The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-04
MIXED.

dav and ceased to be. In the early DAYS
of the American occupation OF California a
sawmill had been built on a little creek
known thenceforth as Mill river, and a
small settlement soon grew up around it,
when the settlement had arrived at the
distinction of possessing Methodist meet
ing house, two stores. two saloons and
some thirty small cabins. it was duly in
corporated under the name of Persepolis
a name which was generally understood to
have been given in compliment TO Mr. John
Pursell. the builder of the sawmill But
in the third year after the incorporation of
the town Mill river unaccountably decreased
in volume until the scarcity of water seri-
PlsIy interfered with the lumber trade upon
which PersepoIis depended for its existence
The logs sawn at the sawmill could not
be fioated with any certainty to a market
for they frequently stranded in the shall
lows of the stream. and formed Jams"
which effectually barred the way until they
were removed by the spring freshets A
new mill was built ten miles farther down
the creek. at a point where a large tribu-
tary converted il into respectable and
trustworthy river Mr.. Pursell, the owner
of the original sawmill, died in consequence
of sitting too long in a meditative mood
lot wholly unconnected with Bourbon coun-
~ whisky, on a log which was being stead
lily drawn towards rapidly revolving
buzz saw The sawmill, in the absence of
any legitimate claimant, soon fell into de-
cay. and the discovery of gold three hun
bred miles farther south led to a general
emigration of the inhabitants Of the doomed
settlement.
In the early summer of June, 1852 there
were but two residents left in the once
nphraim Caldwell, who owned small
patch of land on the border OF Mill river
refused to leave the place because, as he
said, the climate was good for his rheuma-
tism, and the quiet of the deserted town
was just what he liked. Mr.. Hank Smith,
the other remaining inhabitant cultivated
another small kitchen garden-for it was
little else-on the opposite side of the
stream; and his excuse for remaining in
PersepOlis was that he didn't think it the
square thing for able-bodied man to
leave dying town, and that he calculated
to stand by it until things improved a little
and the town could do without his help.
Those, however, who knew Mr.. Smith
scoffed at this chivalrous devotion 10 a de-
serted settlement, and asserted that his real
reason for remaining in Persepolis was his
preposterous regard for the silent and
saturnine Caldwell.
The two had been chums after their pc
culiar fashion ever since they arrived,
within week of one another. at Persepois.
Both were men of irreproachable morals;
but neither had ever mingled in the society
OF the place. or, in other words, frequented
either the saloon or the church. 1t was
their custom, after the labors of the day
were ended, to stroll down to the creek
and cd nofx ay IA IF
TIE stream to smoke in social silence Oc-
oasonaliy this silence would be broken by
brief remark made by Smith as to the
state of the weather or the condition of
the crops, to which Caldwell would reply
ia monosyllables or, in rare instances with
curt denial of the truth of his friends
assertions. This scant interchange of iso-
tied remarks seemed to afford slight foun-
ddton for deep and lasting friendship
but 1t was universally recognized that Smith
and Caldwell were sworn friends, and in OIL
der to account for this curious friendship
a story was invented. though without any
apparent authority. to the effect that they
were in reality brothers. but that the strin-
eency OF the criminal laws of Missouri had
induced one of the men to change his name
and 10 conceal his relationship with the
other.
iJuiliiS the gay ln6 TWO SOLITARY c1tlZenS
OF Persepois cultivated their gardens or
sought for game in the neighboring for
ests. The rich soil and the teeming woods
easily supplied their table, and when cloth
Ing tobacco and groceries ran low a trip
to the rival and now triumphant town of
Syracuse furnished the needed supplies Mr.
Caldwell was absent on one of these jour
neys when an event occurred which
wrought a noteworthy change, both in the
topography of Persepolis and in the rela-
tons which previously existed between the
two friends. The day had been extremely
hot Not a breath of air was stirring, and
The brazen sky seemed to have descended
lower than usual. pressing the atmosphere
Gown until its weight and density rendered
breathing difficult. Smith was compelled
patch and withdrew to the shelter of his
cabin, where he lay in his bunk, and at in
tervals expressed aloud his conviction that
the heat of Persepolis surpassed that of a
locality which is commonly supposed to be
1ensely populated with undesirable persons.
suddenly ne heard dull roar in the dis
lance, as if a train of artillery were gallop-
ing over roughly paved road. 1t came
rapidly nearer, until it was deafening in its
intensity. Sounds that seemed like the
crack of gigantic rifles and the boom of
monstrous cannon accompanied it: Then
smith felt himself his couch and his cabin
violently lifted in the air. A sickening for
ward movement flung him from his bunk to
me shuddering floor, and: whether through
Tree by the earthquake, Smith tainted away
for the first time in his life.
When he came to himself heavy silence
oppressed him. He sat up. and wondered
u ne was still alive. He carefully passed
MS hand over his head. and. finding no trace
OF any wound. decided that he was ready
or another round if the earthquake was not
Yet satisfied" His cabin was standing, but
me walls leaned at a drunken angle, and
most of his portable property was strewn
on the floor. He went outside, and feeling
sun weak and dizzy sat down on a hitherto
unfamiliar bowlder that he found close to
the door. The general appearance of his
garden WAS as if it had been plowed with
deep subsoil plow. To his amazement, 1T
was not where ii had been when he was
last engaged in hoeing potatoes. The whole
valley. or at least the surface of it, had
moved some forty or fifty rods from east
10 west. Hitherto Smiths property had
stretched from the rear of the church on
the east to the bank of the creek on the
west, while the property of Caldwell had
reached from the opposite bank of the
creek TO an abrupt rocky bluff which was
ley Smith now perceived that his cabin
STOOD almost in the precise locality where
NaloWells cabin had formerly stood, and
mat the rocky bluff, instead of being at
ieast eighty rods from his door. was not
more than forty. Meanwhile all trace of
Saidwelfs garden and cabin had disap-
peared. Looking toward the meeting house
alu the deserted cabins of PersepoliS, Smith
saw that the whole town had marched with
MS own cabin. Some of the houses were
completely wrecked, and others were
strained and twisted out of shape. but they
sun preserved their former relative dis