Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-20
Aged Pioneer Suffered Untold
HardShips in Search for
Gold Among Rugged Cliffs
of MogoIIonS.
LET IN THE SUM WERE
LAST WORDS WRITTEN
Body Found Near Water for
Want of Which Hardy ADJ
venturer Endured AgonieS
Past Description.

SPECIAL oisPsrcr TO noRsiNo JOURNAL
socorro, n, NJ, Feb. 19.--Surpass-
ing In vividness of detail any tale of
fiction ever written by Jack London.
is the narrative of hardships endured
by Captain NJ. Cooney as unfolded in
his diary found in a small handbag
found strapped to the horn of his
saddle near where the body Of the
aged adyenturer was discovered in a
lonely canyon in one of the most in
accessible corners of Socorro county
Throughout the story there stalks
the grim specter OF thirst ever the
terror of the desert man. The frantic
search for water for himself and his
two horses, Tom and Jerry" I'M
douhtedly brought on The exhaustion
that caused Captain Cooney's death.
He found water--in fact when the
searchers discovered the body it was
partially covered by sand washed up
BIZ the waters of Sycamore creek
but it was too late. His strength was
not sufficient 10 overcome the hard
ships that he had endured
let In the SUM-"
Although weakened to the point
where his mind wandered. there is
not in all the entries of the diary one
word of complaint--never a whine or
whimper. Like the hardy pioneer
that he was, he died game. He
writes of hearing bells that never ex-
isted and of smelling meat cooking
that was the vagary of disordered
brain Most pathetic of all is the final
entry in the diary, dated September
l5-"Let in little sun. ] feel bet
ter"
Just when Captain Cooney died
will never be known, except that II
was subsequent to November 10. the
date of this last entry Near where
the body was found Jerry" one of
the horses that he had, started out
with, was found alive. Tom, the
other horse, had been killed when he
crashed over precipice In the fran
tic effort to get to water. Strapped
10 the saddle was the old mans
slicker and the handbag containing
his shaving outfit and the diary tell
ing the story of his Inflated venture.
Funeral Today.
The body of Captain Cooney
reached Socorro today, and Will De
buried here tomorrow. The funeral
will be conducted from the resi-
dence.
Though a wealthy man, the fever
cooneys blood, and the story OF now,
at the age of rs years.. he left on
prospecting trip in the Mogollons,
never to return alive, forms one Oh
the most romantic narratives in all
the romantic history of the south
west How he left home on. october
26. how his son and r. w. Lewis,
formerly a member of the mounted
police. went in search of him just af-
ter Thanksgiving day and were COM
PEELED TO return after ten days on ac-
count of the deep SHOWS in the noun
tains. how they started again ABOUT
two weeks ago. going in two separate
parties, and how the body, was
found by the expedition headed by
Lewis. have already been told
The Diary.
Following is an exact copy OF tne
pathetic diary left by captain
COoney: ocn.
Left Socorro Monday the 26th
and eamped at mile post No 20. on
the 27th, Tuesday, camped at TIM
Der.
"wednesday, the 2Sth. Camped al
the peint of Laura mountain.
"2sth. Thursday Camped at Hup-
bells ranch. .,.
saturday, the sist. camped on
November /, sunday camped at
Papineans.
NOV. 2, Monday Camped al
Mound, near old L. 5. mission
Nov. 3, Tuesday. Camped at MO
COLON creek.
Nov 4, Wednesday camped a
the head Of East Fork.
Nov 5, Thursday Sheered to TN
north branch of Brushy canyon.
Nov. 6, Friday. Tried to get dowi
into Brushy canyon.
Nov. 7, Saturday. Tried to get ou
of it.
NOV. s, Sunday. The horses left Of
last load out Of the canyon. Baked
Piled load on Tom-and got to tn
TOP Of the point Went back for bed
ding. and while leading Jerry, Ton
horse being hungry, got off the ira
and went crashing over the rock
and bushes down the mountains.
cut him loose from the pack. Il noN
being dark, made my bed on IN
rocks Turned Tom loose and lei
Jerr.. loose with the bride on. an
slept there all night.
Tells of Thirst.
=,
ding and covered il with the pac
cover, and led Jerry up to where tn
Perears was. ] was so tuckered OF
that | slept there. Famished for wa
ter
NOV. 10, Tuesday. Went soutf
making a trail to get down to water
Came to a precipice and had TO com
back. 1t got dark. and there bein
good grass unsaddled, and though
Jerry was attempting to take tn
back track. l gent ahead of him an
waited awhile for him to eat gras
Then could not find the place J. ma
left, so | made a fire and slept ther
within 20 yards of where | LEFT m
stuff
Nov II, Wednesday. | woke u
exhausted Tried to eat bread, &c
some sugar and tried to eat IT, &c
some tablets and tried to suck thef
for water. Then tried to saddle Jerr
and go back to the trail far enoug
TO get down to water. as ] hated
have him left there after heinp with