The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1919-11-28
PARIS BOY SEES WILD WEST
FROM "a LIZZIE"

Travelling through the West on
combined business and pleasure
mission, a former Paris boy, Clar-
ence Erringer, is getting great
deal of enjoyment and many novel
experiences out of his trip. Mr..
Erringer is representing one of the
high-class makes of automobiles on
the Pacific Coast, although he is
making his trip in a Tin Lizzie
carrying a side-line for another con-
Germ.
He started from Minneapolis,
Mimi, last spring, going through
the country UP to the frozen regions
of the North, then down the Coast,
and through the West. In a letter
to a member of THE NEWS some
months ago he told of a thrilling ex-
perience with bear in Yellowstone
Park, etc. The following letter
tells something of his experiences
along the way:
"Searchlight, Nevada, Saturday.
Dear Billy:
"a couple of lame ducks arrived
in this lonely desert town along
about 1000 O'Clock this morning
(by moonlight.) While crossing
Death Valley "a very appropriate
name, by the way) the oil in the
feed pipe of my Lizzie became
clogged up, and owing to a refusal
to feed properly, resulted in burn
had to travel at the rate Of ten
miles an hour to keep from break
ing the crank shaft. Weber, who
is crossing with me, had two blow
outs and engine trouble, and we
finally had to come in on two rims.
1--WE were a SOrry-looking pair,
covered with dust and alkali from
eyebrows to toenails, hungry and
cold. Our cars are now in the gar
age, and we cannot get out of this
little mining town for another eight
hours and some expense, at least
$50. You see we are trying to
avoid the winter weather and took
the short cut straight south, cut
ting out Los Angeles and the Pacific
Coast territory We have had abso-
lutely no business for the past three
weeks in our line, and there will be
none until we reach Arizona and
Texas.
reaching Las Vegas. Went over two
hundred miles out of our course,
and finally landed in the little viii
lage of Death Valley City Slept
on the desert two nights, once in a
cliff-dweller's cave, and another
night in a deserted miners cabin.
Nearly froze to death, and had it
not been for my leather-andwool-
lined Jergen, it would have been
fierce. The most God-forsaken and
lonesome place on earth is the des-
ert, and we have another five hun
dred miles to go through. There is
no other way, in fact. We go from
here to Needles, California, then
east, and north to Prescott, to
Prescott, to Phoenix, to Ell Paso, in
stead of Albuquerque, as / find that
we cannot get through that way
May work all of Texas this month,
and possibly head back east through
| the South, reaching Chicago about
Christmas. Will probably go as far
as 1 can with my tin Lizzie then
ditch her and take the train from
the nearest point. We will not go
to Los Angeles this trip.
| VIC lhIO
movie picture outfit stuck in the
desert, where they had been two
weeks. They had a big truck and
two small Fords. We had a great
time with them. There were two
women in the party, and they were
| the gamest two women l have ever
met. We built a huge bonfire and
had an Indian war dance, and got
all the fun possible out of the pre-
dicament in which we were all plac-
ed. The only way we ever succeed
ed in reaching Las Vegas out of
| Death Valley.
| "Webber climbed up on top Of his
car, and spied what looked to be the
headlight of car, a distance we
thought, of about ten miles. 1t did
it was someone lost like ourselves,
and had out a distress signal. There
fore we headed straight for it. My
speedometer registered eighty miles
to the spot, which we found to be a
large mirror mounted on tall
bamboo pole, near by wigwam
and bunch of Indians camped
close by. traded them a few OF
my possessions and they gave us
good food for them. They turned
out to be 'rustlers' in search OF
stray cattle (thieves l think) and
had posted up this signal to direct
their parties out on the search
Lucky meeting for us, or we may
have been there yet. No motor cal
had ever Travelled over that route
and believe me, I'll carry compass
after this, for the sun does not shine
all the time.
1--WE saw several deer, cayotes and
mountain cats, and one bear called
the silver-tip bear, which species
!abound here, and which old-timers
say will fight to a finish at any old
time. We saw number of tracks
but did not care particularly to
trace up his bearship, nor to try to
entertain him.
Nevada is one complete honey
comb Of mines, all dead, worked out
and deserted towns Virginia City,
formerly a live town of 1000 popu-
lation, has three complete business
streets Of all kinds of stores and sa-
looms all going to pieces. Only TWEEN