Graham guardian., 1910-05-06
A SAD EXPERIENCE
Young Son Of N. A. Mattice
Dies on Overland Trip
to Oregon

family, while on their way overland
from Central to the State of Ore
gon, is taken from the Coconino
Sun, of April Goth:
N. A. Mattice, wife and family
of seven children were on their way
to Oregon overland. They were
from Central, Gila Valley, Arizona.
1t was the middle of April, 1910,
and they were in the midst of the
desert, some three hundred
miles from their starting point and
four times that distance from their
journeys end. This trail was little
travelled and they were still three
days journey from Lees Ferry, the
next settlement and almost as far
from any help the other way over
the road they had just travelled.
And Rulon was sick. Rulon could
never get back over the mountains
they had just crossed. They had
almost been the death of him COM
ing over; the altitude affected his
heart.
Somewhere to the east of them,
across the trackless sands, was said
to be place called Tuba. Moen
Copi was also the name of an Indian
village in the same locality. But
whether any white people lived
there who could help them take care
of Rulon, if he should happen to
die, or, grow so weak as to prevent
them going on, they did not know.
Tuba was said to be about twenty
miles away. They had lost part of
their feed crossing the wash" and
owing to their forced delays it was
now running so low that it was
doubtful if they could reach Lees
Ferry without something for the
horses. They must push on for
they had nothing on which to camp.
If Rulon grew worse and died how
could they give him decent burial.
1t looked as if they would have to
leave him there under heap of
sand, if it came to the worst. And
just here the worst did come. Ru-
Ion died. The fright which he got
just as the wagon struck the bank
and almost upset when coming out
of the wash" was too much.
His poor heart stopped entirely. His
brothers were almost tired out by
their hard dig to make the ford ac-
cessible, and all were worn with the
hard journey and anxiety over Ru-
Ion. What could they do? Oh,
Lord, send us help! Must we be
stripped of any way to bury our
boy, except to leave him here in the
sand? Such was the prayer they
offered up to heaven with breaking
hearts. But help was nearer than
they knew. In half an hour they
spied covered wagon coming their
way. Its occupants, strangers from
Oregon, by the name of Parker, had
pity on them and pitching camp,
they stayed until they could search
for Tuba and get help, if help was
there.
They found Tuba that night and
were glad to find it more than an
Indian village. 1t consisted of a
government boarding school, trad
ing post, postoffice and splendid
farm, an Indian village, a day
school, mission and cemetery.
There was also a doctor, a carpen-
ter, undertaken, merchant and
missionaries. Then they returned
to their desert camp with food and
the promise of all the help they
needed; an invitation from the trad
er to bury in the cemetery. The
next morning, on their way to Tuba,
they were met by team with a
casket that had been prepared at
the school, and found that the trad
er and engineers were digging a
grave in which to lay their beloved
Rulon. This was good news, in
deed, but how they did wish they
might have been able to lay him
away in white, as was the custom in
their church. When this was learned
by the doctor, he presented them
with a white suit, left over from his
laboring days, and the traders good
wife made pair of white shoes out
of some white material that she
happened to have on hand.
When the missionaries had prayed
and read a scripture, the last sad,
sacred rites over their Rulon had
been performed, and they laid him
away to rest in the newly made
grave at the burial ground of the
old mission. All the school EN-.
ployees that could be spared from
their work attended the funeral.
They could not express their
thanks to the little colony of strang.
ers, who so kindly turned aside from
their ordinary duties and helped
them to lay their loved one to rest
who had reached the end of his