The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1906-09-11
The EysIn the Xa

Pr1vates Thomas and williams OF
Company D, Third infantry. stationed
at Fort Pinto. were the first TO dis
sovsr what was afterward called the
eye in the wall One day when on
duty they went prospecting In the
mountains to the west OF the fort. In
their rambIes they entered a ravino or
canyon and traverssd It for half a mile
before finding a chance TO climb out.
A short while before climbing out
they discovered a flaming eye In the
rocky wall on their left and about
forty feet above their heads. Il giar-
cd and scintillated and flashed, and,
though the men were laboring under
considerable excitement over being
lost. they marked the curious thing
we'll and had much TO say about It aft
or reaching the post in safety.
During the NEXT three months, when
men were searching every day, some
Of them no doubt struck the right ra-
vine and followed Il up, but none
caught sight Of the eye IN the wall. IL
was the only thing talked about In bar
racks. It was soon settled that IL was
q diamond, and a mOnstrous large one
nc that, and that the value could not
be much less than half a million dol
lars. The talk and the hunt for II soon
began to tell on discipline, and in a
general order the commandant forbade
any one to search further.
The diScoverers Of the eye In the
wall had to abandon their search, but
they did not cease to talk and PLOT and
plan. A month later, az both we're on
sentry duty the same night hey de-
serted.
The colonel realized that they must
be recaptured at once or their example
would be followed by others, and a de-
tall was sent out and put in a weeks
hard work. Then came news that the
Indians were again ON the waFpath,
and the detail was driven In. II brought
In Williams. however. He mad met
with fall and lain for three days with
a broken leg. and It was only by chance
that he had been discovered.
He said the pair Of them had been
exploring ravines for week or more
when Thomas began to act 80 strange
ly that his fellow deserter became
afraid Of him. He continually NUT
tered and mumbled, thinking Of the
diamond, and at last declared That II
the eye was found It should belong to
him alone. Two or three times he
seemed about to murder williams, and
at length the latter lodged him and
was trying to make his way back to
the fort when he met with his accident.
He could give no further information
about Thomas
After three weeks Of exploring Thorn /
az found the eye In the wall. While Il
was only forty or fifty feet above his /
head, II might as well have been 400. |.
The side OF the canyon was solid and
smooth and not to be climbed.
In this emergency Thomas attempt /
cd to shoot the eye out OF It's bed In |
the wall. His firing attracted the In
dams to the spot They could not make
out what he was firing at, but the fact /
Of his being alone in the mountains /
that there were hostile Indians about /
made them suspect that he was not .
right IN his head.
His efforts to dislodge the stone were /
futile, and after having fred about a
dozen bullets he walked a few steps
up the canyon and sat down on a stone
and held his face In his hands. II
was midafternoon. and Just where he
sat the sun gave his watchers light
enough to sec everything that happen
cd. They had their eyes ON him when q
griSzly bear came slOuchlng down the
canyon from some point where he had
4 den to investigate the firing. He
stopped within ten feet OF the deSerter
and shifted at him and growled. When
Thomas looked up and saw his visitor
he did not seem In the least alarmed.
On the contrary. he leaned his back to
the wall. and the Indians heard him
talking BY and by be got up and
offered his hand to the bear. whereupon
the griAHly growled menAcingly and 70
treated a few feet
Thomas sat down. looking down the
canyon instead OF at the bear, and the
animal lay down for a period of ten or
nfteen minutes. Then, as the man
made no move. the grlzxly advanced
again and was presently 30 close that
hs seemed TO put hia nose on the mans
shoulder. Then he turned about and
started talking. and more than once
they saw him extend his hand and pat
HE fierce beast on the back. There
were ave Indians watching, and they
rould have slain the bear with a volley,
bat the situation was such a strange :
0ns that they did not think of flrlng a !
hot.
The play between man and bear con-
'inued for a long quarter OF an hour.