The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-22

the horizon. and the moon arose, faint
and slckly at first and with ouli yei-
low glare As IL assembled higher in the
sky 1t gradually lighted up the waste
OF sand with something like the eff
1uigence which s;lvered the road be-
Tore Mr.. Vining as he first traversed it
on his way to Black canyon.
lie could not now pass the same way
with the same feelings, for, to his left,
began TO arise the dread hills of the
Apache reservation, and from the de-
HE whence 1t came before, what did he
see, TO his unutterable horror, but the
same black phantom approaching. This
time II approached more rapidly than
on the occasion of its former appear
ance, and instead of taking up a posi-
lion on the left, as Mr.. Vining coasid-
cred, II II were shadow, it naturally
would, it retreated and again took up
Its place on the right and only two
or three feet distant. Mr.. Winning this
time was too Dalsied from sheer Gear
to attempt anything in the way of in
Nestlgatlon. He rained blow after
blow on his tired and. frightened horse
20 try and OUTRAGE, il possible. the
phantom. 1t was ali in vain, however.
In truth, If anything, this horrible mid
night VIsitant was in the lead The
morse at this Juncture SHE'D and left
the road, but he was soon sunk to his
kT ees In white sand and sagebrush, and
unable to make any Roadway Just at
this moment the thing vanished over
the PLAIN, and Mr.. Vining, almost dead
from fright and averting his eyes from
the dreadful fading figure, saw rapidly
approaching him three Apache Indians,
who had broken away from the reser-
Va.:o=.
These Indians were all we'll armed
and mounted Mr. Vining had by this
time dismounted, seeing that if he had
Srostly enemies to contend with before.
1t was impossible to escape from mortal
cneS now. As the Indians came nearer
one of them raised rifle, which his
nearest companion pressed toward the
ground with his hand. Upon coming
up to Mr.. Vining, he showed them his
watch, which they at once took. A
pocketbook containing S127, a linen dus-
ter, a coat, oVercoat, two large TASKS
of whisky ana about 100 cigars went
the same route, and in this wretched,
though somewhat ludicrous plight, poor
Ninlng was ordered to mount his horse.
" hat seems almost Incredible, he was
told to proceed on his way, but this
generosity on the Indians part may
be attributed to the first influences
wrought upon them by the quantities
of whisky which they had consumed.
Mr.. Vinins might have attempted to
NSNobC 4AOul the 1luld1S ndQ not his
horse became worn out with fatigue. 1t
may have been his salvation, however,
that he acted as he had At any rate,
he was glad TO get away, and, fright
ened, dispirited and penniless. he
reached Mayors Station about 4 o'clock
lii the morning. There he remained
some days, and the first advice from
the south was word that poor Hobart
ard the two prospectors were murdered
by the three rowing Apaches. 1t seems
that Hobart wanted, all the time, to
return to Prescott in other company
than that of Mr.. Vining; that he
wanted to avoid him on account of the
desert phantom seems very probable |
AT what particular part of the road he
met the prospectors is merely conjec- |
ture. Whether with his dying eyes he |
Z sam saw the hideous iethel monster |
OF the desert is likewise conjecture. But |
one thing is certain, that at the very
spot of the desert where the phantom |
ilrst appeared to Mr. Vining, the mutt |
lated bodies OF Hobart and the two
were found.