The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-16
YOUNG GIRLS DARING RIDE.
Through a Terrific Wyoming Blizzard
 She Rode to Rescue Her Father.
From the Denver Times.

From the Denver Times.
 The Lodge Pole Creek valley in the vi- clnty where the creek crosses the Wyo- ming Nebraska state line, has a heroine and she is Gertrude the 13-year-old daughter of the late John Goette and his wife, Gretchen.
 MT. Goette perlshed in the fierce Wyo- ming and western Nebraska blizzard of the 18th of last month.
 Mir. Goette was a wealthy cattleman and had lately purchased and stocked new ranch, on which he temporarily lived with Gertrude-or Trudchen, as she Is called in affectionate German domestic diminutive as his housekeeper.
 On the 18th came the first wind and snow of the approaching blizzard and Mir. Goette, foreseeing a big storm, start ed for an outlying portion of his range to bring in a small bunch of his cattle. Trudchen with a prophetic presentment of impending danger, almost frantically entrea ted him not to go, but the father laughed at her foolish feminine fears" " and left the ranch on his fatal journey.
 dDO4-DJ 0duBHltIt Ue CIttlilg NeilASNs ''We will soon be together again Good by, dear father" replied the weeping girl. "We will never meet again, except in heaven"
 The day of the 18th closed amid sweep ing wind and driven snow. Night came on tempest wings and with the morning of the 18th the terrific blizzard was at it's height.
 Bravely the solitary girl bore herself during the long and anguish-laden hours of that awful day stanchly hoping against hope for her fathers return.
 Drearily, wearily, the day drew to a close and then, as the shades of falling night thckened the somber shadows of the swirling storm, there came riderless to the ranch door her fathers horse. Her prophetic fears were reallzed-her father was perishng in the snow and help and rescue must be sought.
 The horse had lost his bridle and there was no other at the ranch. Hastily tear ing into strips a piece of stout cloth. Trudchen wove together a rude headstall for the animal, with similar reins, and springing into her fathers empty saddle she fearlessly urged the horse into the double darkness and danger of the bliz- gard and the night.
 She knew that a ranch lay six miles dis tant, and in the direct onward track of the storm. Keeping the wind, therefore, full at her back, she, desperate. but not despalring, pressed forward upon her ter rible ride.
 Now plungng and reeing, now stum- bling, staggering and falling, now down and now up, snow submerged and blizzard beaten, the gallant girl and the brave brute struggled onward until, dim through the dcnsey driven snow. shone to reach which so many dangers had been dared. so much suffering sustained.
 Kindly hands and commiseratlng hearts cared for Trudchen the rest of the night and in the early dawn of next morning, the heroic child rode amid the foremost of those who volunteered to search for her father The blizzard however still ragged and the snow heaps still grew, the quest proving fruitless for thas day.
 All hope of MT. Goette's surviving the storm was now abandoned and the next search was for his body. which was final, ly found, ice-shrouded and snow coffined.
 Mir. Goette was very popular and at his funeral the keen regrets of his neighbors ,for his death were mingled with an en- thusiastic admiration of his devoted daughter and her terrible ride, a ride which, considering the age and sex of the rider. is unsurpassed in herolsm even in western winter annals.