Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-12
DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
A BOWLDER THAT WAS STARTED
Rolling JUST FOR FUN.
The Senator'S story of n ThoughtIess
Act That Barely Escaped Resulting
In Tragedy-A Lucky Bound Into
the Air

| In n Tragedy-A Lucky Bound Into
the Air.
More than 90 years ago" said the
senator in reminiscent mood, 81 was
doing clerical stunts at Hamilton, New.
and having about as enjoyable an ex-
istence as l have ever known, before
or since. The blue skies, the big noun
tains, the invigorating air. the whole
some food and the interesting people
all around me made my life about as
good as life ought to be this side of
the pearly portals. My work was not
SO confining that could not get away
on mountain walks pretty frequently,
and one day 1 started out with my
dog for a turn up Mount Tom, just be-
yond the town. The main highway
leading into the town from the west
passed along the side of this mountain
and on over a gap into the valley be-
yond.
81 had a particular object in view,
the mountain. which was without vege-
tation except a furry thicket in places.
and the surface was covered with
rocks of various sizes from n football
| to a haystack. After awhile, for some
Il
stones down the mountain side, and it
rapidly developed into a most exciting
sport, for the mountain was steep and
the rocks went down with n whoop
and a hurrah that stirred the blood
to watch them as they bounded along.
1 never thought of the road passing
along about 1000 feet down the hill,
and, as nobody happened to be going
by, my attention was not called to it
in that way, and kept on.
Naturally enough, my success with
the smaller stones made me ambitious,
and l essayed something larger. 1t
was a dandy, too, a great big, round
bowlder that would have weighed
ton if it weighed a pound. 1t was a
job to get it started, but by pulling
the rocks from under 1t on the lower
side and loosening it up all around ]
got ii going at last and stood back to
enjoy its progress down the mountain.
1t went slowly at first. as if in doubt,
but it struck steep place about 80 feet
down the hill. and it leaped out like a
FESTIVE horse from the post, and away
1t went, bounding a dozen feet into the
air and jumping over gullies and rocks
as if it were rubber. About GOO feet
down, when it was going at tremen-
dOus speed, it leaped 30 feet into the
air, and l was just going to let off n
whoop when | saw n II mule team in
the narrow road below and directly in
the track of the monster.
THE team was drawing two wagons,
as was the custom with the mountain
freighters. and it was driven by old
Jerry Simpson. one of the best known
transfers in the mountains. 1t simply
paralyZed me. for didn't see anything
but destruction for everything in the |
way. There was no turning back or |
whipping up to get out OF the way, for |
the load was heavy and the road was
rough and narrow. | stood speechless,
scared white. but the driver had seen
the rock coming. and, dropping off |
the saddle mule, he broke back up the |
road as hard as he could run. l would |
have run. too. but my legs refused to |
act, and / stood fast and watched the |
great rock go tumbling down toward |
its victims. l hadn't long to wait, of /
course, and just as l gasped at the last /
bound of the bowlder it struck an OBJ
Struction OF some kind and jumped |
clean over the team and the road and /
went crashing on it's way down into /
the ravine below.
"Then l recovered my wits, and,
knowing that what / had been doing |
was entirely inexcusablc. 1 skinned off /
up the mountain behind the rocks and
trusting to Providence
that the old Jerry hadn't identified me.
i slipped around another way to town
and got in all right without having any
questions asked where l had been, and
that evening / went over to the post
office. which was n general loafing |
place, and there found Jerry telling OF
his wonderful escape.
" 'Derned ef 1 didn't think it wuz a
haystack comm down the hill,' he
said. with somethin alive in it
Have you any idea who rolled 1t
DOWN. I asked innOcently.
In course I hain't. Eff I hadn't
been In SIGH n hurry and left my Win
chester in the wagon. I'd "a found out
mighty quick, fer seen him run, and
he had dog with him.
II was 4 little nervous, but kept on
asking questions.
"'What did you have in your wag-
ons? said.
Dynamite. Four tons Nv it
"'Good Lordr 1 exclaimed. There
wouldn't have been much left of that
team, would there?
Nor me. neither reckon he said,
shaking his head.
what did you think of as you were
running up the road?
Not much NV anything. 1 guess,
but mostly ef they wuz goin to be able
10 git enough Nv Jerry Simpson meat
put of that mule meat to have 4 funer-
III with IL
Il don't know where Jerry is now"
concluded the senator; dead, / sup |
pose, but 1 never told him who rolled
hat rock down the hill, nor did 1 ever
ell anybody in that town who did 1t,
because it came altogether too near be-