The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-22
Former Fearful December.

was a summer day compared with the
twenty-third Of December. % years ago.
According TO the Eagles back files the
mercury went down 10 p below zero on
that date and as the Eagle office was the
recognized weather station in those days
The statement must be accepted In
Kansas City. however. on that day the
mercury registered only Il degrees be
low But Il must be remembered that
the wind swept over the plains unob-
structed in those days and made a naked
baby town colder than a big hily well
Sheltered town Ike Kansas City.
George Willie Cooper Jones (the right
rame of him Judge Sluss called George
Washington Calhoun Jones IN the early
days is a living witness Of the severity OF
the weather Of that awful twenty third
OF December, 1872. It was on that day
that he became cripple for life and only
escaped death by his indomitable spirit.
He has since walked on cork legs and be-
came a man not without fame AMI the
admiration OF his fellow citizens of Wich-
tia
During one Of the awful cold days in
the early part Of the week a reporter for
the Eagle visited him in his magnetic
healing Office on East Douglas avenue and
before a cheerful fireplace he told the
story Of that fearful day.
Dr. Jones was then II years Of age.
He and George Howard, a negro boy
whom the Jones family brought from
Missouri with them, had been down in
Barber county with q load of corn. At
that time there wasn't q house between
Cowskin Grove and the Chicaskia river,
a distance Of sixty miles. DR.. Jones and
George Howard were near where Reid 5
ranch afterwards was on their return
home when northwest blizzard set in
Their blankets had been burned the prev
ious night They had thirteen buffalo
hiaes and they took two large ones to
spread over them at night. These hides
were greene and they tucked them
under their sides carefully. Pretty soon
they froze as hard as boards and when
the boys moved in their sleep these hides
being then stiff exposed them 10 the
awful cold and could not be tucked any
more. They were so cold at daylight
that they had to fasten the harness Of
their team with their teeth and this con-
sumed nearly two hours. as one Of the
horses. Canadian pony. was slHttish.
~
faces and drove them of the road The
hands of the BOYS were so cold that they
could not guide them. They finally gave
up travelling and concluded 10 Duild fire
and set near # TIL the storm moderated
After building the fire they could not
keep it burning The blizzard would
come in gusts and scatter the Goals about
the prairie Not succeeding in this plan
they concluded 10 desert the wagon and
ride the horses home. Before noon
George Howard frcze dead en- his horses
back and fell to the ground. He had
grown up with DR. Jones and his loss, in
such a fearful manner, affected him very
much He had notion to lie down with
Rewards dead body and await what
seemed TO be a similar and inevitable
fate. but he made desperate effort TO
reach home which was stin forty niles
IN front Of him His heart beat and his
brain thought. but that was all the life
there was about him. There was no sense
Of feeling in his legs or hands ana his
cars heard no sound. He walked most Of
the afternoon and near nishtfal he
caught up with a wagon with q party of
men hudaIed in it, all frozen like himself.
The owner of the wagon was lie Roy
Fosdick. known well in Wichita and
throughout the county
pr Jones followed this wagon. using it
as a break against the binding sleet and
Mt 3 o'clock in the morning Of December
II. they came to the home of a Mr.. Nc
Donald. near Cowskin Grove, a little sod
house 12N1f in dimensions. This house
was already a hospital, some nine or ten
victims of the blizzard having found
shelter there during the night.
Mr. FosIicz called 20 Mcdonald. telling
MIN Of his party in distress ard inform
ing him that one man was dying.
one hoartless man Who had already
founC shelter I'm the cabin protested
against their admission saying the house
was now overcrowded.
Mr.. Mcdonald turned an awful gaze on
This miserable person saving:
Il took Won in in distress. This is my
house and it is open tc every man night
like this. You. miserable wretch. when
you set home search for Gcds word and
read The Golden Rule
The entire party was taken in and
nearly twenty persons occupied that little
house that niglt. Fourteen of them had
been taken in out of the blizzard and
thirteen Of the fourteen had to submit to
amputaticn. Some lost ears, some firg-
FRS. some toes and Mr.. Jones both LEGS
from the krees down.
The next day a most remarkable thing
happcned In the morning sir Jones
was placed on the back OF his sldtush
pony ana he attempted 10 reach home,
miles away. Crossin gthe river. In deep
bank OF snow. he was thrown on the Ice