The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-03-12
TRAGEDY OF LONG AGO.
Story Or. j. c. Leonard Evolves from Finding
Few Beads and Arrowheads.

Prof. j. C. Leonard arrived In this
city this week ana has spent the
greater part of his time since his ar
Il rival in sLuuylng the collection Of In
dian curios at the Emporium Mr.
u Leonard has spent the last fifteen
years OF mis- life in collecting torn
pages from the history of the past,
patching together the fragments Of
the story of prehistoric people. He
has succeeded i'll gathering together
# many valuable curios which are in the
museum of the University of Mich
igan.
While in Churchill county few days
ago he obtained possession of few
scraps of bone, a few beads, etc., that
tell vivid story of the death that so
frequently awaited the pioneers-thosel
courageous men and women VINO made
the west.
The articles were found about ff
teen miles from Ragtown and about
i've miles off the main travelled road
OF the emigrants. The position tells
the student that a man and woman,
probably in '49 or the early Sos wan
dered off the road in Churchill and
were attacked by an Indian. The man
placed himself between the red man
and the woman, shielding her with
has body from the murderous arrows
OF the assaiiant. The white man fe.l
pierced by numerous arrows, tipped
with mint. The woman took the rifle
from her fallen protector and defena-
ed herself SO successfully that the
body of the Indian was found not far
away, but alas, this was accomplished
not before she herself had received
! her death wound, and she fell with
the rine barrel across her breast ana
many arrows in her body.
All the articles that are left to tell
this story can be placed III a cigar box,
save the riiie barrel. They are doz-
en- arrow pornts and the position of the
sones. On the Indian was found a
a 4nife. The layman would not readily
Recognize it as such, until Mr.. Leonard
has enlightened him, for ii is merely
a series of rust layers. Some copper
or brass trinket and a number of beads,
| not made in Germany of glass, but
laboriously made by hand from vari-
colored stones.
On the body of the man was found
nothing. The woman had small
paddock of brass in her pocket and
sheet of gold about the size of half
dollar rolled up into scroll, also
daguerreotype containing the portrait
of handsome woman. The brass
frame had corroded and oxidized until
there is but a stain to mark it, but the
silvered sheet of copper in which the
image was formed is more enduring
and by careful adjustment of the
light the picture is plainly seen. 1t
is tnat or young WOiudu VI pSihaP9
twenty years with hair combed down
low in graceful curves over her ears.
She wears tight fitting sleeves which
end abruptly several inches above the
elbows. and there is just a suggestion
of bulging skirt. She wears some
sort of an ornament suspended by
chain. the former being disc four in
ehes in diameter
The teeth of the murdered woman III
dictate that her age was between l9 and
% years.
Is the picture the image OF the vic
tim of the savage's warfare against
civilization. or the treasured likeness
of some far-away friend, or sister?
There the story of the signs fails, but
| speculation runs riot among POSSIBLE
titles. A finger bone or two, knee
cap, a bit of cloth, lock of hair, is all
that remains OF the pulsing being
whose relatives and dear ones in the
far East have wondered and mourned
for over half century.
The little box will leave by express
this evening for the University OF
Michigan and perhaps the faded pic
ture will bring to light some new facts