The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-31
THE CAMP JUMPER.

Up in the woods along the Canadian
border during the long months when deep
snow covers the ground and the dense
stiffness is broken only by the sharp
ring of the woodmans axe. the time
hangs heavily on the hands OF the crews
of the logging camps. For miles in all
directions there is an unbroken expanse
of trees and snow. The great world out
side rushes on, but these men know moth
ing of elections, strikes. disasters and
horrors on land and sea until months
after they have occurred.
They are buried in the wilderness and
sometimes they go mad or fall i'll of mel
ancholia, but for the first part they spend
the time when their labor are over in de-
vising some new form of diversion or
variations of arnusements that have be-
come traditional, like that OF compelling
a new hand to climb the tree. after which
they proceed TO chop the tree down, per-
hitting the unhappy victim of their sport
to make a descent into some convenient
snowbank
If. however. camp is provided with a
Jumper the men never feel called upuon
TO look further for means and scource
of amusement. Now a Jumper in the
woods is about as luckless a specimen
of humanity as walks the earth. He is
seldom found far away from the woods.
because il is in their shade that he first
begins his career. To start with he Is
simply a man whose nerves are abnorm-
ally sensitive. There are many such
among the haif-breed F'rench-Canadisn.
Ordinarily. they would simply be very
nervous men. but when such a one is
discovered. in a logging camp. drastic
and persistent measures are taken 10
develop him into full-fiedged Jumper"
by which is meant one who has so lost
control of his muscles that they viii act
involuntarily at the command OF another
This result is secured by constant nag
ging and ceaseIess petty annoyances until
the nerves of the victim become compile
tely unstrung as the saying is, and he is
helpless in the hands Of his tormeutOrs
The luckless logger straightens up from
his work and stick from some unknown
source strikes him in the back. He goes
to bed at night and no sooner is he asleep
than a shower Of boots and shoes beats
down upon him. \ string is tied to each
toe as he dozes in his bunk and one
string pulled at a time until his foot seems
t be burning up. lie gets no peace BY
night or day and before many months
his nervous system has become compe-
teIy shattered and the camp has secured
its Jumper" the butt Of ali its 5uOkes
and the cause Of boundless hilarity.
\ fully developed Jumper is as help
less as baby in the hands Of a strong
wilIed man. 4 shout sends him high in
the air: a poke In the rips sends him al
-
himself he often resorts TO biting his
fingers and have seen a Jumper with
his hands bleeding and raw from constant
gnawirg. Point a finger at the unfo-tun-
ate man and he VIII beat his hands
fiercely against a board OF q stone wall
Sometimes a Jumper acts Ike n man
hypnotized. He win sway from side 10
side OF 20 in any direction indicated by
the motion Of a hand. He viii even beat
another with his fists when commanded.
but being perfectly conscious OF what ne
s. doing. although powerless 10 help him
self viii cry out piteoUsly Il can't help IT,
don't hit ne
Sometimes a tragedy follows an attempt
70 have sport with one Of these uufertUn-
ate individuals IT IS related that several
choppers. among them a jumper we're
once va king through the woods II single
fIe. their axes over their shoulders. when
some thoughtiess fellow threw a stick q
rood which struck the Jumper The
latter sprans i1t9 the air ard brought
down hss keeu-edged axe with great force
and cleaving the siSun OF the man wax
ing In front q him. 3fore often i ~ TIE
Jumper" himself who is injured. Cor The
men x the lumber camps are rot lnciiE.eo
10 think first before fhelr Jokes on their
AFFLICTED comrade and may case hin 70
come turnbling dswn from a Pile q logs
or even jump into tie Ere
II al seems vsry Eltifai fov the ne
Or a Jumper must - oae = the utmost
misery. lie IS always az ignorant EGaa-
however. and kHoss g 10 way % escsre
the thraldcr- Perhaps IS p rule his in-
lect Is rct v-ry strons 20 begil Tits
Probably ln nearly al esses H. 11irt -
cones affected after fs% years re
xsts neither Sympathy rcr help fTorz his
fellows Tor they cannot g-darsla-f rs
weakness ard theif sport r. nearly slsars
rouxh us antics max shen lspTh
ard rslfve The seaia-n q io1g ard io11lg
winter. fsr away froa e.Tilizsiion- =,
Rostoz Transcript
The PRINCESS Pillar.