The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1905-03-15
A Mountain Tomb
rcopyr,eht, 1901. BY 7. c.lMcclure.l

/
Shayne to prospect for gold.
We had been out for two weeks wher
signs Of Indians became so fresh that
we were driven into hiding in small
canyon or ravine making out of lar
ger one. We kept working back up the
dark and narrow way until we had
quite reached the end, and as it had
now come night and we were in want
of food we decided to start fire.
The bottom of the ravine was cover
ed with leaves and limbs, and we soon
had a cheerful blaze going. Soon after
the fire was lighted two great wolves
rushed past us, going for the mouth.
They had come out of mass of rock
at the upper end. Thinking there
might be den there in which others
were hiding, we made torch and IN
spected the place.
Under a tangle of trees which he'd
fallen from above was the mouth of a
cave. 1t was little larger than the
body of wolf, but when we had eaten
our supper we went at it to enlarge
the orifice. In the course of an hour
we opened the mouth Of a great cav
ern. From the mouth what may be
called wide hallway ran back dis
lance of a hundred feet and then we
came to the cavern itself.
Its roof was from thirty to forty
feet high, and in width and length
there was space enough to crowd a
thousand people together. We built a
fire in the center of the vast apartment
that we might have a good view
around us, thinking there might be
other wild animals lurking about, and
when we could see everything we
stood amazed and wondered If we
could be dreaming,
1t was q cavern, charnel house and
tomb combined. There was not such
a thing as perfect skeleton, but there
were hundreds and hundreds of human
bones lying about, each one as white
as ivory and as clean as billiard ball.
In the center of the cavern were sew
en- or eight heaps of furniture, bedding,
clothing and cooking utensils, each
one apparently having belonged to
different owner. Leaning against one
Of the walls were eight rifles and near
them were axes and kegs of powder.
As we looked around and saw these
things and handled some of them we
could come To but one conclusion. Ev-
erything before us had belonged to o
party Of immigrants making westward
over the overland trail The cave was
only ten miles off the trail. There had
been some awful tragedy here, and we
began looking closer to make it out.
The puzzle WIS soon solved
The immigrants had either been at
tackled by Indians and driven to bay
In the cavern or had wandered from
the trail and taken temporary refuge
there. There was no way to tell how
long they had been inside when land
slide brought down thousands of tons
OF debris over the mouth of the cavern
and entombed them. Heavy rains had
washed much of it in
side, and then the wolves had burrow- |
ed through the remainder. The en-
tombed people had made efforts in
-hree or four directions and had broken
Or worn out their spades and shovels.
out they had had to give it up at last.
They might have blasted their way
'ut with powder at hand, but thew
we're afraid to use 1t.
we did nor go into as rigid an ex-
animation that night as curiosity
both of us having a strong
ceiling of awe in the presence of the
elics OF the dead, but after a night
'assed at our campfire outside we re-
urned to tho search.
we had noticed four or five wooden
nests among the baggage and our
rst move IN the morning was to in
pect these. They contained clothing.
eudlng, etc., but I had not yet finished
nth the first when 1 made an impor-
ant discovery.
rive years previously a party had !.
cen made up in Boone and Jefferson
'uhties' Nh, by man named t
rayne. There were seven families v
1mDering thirty people, in the party a
nd AFTER they had progressed as far
est as the foothills of the Rockies b
\ trace Of them had vanished. some p
'neved they had been overwbelmad
cloudburst, others that thew had
zen massacrsd 10 the last man bv the
ldians. In that trunk l found letters
~ an account book belonging To
rayne himself, and of course thev
tiled the identity of the party.
On the floor of the cave shawn Z
cked up a blank book which bad y
en- used as 9 diary by one John Mar. n
OF the party. II covered ner,od s.
TWO months. dating from the starr =
'stward His jottings were br,es 4
! several OF them referred TO omar q
: and dissnsions. and the last ono B
- mat they We're on the trait ond Y
ioing out men north ana south A. "
PEI 70 regain IT, Two children hsc u
a. Dut All others were well. =
Is me general belief that IN see,, II
|" ma 'bs trail the party were v