Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-03-06
CHAPTER II.
WHERE THE DEVIL TREADS, WHO
LOOKS FOR SNOW?

|
Tho valley of He'll Bottom lies like
a giant stocking at full stretch among
the ridges. There are three ragged
holes; at the heel, Bald Eagle gap,
walled in on one side by Nance noun
tain, and cut deep by, "a little stream; !;
at the toe, Gum Run gap, leading into
a popuious valley beyond the clutch of
the ridges: and at the top, which is
puckered almost to point, Roaring
Run gap, the vent of a small river
fed from spring from near :he in
step OF the stocking.
The scenery of this last gap is wild
and chaotic. Huge lime stone hulks,
weathered into weird patterns, pro-
trude from the soil, or lie scattered
about as If the place had been a work.
shop OF the Titans, who had flung aside
these colossal gargoyles spoiled in the
making. In places the gnarled blocks
are piled helter skelter, forming grot-
toes and ragged hollows about which
grows scurf of jumpers and laurel
scrags--a place to be avoided at all
times, and especially after dark. A
few rods further on, the stream. break
Ing in a panic from the alluvial, sinks
| whimpering down q wild gorge, and
lies sluggish and exhausted beyond.
This chaotic five acres was old Pop
| py Miller'S farm. One lot was under
the plow, a ragged little patch hug
ging the ridge as for protection, and
| guarded at every avenue by the wealth
| cred rocks which leered hideously, like
totem heads. Many there were who
| walked softly when they went to Mil
! lers, and they averred there was rea-
| son. II was an uncanny hole surely,
and unified In every way for agricul-
ture, but old Poppy was reputed to
! have other and sufficient revenues, Of
| which more later.
There was another rip in the hosiery,
| well up the ankle, a gaping tear
! through the ridge, known as Heller's
/ Gap 1t had been through this opening
that Matthew Heller, purely by acci-
dent, had burst into the valley one De-
| cember afternoon in the days when the
land was King Georges, and he had
been greatly pleased with what he
found. In the very jaws Of the gap
he built him cabin, and In the spring
he had brought thither his young wife
to make of II "A home. He had hewed
out little farm along the run and
| built him a barn, and all had gone well
until the day when he had heard the
sound Of axes I'm the pines down by
Gum Run.
There are traditions still vivid as to
how the first band Of settlers, who had
come in from Sugar Valley, had been
startled on the second day Of their
clearing by the apparition Of a man
grizzled and gaunt, who had pro-
Cldllutu lnat ne WAS the Sole owner ana
proprietor and king OF the valley, and
who had ordered them roughly to be
gone.
Then John HartswiCk, leader of the
clearing band, had challenged the man
TO show his title deeds, which the old
settler had done promptly, and the in
truders, after looking wistfully at the
goodly land, had left the region that
very night.
Then 10 years had gone by, during
which time occurred the struggle along
the eastern seaboard known as the
Revolutionary war.
AS to what happened next, tradition
Is vague. 1t would seem that on a GER
tain April day, John Hartswick had
come again into the valley, descending
upon the old settler i'm the evening as
he sat at the door OF his cabin, and
producing a certain paper which rem
dered the original documents worth
less. AS to t-st what means he had
takeE, tradition says nothing at all,
for the valley population, who alone
preserve the story, know little Of law.
That there was serious defect, how
ever, In the older title Is clear, and that
1t was of real moment and well-night
self-evident to one whose attention
was called 10 II, is proved by the fact
that Matthew Heller then and there
had been forced to admit the worth
lessness Of the paper, though the ad-
mission left him not the ground on
which stood his cabin.
Then had followed a half hour that
even after century is vivid in the
little valley.
The old settler had sat at first in
silence. Then he had eXpOstulated. |
Morally and really the land was his. |
mere techniCality could not deprive !
him of land on which he had resided |
for 20 years. 1t was his even by squat
ter's rights. The letter of the law
could never destroy the spirit. He had |
the right on his side; he would fight |
the matter in the courts; and no jury !
in the world would decide agains. him. |
The younger man, however, had re- |
manned firm. The land was his; he |
alone had clear title. Justice by the !
law was an expensive business, and |
he would see that this case was no |
exception. He had not been idle dur |
ing the war; he had money and to |
spare; and he would fight for his legal |
right as long as he had a farthing. |
Then suddenly he had assumed a be- |
ncYolent look. He would not be hard |
on him. He would give him clear |
title to his cottage lot and 10 the few |
acres he had cleared about It. Really !
he was iniuring him not at all, for he |
was giving him all that he had ever |
used.
The patronizing tone n the younger
mans voice had pierced the free-air-
loving old woodSman as with knife. |
His Hclplessness, his total unprepared- |
ness to fight q legal duel involving |
great expense the perfect justice OF |
his claim, and the barefaced wrong |
forced so brutally upon him, sent the |
hot blood leapinS to his head. He had |
burst into a paroXysm of helpless rage, |
and had cursed the man with his |
whole soul. He would accept not |
1T II.
nevertheless he would stay where he |
was. 1t was useless for him to fight, !
for he had no money, but none the |
less he would hold the claim.
Then, in paroXysm of rage, he |
called on the devil to guard him and |
to bring evil upon every Hartswick, or |
Hartswick emissary, henceforth and |
him. He warned the man to beware of |
an Internal patrol which henceforth |
should surround his premises, and |
which would blast and destroy any of |
his name or blood who might ever en-
ter the accursed circle. AS for him |
self. he would never, so long as he |
lived, defile his foot by treading on the |
land that the law decreed to a Harts- |
wick If the court sustained the in |
famous robbery and gave him a clear |
title, then, II ever once he, Matthew |
Heller set foot on one inch of the dis |
puted land, might the devil pounce
upon him and bear him bodily away. |
Then, according to tradition, the old |
man had called upon all the powers |
of evil to make the valley curse to |
Hartswick forever. Might he never |
have male descendant who was not |
devil and who would not live in hell |
even before he died. and might the |
curse never be removed until he, the |
real owner, or his descendants, should |
get their rightful due and be kings OF
the valley lands.
Then, so runs the story, had come a
CHASTITY stencil of birthstone and fire, |
and Hartswick, seized by panic, had |
fled for his life, leaving his coat-tails
in the hands of f1end who had |
snatched at him as he bolted for the |