The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-03-17
Persisted IN THE BLIZZARD.
Son Of Shelby D. Reed Loses Ills Life
in the Big Storm Of March 9TH.

20, Bar-O Winter Camp. Bad
River, Ziebach County, March g.
Editor STOCKMAN:-Wc had a boy
born to us here Oh March lst, moth
er and son doing nicely, but our joy
vas turned to sorrow by the tragic
death of u 0 Willie, a boy II
years old, who persisted in the
blizzard OF March 4th.
The storm purst upon us furious
lv at I O'Clock in the afternoon of
that day, coming from the north
west at "a velocity not less than d
100 miles an hour. The day had
been warm and quiet and only about
eight inches of snow lay on the
ground. Our feed herd was graz
ing about a mile east Of camp, being
looked after by u" o Hugh, a lad
IL years old. About ten minute,
before the storm broke Willie got a
horse and started out to assist in
driving In the herd for the night,
but he eve reached it. Since
then five men haye searched con
stantly for him, but have not found
him up to this time.
| was in the hay corral when the
storm arrived and at once saddled
a horse and started for the herd to
save the boys. | could not see 20
feet ahead of me for the cuttin g
wind and binding snow. For eight
hours I drifted with the storm about
three miles to Cotton wood creek
the middle fork of Bad river. The
storm covered myself and horse
with a coating of ice a full inch
thick before we had been out ten
minutes and about once u minute
was compelled to rub the ice from
my eyes aud scrape tt e ice from the
eyes Of my horse. Electricity was
abundant in the air. | received a
number Of shocks like those from an
electric battery aud my horse
would stagger and culver as if he
had encountered a dynamo. Balls
OF electric fire about the size Of small
peas seemed to drop from my cap to
my recovered coat. When ! nit
ten was removed from my hand
every hair on the back of my hand
would have a head of electric fire.
| never saw anything like it.
The horse which the boy rode re-
turned to the corral gate at day
light the next morning without
saddle or blanket. | took the back
trail Immediately and followed it
about a half mile East where it ended
in a huge snowdrift. Here the
horse had evidently stood during
the greater part Of the right For
two days the men have been work
ing in this drift without learning
anything except that the horse com
menced tramping the snow here
when it was less than a foot deep
and when the storm ceased it was
six feet deep. We think that Willie
unsaddled the horse to get the
blanket to put around him when he
and the horse became blinded by the
storm and were convinced that they
could not get back to the ranch.
Before starting he had left his over
coat at the house, but was other
wise very warmly dressed.
When Hugh, the youngest of the
two boys, found that he could not
drive the cattle back to the corral
he gave his horse loose rein, and
although horse and rider had their
eyes frozen Shut they reached camp
in about d half-hour. The boy was
riding the thoroughbred Lexington
stallion, "LeX,' and the wonderful
Intelligence and instinct of this ami
ma! is all that saved the boys life.
When | reached the creek | dis
mounted and led my horse into the
dry bed OF the stream, about 20
feet below the level of the banks.
and tied him to a bush. Afoot |
then searched up and down the
creek in hopes of finding the boys
if they had dritted in with the cat
tie found there. l kept the search
up until midnight, climbing over
driftwood and through snow, shout.
ing and firing my revolver to at
tract attention, but all in vain.
The storm ceased about midnight
and the north star was visible.
Mounting INV horse with ditf ,nlt,