The Washington weekly post., 1900-03-20

Since the course OF empire has takeu
/ It's way so completely Westward. the
/ East Is prone TO believe that the days OF
/ adventure and hairhreadth escapes In
/ the land beyond the Mississippi have pass
/ ed Although men no longer go about as
/ walking arSenals. looking fOr opportuni-
/ ties TO deyour their fell0w-men. the West
/ Is yet capable of furnishing tales OF hard
/ snip and adventure as thrilling as any
/ that have come down from the early days.
! During the past two years Mr. F. r
/ Harper, special agent in the service os
| the Indian Office. and who Is now n
4 washington. has had a number OF eY-
/ peTienceS that. for hair-raising blood
freezing interest. rival the happenings
that oefell the hardy pioneers who pushed
/ the borders OF civilization across the
| trackleSs prairies and beyond the Rockies
Mr. Harper's duties have taken him a
number Of times 70 the wild regions IN
the north of Utah. in the neighborhood OF
Fort Duchesne, TO treat with the ifteS and
other Indian tribes. The nearest railroad
station TO Fort Duchesne is Price aJs-
tance of l25 miles over as rough a coun-
try as can be found anywhere on earth
The trip has 10 be made by stage NO,
/ the big, cumbersome vehicle so pOnular in
! Western rOmance-the country fs too
rough for that-but a light buckboard
pulled by four hardy and tireleys mus
| tdngs. During the two years covering tho
period since Mr.. Harper first had occa sI,,
TO go to Fort Duchesne, he has made the
trip from Price by stage no less than
twenty-five times. and not one OF the trims
out mas furnished him with a story of ad-
venture well worth telling He has been
ShoW-oound and almost frozen in bliz-
zdrds. and the burning sun has cooked
MIN unhl the skin peeled off his face He
ids Deeh lost In snowstOrms and sand
storms, ana on one occasion. at least, the
possiollity of an Indian uprising made him
ie'i MS scaip-lock with apprehension.
Locked Like Certain Death,
but there is one story of close proxin-
lty to what seemed a certain and u,hoII,,
unpleasant death. that Mr.. Harner doasr;,
IKE TO tell, doesn't even like TO think ~
ana II was only after much persua sion
tndt ne related It to a reporter for The
rust IL Is story of a wild ride down
d mountain trail behind four maddened
Aotses' urged on by drunken driver
Vh d recent visit to the north of Utah.
WI harper lett Fort Duchesne for Price
SHo"sIorm, one of those
overwhelming billiards not uncommon 4,
the Northwest, but which visit the Fast
only once or twice in a generation. The
one that swoOped down on Wasbinetor =
year ago was a splendid sampIe OF the
KIND. The first day out they fought des-
perately against wind and, drifts and
when night fell hut little more than TWEEN
~ miles of the distance had been cover
ed. Exhausted and almost frozen thev
camped In the snow and supped on their
frozen provisions. BY morning the Storm
mad spent its fury. and although the trail
was lost beneath several feet of SNOW
lne dTiVer' with an Instinct all his own.
pickeu OUT the route. and the tlreless lit-
tie horses that day pulled the vehicle
over ana through drifts for distance OF
more than eighty miles. 10 the reIav -'a-
thh tioh AT smiths Wells, from which point
the traiI deScendS abruptly from fhe ntpi,
land down through Soldier Canyon.
Regular Dime Novel Driver.
nights rest was taken at the station
and next morning, with fresh horses a1d
new driver, the party. which he'd been
Reinforced by Mr.. W. W. Old. former
postmaster at Leadville. and a noted man
IN the Wesr, started on the final Ian ~
the journey. The new driver was Of the
dime-nOvel type of stage coach drivers
reckless in appearance and reckless in
his driving, with little regard for his own
safety and apparently none for the safety
of his passengers. Before starting he i'm,
bibed freely OF wicked mountain whisky.
and on the journey he had frequent ref
erenCe TO a bottle OF the deadly coun
pound that he carried with him. II was
very important that Mr. Harper should
catch certain train for the East. and
he offered the driver an inducement tn
get him TO Price in time He relented OF
his proposition before an hour had pass-
ed, and offered 10 double the amount IL
the driver would refrain from his pur-
pose 10 'get him there or break his neck"
but the whisky had aroused the devil in
the man. and he laughed at danger.
The trail from the plateau down into
Soldier Canyon is four miles in length,
and winds, narrow strip. around sharp
corners along the face Of the cliff hun
dreds Of feet in height, perpendicular
walls Of rock above and perpendicular
walls OF rock below
Not n Pleasant Prospect.
The trail is dangerous IN the best NJ
weather and with the most careful Of
driving. In some places. on this occa-
sion, II was choked with snow. and I'm
others. where the wind had swept q
clean, was glare OF ice slopIng toward
the edge Of the precipice. II was not a
pleasant prospect. and only urgent ne
ccssity prevented the travellers from turn
ing back. But the driver said he knew
the road, and gave assurance OF landing
them safely at the bottom.
When the edge Of the canyon was
reached. instead Of slowing up and look
ing carefully 70 his brakes. the driver
lashed his horses into a run and yelling
at the top Of his voice. he started down
the descent. Every second. Mr.. Harper
says, he expected 10 be dashed 10 death
on the Jagged rocks hundreds OF feet be-
meath. Al time as they rounded corners.
the rear wheels would swing out until
they crumbled the rock at the very edge
Of the cliff. and II would seem az n no
power on earth could prevent them from
going over Pleading and threats with
tEe driver were alike without avail He
was crazed with drink and only laughed
a. the fears Of his passengers. The whip
was applied unspariugiy, and under It's
sharp sting the horses tore along with
leaps and bounds.
His Hair stood ON End.
'"The four wheels were at tines AL OF
the ground al once" said Mr Harper. in
telling the story "and We seemed 90 be
nying through the air. firmly believed
We were going 20 certain death. I know
that my hair literally stood on end But
that kind Providence which is said %
care for fools and drunken ne- Inter
fered in our behalf. and in some manner.
] shall never know how. we reached the
bottom % the canyon with no more serf-
Gus consequences than resulted from our
scare.
Before We had gone half a mile after
reaching the bottom the kinZ-pin IN our
wagon broke. and driver srd passengers
alike went spraWllng over the ground
II makes me shuddef even now 20 think
what would have been the result had the
uln broken while we we're tearing down
iEzf trail We reached Price IN time %
get our train, however. and the driver
cI.InuEd hiE reward
To Restore IiseoIa'- Old Car.
-. rso ftsrzrrtss Kew