The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-04
$1,000 FOR A LOST GRAVE.
now IT WAS OBLITEKA TED IN 4
MONT ON THE PLAINS.
A Square Mile of stampsdod Cattle Made
n ThousRnd-Acro Tract Look ~ ~ II
Had Been Ploughsd and Narrowed.
Fror n. D,nver Republicans

From N. b,nrer R,pub!iedn
There In 81 900 reward waiting for whoever
can fnd the body Of a young man buried on tho
plains Of northeastern Weld county fifteen years
ago In a marble mnusoleum near Chicago
there waits a niche for the bones of John Lilly
who died alone on tho range in Colorado In tho
vault are the bodies OF his parents and Of his two
brothers, and when the bones Of the young man
arc recovered the doors will be sealed, for he was
the last OF his line Tom Minningcr, a Wyom.
ing cowboy, who rode the range for many years
In this State. was IN the city yesterday and told
again the story Of the los, grave
Tt was nfteen years ago last August" he de
clarcd, after a process Of reckoning which in
GUIDED all the big events OF range life for many
years This Teller Lilly was the only living son
OF an old man in Chicago that owned most Of
the hashknife' cattle running on the range north
OF the Platte The boy had been kind Of delicate,
40 the old man sent him out with a letter to jim
Taylor, the foreman OF the ranch, TO let HIM rough
il awhile
The kid was a nice enough young Teller, and
the boys give him a good time all through the
summer lie got sos he could ride a gentle horse
pretty well and then the beef round up came along.
We went up across Crow Creek. and down Owl
Creek. and then We struck across by the Chalk
h"uAA'f "b'i0 W" nv u UNI I'LL
traded strays with them. Then We swung south
toward tho Pawnee Buttes, planning TO push right
through to the river, gathering beei as We went,
20 - 10 have about twenty trainloAds to ship all
a. once, a. the round ups would be over, and the
cowpunchers could 60 on to Chicago with the
cattle in the cars. The first camp before We got
TO the Buttes W as IN the big fat where Wild Horse
Jerry's dugout used TO be. It's a grea, big fat,
following a little to the centre. and in the middle
there's springs, and over beyond there's a lake.
The cook was late hitchin' up the grub wagon
that morning, and the kid go, started lust being
told how 10 go to the next camp, keeping the point
OF big Pawnes straight ahead until he came to
the fiat That was about 7 Of the morning Billy
came driving his six horses 10 the grub wagon
across the pra RE on a trot. for he had TO lie In camp
and have something to eat ready by II, and be
hind him came all the other wagons. They al
ways let our Billy pick the way, because. he was
an old campaigner, Along with the wagons
came the horse herd, eating and running and
eating and running. the wranglcr favoring them
along over good feed, because they'd have 10 have
their bellies full whom it came time 10 change
mounts at noon, and then came the dozen great
cavvies OF steers, 500 or | 900 in each, great Wild
Texans, fat as hogs and ready TO run at the drop
OF the hat. brought along careful, so as not TO
lose a bit more beef on the road than could be
helped. ! tall you in those days around up left
It's mark when II passed over.
"On the edge Of the fat Billy saw the kid down
by the water, sitting on the ground. kind 81 ben.
over, while his horse was grazing round. Billy
never thought but that he was sitting there rest.
Ing and he drove up, SOS the lead team all but run
over him. but the kid never stirred. lie was Just
as dead as a stone. II wasn't no bullet, or a
snake. but his heart Just naturally quit
We'll, Billy wrapped him in a blanket and went
on and got dinner, and when Jim Taylor como
In, he thought a minute, and then he told us TO dig
a grave. and wrap the body in three or four thick
nesses Of canvas We took an extra wagon top
We chad along and bury him. And see said jim
that you mark the grave well TWAS rock along
the ridge. so we lug the grave. about -four feet
deep, up on the side Of the slope, ana we marked
II with, one Of the end boards Of tho wagon SO il
could be seen a mile. Jim started a man on
for ,he railroad with a telegram for the old man
As the sun went down there hung over IN tho
east a cloud piled with chunks Of froth, miles and
miles high We could see the lightning playIng
in II as the sun went down. II had been an awful
hot day, with a." cattle turning 10 balloons out On
the ridges, and lakes and rivers flowing In ali the
fats and valleys, and the mountains dsncing
in the cir, all Whit they call mirage, and looked
for trouble ulst night
1T mnsthaye been after midnight when looked
out rom my. t~lHnkct' and saw thet cloud breaking
~ ihN' Niii'hiA 'lh "a 'l'u'lNt lull VI lEntlllK, RTu
| wasn't more than out Of my bed before the sky
overhead was full y flying clouds and the wind
began 70 rise We had kept horses up. and every
man was put out TO help hold the catile Nv the
time | e., out 10 the herd they were moving rest
less and uneasy, md lowing a little. The night
hcrders said they hndn'tgot them 10 lie down once
Then We heard the roar Of rain coming. half an
hour before 1t reached US II camo in bucketfuls,
and hail like bullets The first gusts .,rucL he
steers, but they held all night, when We heard the
crack crack crack If a SIX shooter down The wind.
Something had started a bunch Of cows and Calves
we were taking to th'ar range. south IT the Platte
They came. snoring and bawling, irtp ,bs
arst bunch of steers, and these came smash into
tie next bunch, and in ten minutes the whole
push was mixed into one big 'angle of cattle, not
running very fast, but moving So they couldn't
he stopped. There were men all through the
bunch, keeping their horses up, and trying to
work out 10 tn" edge through the thin spots, 1t
was as dark Rs pitch, except when it ligi tened,
and then you could see II looked lk. miles and
miles, all moving cattle,
There were three or 'our punches Of steers
that wasn't caught IN the rush, aud part of the
mon at them heard the shouting and came over To-
help They struck the biz moving square mile
o%fcat,le near Tie head, and swung them ~ a%littir,
and the rest followed, and the rain lei up a litt",
So they'd face IT, and there they mIlled and miIlpd
for The res, Of the night never knew where I
Of me, and feel things bump into tho pony. ard
once a horn sctapod along by my knee. Light
came slowly for the rain he'd turned TO q cold
and not half a mile from camp The cattle had
been all around and. through the wagons, and
there wasn't a hit OF frewOOd left, some Of tho
boys beds that had been left out had becn torn
TO rags We ate q breakfast II cold canned stuff
and started g. move the whole bunch down about
ten miles TO better grass, where we could break
EN- up by brands again
Just as we were starting Jim Taylor came 10
me and told me to got back and sec that the mark
was on the grave.
never found the board Ten thousand cattle
had trampcd and tIamped Tint hill all night, in
the wet ground. There wasn't a trace Of grass
left A thousand acres all looked ~ though i,
had been ploughcd and narrowed. gave IL up
right there Jim cussed when | told him and
rode back, but when he saw the looks Of things
he gave IL up
We met the old man three DAYS lie fred
Jim Taylor out Of hand for not leaving the cattle,
leaving everything. and bringing his boy TO tho
sta ton. Then he put another man In charge,
and took oil Of us who had been az the burying
back 10 look for the remains But, Lord. there
wasn't one Of us that ag reed on the place u within
a hundred yards. II all looked alike where the
cattle had been. but We dug around there until
winter drove ~ out The did man declared he
was coming back in the spring and keep up tho
hunt until he found the grave, hut he never lived
thnt long. guess that boy was about all he
lived for, anyhow.
The executors Of his estate have been out here
sincc looking for the grave, butts not been found,
and I don't think il ever will be. The reward Of
81 900 is still good"