Canton Herald

A TRAGEDY IN THE WILDERNESS.—On the 21st, Bonneville and his party encamped amidst high and beetling cliffs of indurated clay and sandstone, bearing the semblance of towers, castles, churches, and fortified cities. At a distance, it was scarcely possible to persuade oneself, that the works of art were not mingled with these fantastic freaks of nature. They had received the name of Scott's Bluffs from a melancholy circumstance. A number of years since a party were descending the upper part of the river in canoes, when their frail barks were overturned, and all their powder spoiled. Their rifles being rendered thus useless they were unable to procure food by hunting—had to depend upon roots and wild fruits for subsistence. After suffering extremely from hunger, they arrived at Laramie's fork, a small tributary of the north branch of the Nebraska, about sixty miles above the cliffs just mentioned. Here one of the party, by the name of Scott, was taken ill, and his companions came to a halt, until he should recover health and strength sufficient to proceed. While they were searching around in quest of edible roots, they discovered a fresh trail of white men, who evidently but recently preceded them. What was to be done? By a forced march they might overtake this party, and thus be able to reach the settlements in safety. Should they linger, they might all perish of famine and exhaustion. Scott, however, was incapable of moving; they were too feeble to aid him forward, and dreaded that such a clog would prevent their coming up with the advance party. They determined, therefore, to abandon him to his fate. Accordingly, under pretence of seeking food, and such simples as might be efficacious in his malady, they deserted him, and hastened forward upon the trail. They succeeded in overtaking the party of which they were in quest, but concealed their faithless desertion of Scott, alleging that he had died of disease. On the ensuing summer, these very individuals visiting those parts in company with others, came suddenly upon the bleached bones and grinning skull of a human skeleton, which, by certain signs they recognised for the remains of Scott. This was sixty long miles from the place where they had abandoned him; and it appeared that the wretched man had crawled that immense distance before death put an end to his miseries. The wild and picturesque bluffs in the neighborhood of his lonely grave have ever since borne his name. [Washington Irving.]