The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-02-25
(From the Richmond Journal

Speaking Of big Tom Wilson the
recoverer of the body of Professor
Elisha Mitchell, and the best known
hunter in North Carolina, who died
in Xancey county, in that state, on
! the 5th instant. the, Rev Johannes
Oertel, of Vienna, Va-r who knew
him WELL says:
ALTHOUGH a Simnie nlountaineer,
he had the natural capacity of
statesman, with a. head sefitting a
senator, and the Keen e3es of a gen
eral. Of colossal Proportions, he
seemed an emenaSoA, of the noun
tain he inhabited, 81 ing an impress
sion Of biSness as does a Flemish
horse, the embod5lsseslt OF strength
and power. He could follow the
trail up the mounta 81 on tha darkest
night as if by instinct, and the six
miles climb up its E:tsged side with
an extra Load of tWGaty-fy1 or thir-
ty pounds was. to him sToall mat
ter
Professor Mitchell, it mag be re-
membered. although q native OF Con-
necticut, was closely Identified with
the old North State, giving the best
years of his life, as prot esSoH in the
University Of North Care lima, to the
advancement of the young of that
state, and establishing by scientific;
investigation, it's claim to the pos
session of the highest peak; (Mount
Mitchell, called for himl east of the
Rocky Mountains
GA story" to quote again Dr. Ger
tel, has all the more graphic inter-
est when told upon tae, scene of it's
enactment, and the account Of the
recovery of the body of Mitchell CIV
en- .sby its dEscoverer as we stood to-
gether by hts lonely grave on the
mountain top, lost nothing in dra-
matte effect from it's stage setting of
gigantic bouiders and turbulent water
falls. - .."
"'You see,' Tom began, 'the pro-
fessor had come to Jesse Stepp's at
the foot of the mountain about. the
middle of June with his son, Charles
Mitchell, his daughter, and. serv-
ant boy, and established his head
height of the peak by an instrument
tai survey, his former Measurement
being only barometrical
He had been engaged in. the
work for nearly two weeks, and had
got quarter Of mile above Will
liam Patton's mountain hotel, when
at half past two o'clock on Saturday,
June 9Th, he left off, telling his son
that he was going across the noun
tain to the settlement on CanaE riv-
er, to see me and another man of my
name wka had guided him up the
mountain on former visit. He was
alone, and promised to return to the
Mountain house on Monday at noon,
but when his son went to the spot
according to appointment, he aid not
find him there. The next day the
same thing happened, and the next,
and on Thursday, when [, being ap-
piled 10, informed. his friends that
he had not been seen or. heard of at
the settlement the greatest alarm
was felt. Search parties, consisting
of experienced men, among them Z.
! B. Vance, afterward United States
senator, set out in quest of the miss
ing. man, but il was nearly a week
before any trace of him was discov-
cred.
II felt sure they had all gone on
the wrong track, and that If Professor
Mitchell had got lost on the noun
tain 1t was somewhere near the sum-
mit, but when | said so they laughed
at the very idea. l was certain
was right, however, and getting two
Tennessee hunters to go with me,
came to this spot l first traced a
circle around here Indicating with
his handy. making 1t gradually wider
as l went down, and presently l be-
gan to see signs OF q man having
passed that way. You see it was sum-
mer, and although considerable time
had gone by since the professor was
missing. there had been no storms. to
disturb these signs. They were trifles
In Themselves few tWigs bent or
broken OF. some laurel leaves turned
the wrong way as IL a mans shoulder
had brushed against them IN passing.
but they meant a great deal. call
: ed the attention of the hunters to