Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-02-16
A Mysterious
Disappearance
Two Men and Two
Wagons Lost on
the Plains
By ETHEL HOLMES

One Of the many men who, when
gold had been discovered In California,
started out to gather In the precious
metal was Elmer Winston But Win
stOn went out under different condl-
lions from most Of the gold seekers.
His partner In business, George Hun
ter, had gone before him, purchased n
piece Of property on which there was
evidence of gold, had returned, and the
| two, having got together mining ma
chlnery ana other articles necessary to
their purpose, started from Council
Bluffs with two wagons to make the
trip over the plains and the mountains
to California,
The Golden State was in those days
very remote 1t was long journey
either by land or sea, and there We're
dangers which induced both Winston
and Hunter to leave papers with their
families to designate the location of
the property they were going to de-
yelop. Not that there was any GER
tainty of Its being yaluable-lndeed,
very few of the claims proved to be 50
but common prudence dictated this
course.
The partners, having crossed the Mis-
souri,. followed the Platte river They
had traverscd about half the distance
to the mountains when they met n
train of empty wagons returning from
Denver by whi,h they sent letters to
their families, stating that they were
both well and all was proceeding sat
isfactorily with them.
These letters contained the last In
formation that was received from
them. 1t was assumed that they
would have opportunity at least once
in n week or two to send back com
munication to their homes and when a
month had passed and no word had
come from them it was feared that
something had happened.
The main danger was from Indians
and those interested in them began to
dread lest they should hear of the two
men having come 70 grief IN TINS way
But no such news was ever received,
nor was there any report of mlShap to
them of any other kind. When sutii-
!, cicnt time had elapsed for them to
reach the Golden State and send let
tcrs home by sea and still no news
came from them, their families ana
friends and ncighbors made pool Tor
fine purpose of sending some one to
learn the truth concerning them.
Edward Jenkins, nephew of Hunt
rr'S, was selected to make the Search'
) Going to Council Bluffs he attached
himself to wagon train about to 20
over the same route as the partners
and made inquiries along the way to
the point where they were last seen
This was al settlement, or. rather Il
station ON the bank of the north fork
Of the Platte river. At this place Jen
linS was informed that on or about
the date that Winston and Hunter
. should have been in that location q
couple of men, with two wagons, haC
left the station one morning to e
= westward. Several days later some In
dams had come in and reported having
met them. The two wagons were &
j quarter of mile apart. Night was
T. coming ON.
Y This was the last information Jen
a., nf
men. He went over the route they
!. were supposed to have taken, but be
, yond the spot where the Indians hat
seen them no trace of them Whateve
could be found 1t was as if they haC
y been spirited away from the earth.
Y jenkins made inquiries if there hat
f been hostile Indians in the neighbor
+ hood at the time of the disappearance
but was told that none such were re
ported. Besides, if the travellers ha'
B. been killed by Indians not only tn
II wagons and machinery, but their bod
: les. would have been found. The red
r skins would have no use for anythin
except the horses and stores Of PROV
t. SiOns.
n jenkins could not be certain of tn
exact ground the partners had gon
over, though he knew the route. Their
were no actual roads, or whereve
/ there was Il road it was mere track
"a and there were number Of them lea(
id ing in the same direction.
h Having gained evidence to show tina
if those he sought had not been killed b
O. Indians, that they had not sickene
l. and died on the journey, that they ha
not been destroyed by storm or flooC
10 Jenkins returned to the east and IT
vi ported the result Of his labOrs. Ha
lie he told that the two men were dead
y would have ended the matter. As
le was suspense took possession of the
p. families and curiosity of their friends
: Mrs. Winston and Mrs. Hunter aftC
consultation with advisers decided
TO nothing more in the matter. The
Z had no deeds to the property, no NEAR
for its development and no one to il
IL trust with the matter. Besides the
r had had quite enough of gold seekin
ad In the disappearance of their husband
e. A daughter was born to WinstC
&c N flor bn loft for California Whom 81