The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-15
l(isfcrtune Falls With . Heavy
Hand Upon ; Yukon Miner.
LOSES eoTH HANDS AND FEEr.


M the men upon whom the hand OF mis-
fortune fell heaviest while In their search
Car roIN none came out OF the Yukon with
: story sadeser than that Of David .aathe-
- His case In peculiarly pathetic. This
arc. biz. hnwny man Of iron nerve. shorn
~ the four principal members OF the body.
eresentea q sight truly pitiabie a. four
faithful friends In the gray OF yesterday
rnoyntug carried him down the gangplank
az the OrfxAha-
He II a helpless. hopeless cripple His
hands are gone. his feet are gone Yet
With a courage born Of truest bravery he
n facing the world. and besimes q smile
MAYS over his hard-iined face. He has
moi lost hope he has not lost courage. for
n fact he believes II better To battle even
In the face 81 such universities. though the
enormtfy Of the iil-iuck made him lrst
prefer death TO life under such distressing
Conditions Fragments of the story of
David Mafheson. OF how he froxe on
Forty-Mue, necessitsting the amputation
OF his hands and feet. have sifted out Of
the Yukon. but IL has never been given In
detail "a he narrated II TO a Post-fntelH-
esncer Representative yesterday after
noon He sat In his chair IN room No.
81 the New England hotel and unfolded
the tale OF his troubles with trusting and
child-iike simplicity. yet with . pathos
truly touching.
Hseesssx nss Felt Ne Geld.
Last winter. don't remember the
the recital Of the Incidents attending his
misfortune. but It was the zsrd day and
about seven months ago. left road
house thirteen miles up Forty-Mile. bound
for the town OF Forty Mile. 1t was 4 cold
day. registering 81 below. ! wore q great
undolnx 'I / was ant too s veil coined vas nay
Instead Of removing the coat carried
e on my back. persp.rtng freely. Finally
= II. nsxan iressiss :. nns ! dldn,, know 4.
kind. ! didn't Zeal cold. as remember,
and oil that can now recall n that 1
stumbled and fell 20 the ground several
rolled over and fell asleep. II would have
been the sleep Of death ha not a miner
named saylor happened along.
He had q dog team. 80 he loaded me
on the sled and hauled me to Forty Mile.
They were eleven hours bringing me to-
The circulation OF my blood had stopped.
Perhaps y would have been better TO have
tated my hands and feet. performing the
operation alone He had to administer
the chlorpform himself ~sEr
j paaacd the winter at Forty Mile 60
JnG 70 Dawson tins spring on the Bonan.
"a KinG. came up the river on the Tyr
here today.
What He Owes Ia Friends.
New. those are the details. and want
next 10 speak Of those who have befriend-
Matheson's voice frembied perreptibIy
a. he said. CHANGING towards big-hearted
Joseph Cooper. who SAT- near him: II
don't like TO speak of the Kindness OF men
N their presence. but will NOT mind joe
Tor ne oTnaxn, me here-fed me. dressed
throughout the Journey. But thnse who
have kept me alive, who have been as
Eood 70 me - my own flesh and blood.
wife; William McPhee. Robert Lowery
and Joseph Cooper. They have neglected
shcir business and worked hard TO try
Ard put ME In circumstances again. They
wanted TO put me In business. some bust
hess could direct. but 4 couldn't stay In
Dawson any longer. Mr.. and Mrs Chis-
holm we're 40 Kind. They heard Of my
me to Dawson Mrs. Chisholm 4 little
woman. but no human being ever had a
bigger heart.
But all the miners. II seemed to me-
we're kind. They gave me a benefit at
Forsy.Msle Old Sam Patch, who had
taken an oath that he would never set
The tine 10 attend the affair. The crowd
had their pictures taken. and Patch stood
IN the cabin holding the American flag
above hts head"
No Use for the RsnG.
Turning 10 Cooper. Massesan called
for one of the pictures ne had mentioned
As the bundle nnfoIded. plain band gold
ring dropped out, He Eaxed al the orna-
mens IN silence for few moments. and
said: Well. I've NO use for that now
Sill. ! want to keep IT.
Mathe%an wen, to the Yukon two years
ago by the Edmonton trail. He was nine
months In making the Journey and he
declares the Edmonton to he one Of the
WORST trails known To man
Prior to his going To the Yukon he lived
seven years in Tacoma. where he followed
Contracting and railroad work. He Is
Canadian by birth though he has resided
u the United States since childhood
Upon his arrival m this city, he tsie-
efapAed his wife. now In North Dakota.
Ard she will soin him In a few days II
v his purpose to try and cause - he de-
signed some kind OF an artificial hand.
which he NAV be able TO use. He has heard
on an unfortunate In this city who - max