The daily Alaskan., 1905-02-09

 CT Thomas. A search by fifty men and lasting two weeks brought nothing further to light.
 Not wishing to be alone on the noun tain, the surviving brother engaged the services of miner named Taylor, and for year there was no cause for further excitement At the end of that time the miner came to town one day to spread the news that Joseph, the last of the three brothers, had also mysteriously disappeared. When he left the house one morning, he went north over She same path the others had taken.
 My father was elected captain of a party, and I went along with them. At least five other parties were strung along on the crest of the mountain for a distance of twenty-five miles, while vet other parties searched the foothills and ravlnes and the level country. Of course there were theories by the score, but the one held by our party was that the three brothers had dlscov- cred some valuable mineral deposit perhaps gold or diamonds-and the fact having in some manner come to the ears of a desperate gang hiding in a cave the three disappearances meant no less than three murders. l do not know whether any of the other parties held to this particular theory, but 1t was understood that our search was to | be entirely directed to locations where the bodies of the murdered men might have been secreted.
 At the end of three weeks, we being provided with tents and a plentiful supply of provisions, our little party had covered sn area of three miles by ten-that is, every foot of ground from north to south, running over the noun tain and down to the foothills on ei- ther side, had been so closely searched that not a wUodchuck's hole had es- capped us.
 The last days search brought us to the spot where Joseph had dug his fire clay. About forty rods south of the clay pit was q fine spring. It was to the east of what might be called the main trail running along the crest of the mountain. BeTween the spring and the trail was a fringe of bushes thirty feet wide, and one wanting water had to push through this fringe.
 In the searches made for the missing brothers that spring had been visited thousands of times. Only ten years ago 1t was discovered to be wonder ful cure all, aud a sapitarium has been built there for the benefit of individ- uals. On the day our party were to begin their search north of the clay pit I did not go out with them, the cook wishing my assistance in preparing dinner.
 It was about 10 o'clock that I started out for a ramble by myself, and had got within twenty rods of the spring and was inteEding 10 turn aside and get drink when l caught sight of a bear coming toward me. It was a hot day, and I tsilnk he must have been fired on by hunters or pursued by dogs, as he seemed to be very tired.
 As soon as I got sight of him leaped behind a powder to my left and was sure he had not observed me. He had probably visited the spring before, for as he came opposite 1t he swerved to the right to reach 1t. The bushes were not so thick but I could plainly follow his movements.
 When he had gone about twenty feet he uttered "whoof' of surprise and dropped out of sight. I thought he had sunk down from exhaustion, and l waited a long quarter of an hour be- fore moving forward. I advanced step by step, expecting to see him rise up every minute, and at length I got close enough to discover the mouth of a shaft or pit. It had been covered with vines and leaves, and even after l was sure that the Lear had gone into 1t the spot looked almost safe.
 | Getting down on hands and knees and creeping 70 the edge of the pit could hear kruin whining and shuf- ding far below, and such an odor rose I'D that I WAS speedily forced to re tire.
 I hurried iiong to the north. calling 70 the searcl Ing parties as ran, and after awhile got them together and told them about the bear. It was only after they had reached the pit and scented the dreadful 0dor that any one suspected the importance of my dis. cOvery. I slall never forget the pale faces and shaking limbs as they drew back, and father saf1
 Men, our eearch is ended and the mystery flna;ly cleared up. The dead bodies of Joseph. William and Thomas are all in that pit and the bear on top | of themr'
 And so 1t proved You may say that | 1t is almost incredible that three men should turn aside at just that point when so many others had escaped, but it must be recorded as a strange coin | cidence. The bear was killed and hOisted up, the pit dlsinfected as far as could be done, and not only the re- mains of the three brothers were ! found, but of two other men and two or three dssr, ,as well M. QUAD.