The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-31
SAVED BY A HERMIT MONK.
n PARTY'S NARROW ESCAPE FROM
DEATH ON MEAN SOLITIRIO.

DhdIh Wv ~ Tan
threatened ny n TrrHcherous Guide. b.
Navajo Indian-, and Finally by "a snow
SasaIi on the summit, hut Rescued fron
All Pcriis ny Christian Ioha.
Las VEGAS, N. NJ, May est was In tn,
evening, after tho return from the visit 10 Noun
golitario recently narrated In THE SuN, tina
Capt. Bentley told the tende foot his strange ex
porience with the hermit whose residence there
gave tho Now Mexican mountain It's name.
ION the spot where his ruined hermitage
stands" he said. q" ! Raw him thirty-threc years
ago. When you have heard what happened
there at that time you may Judge for yourself
what manner OF man John OF the Crosses was.
was then a Lieutenant. II was In the time OF
the civil war. and the Government had n hos
pitsl at Las Vegas Hot Springs. / was STAYING
there on leave Of absence TO recruit my health
after long service in the malarial region down
the Rio Grandc. There were visitors at the
Springs from tho East. even then. and among
them at this time was Mrs. Trethvyn and her
daughter, q handsome girl OF IL. Both mother
and daughter were venturesome riders. and
almost every day we took a horseback eIcur-
sion together. so that In the course Of n fort
night we had the country for ten miles about
The Hot Springs pretty thoroughly explored.
Al last nothing would satisfy the ladies but
% ride to the top OF Solitaire. | discouraged the
idea all ! could. and told them what they might
expect from such a trip-a long. hard days
ride, with dangerous climbing. and no certainty
that they could reach the top after all. Beside
this there was always the risk of meeting
hostile Indians. Most OF the Navajos, the most
dangerous Indians, we're corralled under guard
down at Fort Sumner at that time. but some OF
them had never been brought In. Others from
time to time we're slipping away from the
reservation at the fort to find their way back to
their old stamping grounds in the Northwest,
and a favorite route for these renegades was up
the Gallinas Valley. past Solitario.
But the ladies, In spite of all I said. were still
determined to go, so of course I went along with
them. We had bad luck from the beginning.
was disappointed about getting a military es-
cort. and. worse still. at the last moment the
trustworthy guide. Antonio. whom we had
depended on to accompany us on the trip was
detailed as courier. and we had to take up with
AMeIican Of no very good character, known as
El Lobo. who claimed to know the way to the
top of Solitario. He had no horse and | had to
furnish him one. But we made our start, and
/ found that tho guide knew the way to the
mountain at least. We took the route up the
Galhnas Valley. over the burro trail.
1T was November. and the tops of the Snowy
Range already were white. although no snow
had fallen upon the plain. Owing to our delay
In starting 1t was noon before we reached the
foot of Solitario; but, after resting our horses a
bit, we began the ascent. There was no beaten
path then. and we had to pick our way up the
long ridge at its back. Half way up the noun
s M =. Louo sa,u . tns' n ns u !" ,.n OUT,
went forward on foot, carrying his rife in hand.
] had q suspicion of some treachery on his part,
and made him travel ahead all the way to the
summit. For arms / carried a cavalry carbine
and a revolver, SO I had the advantage Of him In
respect of weapons. and | anticipated no trouble
from him so long as I could keep him in sight.
~nen we go. 10 .ne mountain Top 'ne vino,
which we had scarcely noticed while climbing
th., ,ha sLr xhiio cioar ovarhaad wss th,oLan
u . the shy "n'o iea was 'nicheh-
ing about the peaks of the main range. But the
vomen,s spirits were high as they dismounted
"a ,nrr.d ~ .dYnirs tho v,ou, II ,ras thon
that 1 missed my hunting knife. which I know
had been In It's sheath a few minutes before.
was on the point of calling to Ell Lobo to go back
and look for 1t when 1 saw that he WAS not with
IN no nna sippea a"ay among tne trees, ana
all my calling could bring no answer from him
aford to lose the hunting Knife. which
-. - na. - 40
auch q trip. so l ran back down the
.lope to look for it. II was we'll that I did $40.
1oE when l had got 100 yards back; Looking past
nssr fSe foot ~ tSs slone eram1rippo M az rac
that tt%psayy' re euaiS Ss .em os 'h The res u a n
nm tbs riSgs and in a i Is momen,s tbev nassaSS
Srom v, ,i Ssb'nd the rocka ana tres she paseeu
SThis w. a had n;eca 81 husipsss ,or ,b.v
y.,d . u Ura Rie'u ~ no. .uoy
( WstehedS Tor them s.verai minutes hut thsv
az y = .n " hnmt " Uu' tnoy
f"aL ~ ~ e"ppn",, 10 suin go
tnrneSD Mhen / Caught siobtt ~ the b"ntine
i nife iyinn On the osonn5 beside the rock
I'll . 'sst,aann t ou a. ~ - and i,., a y 7 h sn1 fiUvK
- v rict ~ y ~ ,hars ~ u a ~ . LA q ~
~ sup am ~ i9p1sn VI = lIle "
sSna.uSsy. ydt sts, nSa ~. anu rnuL h oSi wn nv 4ver ny
snsd mn mn IN q hnrrr II 40 dpon =, n esiu n me = sssnlsntI
III S 49, IN w. ,T'otso, ao
Were could ace the rifle snohe
snri,no ~ rrom 10Y linz ~ hnahns
a.. the ..capnd sbot az a. mn +, pnho ousnrsc
rom hshind ~. h usbss md n III q a a.
~ r,S9a smntiad ~ roia sr uomh
s snrs he cot ont ~ ranas bnt nonenS tha shoss
.snnnad hin The sconnorei had nrohab,n jno
eSnSpaS u ~ ~ 81 4 ~ nau I.o"aoty ~
sSe entire narty bnt andinq me- an nv vpapS
SaaJS " p1,o,, !. va NY on mS suaru
= = rsIppou . ~ASiay ~ on our ref1rni or az
for q. him. NV Going back for t the buntina kkn nse
Ia nia.n 4, H. ~ ~ hnle
n me- ana IL vas oniv nv me- nnsrnnctad q .to a 1hos
49, - ~ ~ ~ 10 ~ M uhsapeS.ea sIoopihR
III Y pth w Nv hulIt thhl Shtou my lllo.