Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-03-17

prospect the country thoroughly and stake out
erythng in sight.
During the following winter the husband of the
woman who was so soon to become widow was
seriously injured in a mill. In few days he
realized that death was near. He sent for the two
prospectors who had accompanied him to Lake
Abitibi. They came.
Boys" said he Il guess I've got to die. l can't
go back with you in the spring to stake the claims
want you to promise that if die you will give
the old woman a third of what we found last year..
The men promised The wife heard them. But
she didn't believe them.
The widow had told Bill who the men were.
He knew them. He knew where they were work
ing. Bill hired out in the place In the
OF few weeks of them told him that they were
going to quit at certain time in the spring and
take long canoe and hunting trip in the country
far TO the north.
That good enough clew for Bill. Two weeks
before the announced time for the to start
Woodney quit his job, packed his kit and started
for Lake Abitibi himself.
When he reached the lake he drew his canoe
from the water, hid it in the ''bush" Canadians
call a forest, and prepared to wait.
On the eighth day of his vigil as he was peering
out Of the bushes he saw the sight that he had
waited so long to Down the placid river came
two canoes, cutting their ways through the cool
waters and leaving fatiron wakes in the rear.
Late in the afternoon Bill the two specka
disappear in what seemed to be an inlet.
The first night there fire. but the next
day Bill blue spiral of smoke curling from the
bushes back of the lake.
For five days and nights the fires burned. Then
there more fire, day night. Evidently the
men had gone Bill wanted to be sure, so he waited
three more days. Then he went down to the lake
where his canoe was hidden, put 1t into the water
took pains to observe that there the lake
sign Of human life then slowly padded his way
along the shore, looking for the inlet.
Bill padding as quietly as he could when at
the "knuckle" Of the water finger-a point where
the inlet was not more than so feet wide-he sud
denly the left bank-the two prospectors!
The next instant one of them threw ak at Bills
canoe that all but cut it in two and sunk 1t quick
ly as a mine could sink batteshp.
Woodney doesn't know yet why he is alive. He
seemed to have no chance to live 1t two
against one and the in the water. So were
his food. his weapons and his TOOLS If he not
murdered during the next second 1t seemed certain
that he would starve during the next month. Not
that he thought out all of these things while he was
act first and think afterward few strokes with
his hands and few kicks with his feet put him
against the bank. No rabbit took a trail faster
than Bill took to the brush.
The rest of this story can be told in short SEN
tences. Hunger, within the next forty-eght hours,
drove Woodney into the very camp of the men
who would have slain him. He crept up to them.
late at night, and stole their food He could not
steal much at time but he stole enough to keep
him alive He stole not once. but three times. The
next time he went to steal they not there.
They had pulled up camp and gone bag and bag.
gage. He took his life In his hands the next day
and went down to the claims they had staked.
He didn't find stick or sign Of a claim. He
couldn't even find anything himself that seemed
worth claiming.
The prospectors returned Whether they
were upset and drowned in one Of the many rap
ids; whether they fell to fighting and killed each
other one knows. Nor have they ever fled a
claim to ore bodies along Lake AbitibL