The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-08-31
CAPTAIN M. p. FELcH USED TO
TELL A STORY THAT, If TRUE,
WAS, INDEED, STRANGER THAN
FICTION
AN AUTO ROAD NOW
GOES THROUGH II
(sy Peter sterIins)


yict-built road between Canon City
and Colorado Springs knows of Dead
Mans Canon" Perhaps, however,
they are not SO well acquainted with
how it got its name Old Captain NJ.
P. Felch, who used to dig for Saurian
monsters out in the locality where
Dali DeWeese is now at work, and
who later died by suicide on Four
Mile Creek, used to tell an interesting
story about it. In fact, he himself
was intimately connected with the
incidents he relates.
Felch served in the civil war with
the Fourth Vermont. In his company
was young fellow by the name of
Oliver Kimball who was quiet sort
of lad, but popular, and he was
known to be deeply in love with a
lovely girl in Vermont. At the battle
of Antietem he was wounded and
Felch carried him to the rear un-
conscious. While cutting away the
a gold band with locket fastened to
the arm. Upon the bracelet were the
words, in life and death yours
Gertrude"
In 1864 he went home, his time
having expired. Felch and the others
re-enlisted and fought on. 1t was
thought at the time that Kimball went
back to get the girl he loved but it
was found later he didn't marry her.
In 1866 Felch married and came to
Colorado. He started in freighting,
knocking about from Denver to Canon
and on up to California Gulch. He left
his wife in Denver and one day he got
letter from her telling him that a
girl from the east by the name of Ger
trude Osborn had written and wanted
to know the whereabouts, of Kim
ball, the last she having heard of him
was in California Gulch. She wanted
him especially to know that her faith
er was dead, that she had plenty of
money and that all was well.
Felch remembered Kimball and the
love affair so the next time he was in
the Gulch he went to look him up He
searched from one prospect to an
other and from diggings to diggings
but with no avail. Finally he ran
upon some fellows working a prospect
who gave little clue One of them
said. 81 don't jest reckon as heow /
recollect this here Kimball less it
mighta been he had nickname. Yuh
see we don't just always git acquaint-
ed with 'em pn'y thar nieknames
But maybe by what yuh said about
i'm you mean Yankee Maize up thar
with Dave Griffin on his claim. But
Yankee MAZE is gone. He cleaned up
parcel O. time ago an went back
east t. git married. An Dave thought
lot of him. He even went down to
Canon with him to see him off and
stayed down thar spell o. weeks"
Felch thought Undoubtedly this was
the man he was looking for so wnen
he got back to Canon the next time
he found that Kimball had been there
with Griffin and that he had started
east with a big stake OF several thou
oohN uoiidiS' ne iods d luSly nOTse
and was followed by collie dog
which he had picked up at Fredricks-
burg, Virginia, during the war
The captain wrote this news back
home and forgot the case for several
months.
One day year or two later he re-
ceived letter from his wife saying
that Gertrude Osborn had arrived in
Denver, that Kimball had never re-
turned to the east and that Miss Os-
born feared foul play. Mrs. Felch
urged that her husband come at
once to Denver because the young
lady wanted his help.
The captain fumed at this because
he was about to leave Canon City for
California Gulch with heavy freight
and besides it was the busy season
and he was head over heels in work
But finally, after thinking 1t over. and
because he was more or less inter
ested in this love affair, he decided
to go.
He left Canon In the morning on
horseback reaching Beaver Creek
about noon. After brief rest ne rode
on and came TO Turkey Creek about
four O'Clock. Here he rested at a
ranch house. As hs Was about 10