
dead, and there the law and the people
stood powerless to do anything except let
the father 60
And that's what was done, and the old
man went to his home a free man. 1t was
about dark when he got there, and at mir
night, when the lynching party arrived, to
do what the law couldn't Jepps had dis
appeared, and he never came back. He left
considerable property, which Mrs. Jepps
and the daughters held, and for several
years now they have been making persist
ent search of the cave for the body or skel-
eton of the young man, but at last ac-
counts 1t had not been found, and / sup
pose never will be. for in all probability the
poor boy went crazy and dashed himself
into some deep pit in the darkness and
Gabrfefs trumpet only will bring hin,
forth