Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-25
IN DEATHS VALLEY
The Story of the 'Jayhawkers"
Band and Their Search
For Gold
RECENT DEATH OF SURVIVOR
Demise of Charles 3. Mecum at Mt.
) Vernon Revives Memories of the
Horror Which the Brave Band En-
dured-coI. J. 3. couIton's Wonder
full Career.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Mt. Vernon, April %. - A story full
of realistic misery in its rugged sim
| plicity, full of romantic tragedy in its
| stern completeness has been brought
to light by the passing of an aged res
ident of this village, Charles b. Me
cum. Fifty-six years ago this April,
as gay. adventurous youth, fired with
| the Zeal of conquering the trackless
wilderness. Charles Mecum, with thir-
| ty-four comrades as dauntless and
| true hearted as he, started from
Galesburg, Ill.,, to blaze the trial cen
| past the frowning Rockies to the land
of gold there to wrest from it's shin
ing sands the rightful booty of the VIC
| tor of the plain. Muscular young fell
lows they We're, sturdy, strong limbed.
| wagons, the latest oxen and the most
complete outfit of any of the number
less emigrants of those westward
pointing days of 40. Between that
shining day in April, and February 4,
1S50-lie but ten months--but they
hold a tale of human suffering which
electrifies them with the vital currents
of life time. For from that grue-
some tomb, death valley, on February
4, 1850, emerged thirty-two gaunt hol-
low-eyed human skeletons--the shat
tered remnant OF that gay band of
dauntless adventures of that ApriI
day. And herein lies their tale: Pass
ing slowly but surely over Iowa's broad
prairies, the muddy Missouri was
crossed at Omaha, whimsically des-
cribed by one of the band in these
words:
"All we saw of Omaha was a few
squaws summing themselves on the
bank Of the river. But / understand
it has improved some since then
Following from there the old Nor
mon trail they arrived safely in Salt
Lake City, the last of July, as strong
of heart as they had been three months
before, tho often in the bowling will
derness they had been harassed by the
Indians, or had narrowly escaped be-
ing trodden under foot by the thous-
talong their line of travel. Hampered
by no family cares, however, the adj
venturous spirit of these sturdy youths
made light of every difficulty. and they
proved themselves worthy knights of
the trail In Salt Lake City they stop
ped, as was the custom, for rest and
preparation for the more arduous trip
westward. Impatient soon to be off
again they We're only deferred from
taking the northern route over the
Sierra Nevada by the frightful stories
of the Bonner party, which became so
maddened by the remorseless grasp of
hunger and thirst as to resort to cam
nibaiism, but two of the large party
reaching California. AS it was also
too early to take the southern route
because of the summer heat, they COM
bined their train with the scattered
wagons, then resting at Salt Lake, and
on October 8 started on the journey
southwark Captain Juan Hunt, a
Mormon officer in the Mexican war.
had been hired to guide this train of
one hundred and seven wagons, pur-
posing to follow the old Santa Fe trail.
Took Unknown Course.
All went we'll until Little Salt
Lake was reached, $50 miles south
ward. Here some of the party by
studying maps conceived the idea of
turning due west and cutting off sew
eral hundred miles from the journey,
the distance looking short and easy
upon the map. The majority prevail
ing even against>the protest of Captain
Hunt, the train proceeded westward
until they came to a sheer precipice
of a thousand feet or more in the Wa
satch mountains. Since progress now
seemed impossible most Of the party
reconsidered their decisions to take the
cut off and followed Captain Hunt
around to the Santa Fe trail. Not so
the Jayhawkers Gas the Illinois boys
had gaily nicknamed themselyes).t The
prime movers in the first plan for
quickening their progress, they saw no
reason for giving up thus easily. So
explorers were sent out to find if pos
sible a place of descent. That opening
was easily found, and soon, without in
the least realizing the temerity Of their
undertaking, they were embarked upon
a trip which Fremont had avoided with
the cool reasoning of man who will
not recklessly sacrifice himself jour-
ney across the great American desert.
The horrors of that trip may best be
described in the words of the young
est member Of the party, Col. Cotton,
now of Kansas City:
colton's Story.
"Four months we were in traversfng
about 800 miles of that desolate re-
gion. For fifty-two days we were prac-
tically without food, except the small
est rations of our starved cattle and
the scantiest supply of water. We
killed our cattle, but found the flesh
unfit for food and the very marrow in
the bones had turned to blood and
water. We devoured the hides and
entrails in the absence Of anything
more palatable. What little water we
found was mostly alkaline and unfit
to drink and what little water there
was had a way of sinking suddenly in
to the sand"
Early in the wearisome march stout
wagons had been cut to carts, and
carts again to pack saddles to tighten
the burden of the famished oxen. They
threw away their guns, their jack
knives and every weight. One man
had $500 in gold, and offered it on
the halves to any one who would carry
it thru, but life meant more than mon
ey to these grim human beings who
tramped all day and day after day
without speaking. even youths flashing
courage quenched in the remorseless
grasp of cruel hunger and the very
gold they sought was scattered on the
arid plain At one time they We're