Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-04-29
CHAPTER l.
On the Arizona Hills-The Escape of
the Dead.

On the Arizona HIls-The Escape of
the Dead.
do not know why | should fear
death, ! who have died twice and am
still alive: but yet / have the same
horror of it as you who have never
died, and it is because of this terror
of death. I believe, that | am so con-
WINGED of my mortality.
And because of this conviction |
have determined to write down the
story of the interesting periods of my
life and of my death. | cannot ex-
plain the phenomena; can only set
down here in the words of an or
binary soldier of fortune a chronicle
of the strange events that befell me
during the ten years that my dead
body lay undiscovered in an Arizona
cave
My name is John Carter; am bet
fer known as Captain Jack Carter of
Virginia. At the close of the Civil
war l found myself possessed of sew
eral hundred thousand dollars (COn-
federate) and a captains commission
in the cavalry arm of an army which
no longer existed. MasterlesS, penni-
less, and with my only means of live
lihood, fighting. gone. determined to
work my way to the Southwest and
attempt TO retrieve my fallen fortunes
in search for gold
! spent nearly a year prospecting
in company with another Confederate
officer, Captain James X. Powell of
Richmond. We were extremely for
tunate, for late in the winter II 1866,
after many hardships and privations,
we located the most remarkable gold
bearing quartz vein that our widest
dreams had ever pictured.
AS our equipment was crude in the
extreme we decided that one of us
must return to civilization. purchase
the necessary machinery and return
with a sufficient force of men properly
to work the mine
As Powell was familiar with the
country, as well as with the mechani-
cal requirements of mining we deter
mined that it would be best for him
to make the trip.
On March 3, 1866 Powell and I
packed his provisions on two of our
burros and bidding me good-by he
mounted his horse. and started down
the mountainside toward the valley,
across which led the first stage of his
journey,
could see him and his little pack
animals picking their way down the
| mountainside toward the valley, and
! all during the morning l would catch
occasional glimpses of them as they
| topped a hog back or came out upon
level plateau. My last sight of Powell
was about three in the afternoon as
| he entered the shadows of the range
| on the opposite side Of the valley.
Some hours afterward l happened
to glance casually across the valley
and was much surprised to note three
| little dots in about the same place /
! had las1 seen my friend and his two
pack animals. ara not given to
needless worrying, but the more
tried to convince myself that all was
well with Powell. and that the dots !
had seen on his trail were antelope or
wild horses. the less I was able to as
sure myself.
Powell, knew, was well armed
and further, an experienced Indian
| fighter: but / toe had lived and fought
for years among the Sioux in the
| North, and ] knew that his chances
were small against a party Of cum
ming trailing Apaehes. Finally 4
could endure the suspense no longer,
/ and. arming myself with two Colt re-
volvers and a carbine, strapped two
belts of cartridges about me and
catching my saddle horse, started
down the trail taken by Powell in the
/ morning.
Close upon dusk, J discovered the
point where other tracks joined those
of Powell. They were the tracks Of
unshod ponies, three Of them, and the
ponies bad been galloping.
followed rapidly until. about mid
night l reached the water hole where
Powell had expected to camp.
was interested 20 note that the
tracks Of the pursuing horsemen, for
sueh I was now convinced they must
he continued after Powell with only
brief stop at the hole for water; and
/ always at the same rate OF speed as
| hls