Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-29
LOS ANGELES MAN GOES INSANE
WHILE ON SALMON EXPEDITION

btN ~ sHoN dl one OF lne pOidE DedTSf VI
which we had seen q great number.
loaded up with provisions, plenty OF
ammunition, my revolver and CUR
and sailed forth. I went over the Ice
for several miles and at last turned of
at the base of a gigantic ice cliff. Fol
several hours hunted around but was
unable to find any trace Of a bear. Az
last / decided to camp for a while, Sc
threw down the bundle of sticks I car
ried and set fire to them. After rest
ing for n couple Of hours I arose and
continued my hunt. / walked around
for few hours longer and then decided
to return to the ship and come out
some other day when luck was with
me.
IT put my hand in my pocket in or
der to get my compass and get the
right direction, when what did | find
but that I had forgotten that very use
full article. Now you know that a
sailor without his compass is as lost
as child without a toy, so l thought
would climb to the side of a cliff |
could see ahead Of me and try to spot
my vessel Up the cliff I went, slowly
toiling my way along. when suddenly
I slipped and went sliding down the
side of q steep incline, and plunk, into
a hole in the ice which seemed to me to
be hundred feet deep. 1 was stunned
for awhile, but at last regained my
senses and sat UP and looked around.
Drops in Ice hole
"There I was in the bottom of deep
ice hole with perpendicular sides and
about thirty feet from the top. / was
in about as bad a position as I could
well be, for no matter how often I shot
my guns or how long l yelled It was
improbable any person would hear me.
Ir,.
ried If 1 did not return before long and
send men out looking for me. but 1t
was impossible for them to follow my
trail and I didn't suppose any of them
would come in the right direction.
IT sat there for more than an hour
thinking over the matter and then de-
cided to try shot from my rifle.
fired and the chamber in which l sat
echoed and re-echoed with the report,
but I heard no answer, although
strained my ears in listening.
After a time / tried 1t again, this
time sending three shots in rapid sue
cession, but still no reply. From then
on for more than twelve hours 1 fired
my gun at intervals, until my supply
of cartridges began to run short
Say, have any of you fellows been
compelled at some unfortunate period
of your lives to sit alone with sure
starvation and death just in front of
you for hour after hour and no hope of
being saved? The thoughts which
come to men at times like that are
fierce. 1 thought of my childhood of
my mother, of the boys on the ship and
of the life everlasting. At last 1 de-
cided to try a few more shots, then to
save my last bullet and when my food
was gone send 1t crashing through my
own brain. even picked out a place
where 1 would fire that shot, and won
dered how long it would be before some
one found my body and what that per-
son would think. 1t was a scary con-
dition of mind to be in, I tell you.
BoIin Answers Shots
"At last 1 stood up and fired three
shots, the last but one 1 had. Each re-
port was followed by prayer and I
fervently hoped I would receive a re-
ply. I stood at the bottom of that ice
pit with head bowed and ears strained,
anxiously awaiting the reply 1 hoped
would come.
Suddenly started. did hear re-
ply and 1t was human voice. Never
did the sound Of mans tongue sound so
sweet to me, and raised my head to
see peering at me over the edge of the
ice the eyes of Jack Bolin.
Throw me a rope 1 pleaded He
said nothing but simply gazed at me-
For several seconds I stood looking
at Bolin and then light broke over
me. In his eyes l saw the look of in
sanity and knew that only a madman
stood between me and death. Then, as
the awfulness of my situation broke
over me I knelt on the ice and prayed
I prayed that something would happen
something to draw me from that fright
full place.
Blood Drops from Head
"Then I arose and began pleading
with Bolin to get rope. He did not
seem to understand me, but bent far
ther over the edge as If listening to the
sound of my voice. AS he did so some
thing dropped at my feet and gazing
down at it 1 saw it was blood. looked
up in wonder and saw a large cash in
the side of the mans head. l then
understood what had caused him to be-
come insane. He had evidently fallen
on the ice and reopened the old wound
which had been made in his head
when the first officer struck him with
the bottle.
"I looked again at him and as I did
so / noticed that his body began to
slip toward the hole in which 1 stood.
Farther and farther it came, until sud-
denly 1t shot over the side and fell with
a crash at my feet. 1 knelt by his side
and felt Bolin's heart. 1t still beat,
but with only faint f1utter. 1 had in
my pocket a bottle of liquor and some
of it l poured down his throat. Soon
his heart began to beat firmer, but I
then began to fear he would regain con-
sciousness and to dread what might
happen if he did. AS 1 knelt over him
1 suddenly heard voices and 1 sprang
to my feet with glad shout 1 re-
ceived a reply and soon my first Of
ficer was peering at me over the edge
of the ice chamber.
HE, with several of them, had been
out seeking me and had. by the hand of
Providence, strayed near my cell.
Ropes were lowered and soon Bolin
and myself were drawn from the pit.
Bolin was carried back to the vessel,
while 1 was compelled to ask my men
for support.
"Bolln did not recover his sanity dur
ing the remainder of our stay in the
north, and when we returned to Frisco
the following spring he was still in
irons, as we all feared violence il he
was released.
Solves the Mystery