The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-07-16

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a clergyman youches for the trukh
Of story which would Otherwise BE-
Incredible. The winter Of 1885 was
the coolest in the experience Of Min
nesota farmers. and the i've stock sui.
feEed terribly. About i mile from
the elergyman's house was piece Of
timbeF. he kept his oxen busy, he
says. hauling wood to his house. The
anow lay three feet deep. and the
shedding was good. On the nrst Of
January be yolEed his oxen. and IN ed
aition 70 the yoke used some heavy
harness, including thick leather traces.
II was 1 O'Clock when De left home.
and IN an hour Or 70 be was loading
the wood on the sled ct the edge Of
the timber.
Meanwhile binding blizzard biew
NJ. sweeping over the prairie ~ the
rate Of fifty miles an hour. and piling
up the snow ID drifts from eight 70
ten feet deep. As the wind increased
both myself and my oxen became chill
ed 10 the marrow. says fhe minister.
and | knew that II was certain death
70 man and beast 20 stay out any
longer.
Turning the heads Of my oxen home
ward in the very teeth Of that binding
storm. 4 urged them on across the
open space between the timber and
my honss. But oxen, however will
Ing. are never rapid. and the one mills
seemed ten to me as the heavy beasts
pushed onward. Feeling thnt I should
surely freeze 70 death ID 4 short time.
jumped down from my load. plunged
homeward through the snow. and
reached my barn in half an hour.
knew that my oxen could feel their
way home. and fully expected them 70
appear a. the barn by nightfall II. per
chance they were not blinded By the
storm or lost IN the Increasing drifts.
But night came on. and no oxen
Ttss storm abafed. and started out
with my hired man 10 ind my missing
cattle and my load Of wood.
We noundered through the snow 20
ward the eAaAaer. but the oxen were
nowhere 70 be seen. We hunted all
night long. and arrived home Just in
time for breakfast. puzzled and mysti-
fed After breakfast out we started
again. helped this time by some OF our
neighb0rE: but after q frnifiess search
we came back. yanquished. No neigh
Dor had seen the oxen. and their dis
appearance became the sensation Of
the neighborhood.
They had either been lost for good
frozen % death In the deep snow. or
else had wandered on aeross the prai-
RE 20 some distant farmers barn.
We advertised In the country papers,
Offering n reward Of two hundred dol.
lars for the return OF the oxen and
the wood. One week. two. three pass
I'd by. but still no solution.
II was the thirty-flEt day Of Jann-
airy. There bad been a thaw for sew
erai days. ard much Of the snow on
the prairie had disappeared. leaving
oniy about one foot In depth. except IN
the deep hoiiows Of my ranch. I was
driving a team o. heavy farm horses
over 10 the timber to get another load
Of wood. when. on passing through a
small raFine q little TO one side Of the
ordinary road, / noticed a movement
ia the SNOW.
Drawing Ia my reins. aiiRhted.
walked about ten feet from my horses.
and 10, there were my oxen. alive. still
yoked together. standing IN four feet
OF snow. with just enough Of their
bodies above the snow to make a move
ment visible.
They had been caught between the
stumpa Of two trees. and there they
had been for thirty days. unable TO
move. and saved from freezing 10
death only by the deep snow that 50
mercifully had covered them. They
had eaten everything within reach, in.
Guiding the leather harness most Of
the wood OF the sled pole. the bark 81
the tree trunks. the twiws and sticks
lying round. and the roots Of the trees
10 q depth OF three feet There they
had stood for thirty days They were
living skeletons. Every bone was wish
bic. Yet they were able to walk home,
and after careful feeding for smother
thirty days they were as strong as
ever, and were faithful animals on my