HomeMy Public PortalAboutNorton, CharlieSpawning grounds
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He was mauled //97,
by a bear
This story is taken from the files of the
"Messenger," a Pocatello newspaper, dated
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 1898:
A MAN OF NERVE
"Poor old Charlie Norton, whose death on Aug.
27 at the county hospital in this city was
chronicled in our last issue, was one of the
pioneers of the Salmon River and Custer
mining districts and was essentially a man of
nerve. In the early days he was something of a
bear hunter and many a cinnamon and silver -tip
fell before his unerring aim.
"It was about 10 years ago that he met a bear
that ate him up and left him almost helpless and
but the caricature of a man in appearance. He
was prospecting in the mountains with but one
companion out some 60 miles from Challis when
he saw traces of a bear and followed it into some
underbrush.
"He located (the) bruin, took aim and brought
him down, but at that very same instant a big
silver -tip rose up beside him and struck him a
blow in the face and broke both his jaws and
literally crushed his face in. The bear then
chewed him up, mangling him from head to foot
and finally went off leaving him for dead.
"Here his companion found him later, and
finding he was still alive, fixed him up as
comfortable as possible and started for Challis for
help. It was 60 miles to Challis and by the time
Norton's partner got back, the flies had gotten at
him and blown him and before they took him into
camp they took about a quart of maggots from his
face and head. A litter was slung between two
horses and he was taken to Challis. He still hung
onto life and the doctor was sent for 30 miles
away. (This should read Custer instead of
Challis.)
"It seemed impossible that Mr. Norton should
recover. The doctor said he couldn't, but went on
and fixed him up as well as he could. It was found
necessary to take out his whole lower jaw.
Norton, however, went right on living and getting
better. It developed after awhile that his face
would not heal because of its being more or less
torn every time he was fed. A hole was then cut on
his neck, through which he was fed. His face, in
the meantime, healed up. Then it was found
impossible to heal the hole in his neck.
"Finally Norton was sent to the hospital in Salt
by Jeff Fee
Lake and the hole in his neck was sewed up with
silver wire and healed up. In the meantime,
however, the contraction of his muscles of the
face caused his mouth to close so tightly that he
could not eat and his mouth had to be cut open
time and again. It would always come together
again in a short time and the operation would
again have to be performed. All these operations
were performed without the administration of
ether or any other anaesthetic.
"Finally, however, Norton left the hospital and
went out with a party prospecting. Here his
trouble commenced. His mouth grew shut and he
couldn't eat. He begged his companions to cut his
mouth open but they wouldn't do it, and finally
Norton found a rock, whetted up his knife, pinning
a pocket mirror to a stump, cut his mouth open
himself and all was lovely again.
"In the meanwhile, a cancer developed in
Norton's face and in the last five years he had to
have it cut out four times. He always insisted on
going through the operations without the use of
anaesthetics. It was just before the last operation
of this kind a couple of years ago that he met Abe
Pierce and was telling him that he was going to
the hospital for another operation and as he ended
his story he said: "And do you know, Abe I am
getting to be a d----d baby. I kind of flinch when I
think of it."
"After his years of terrible suffering, after
innumerable operations the old man's
indomitable nerve was beginning to give away
but he went through the operations bravely, and
his will kept him up to the end. He died, like
thousands of pioneers of this western country -- a
county charge and long forgotten by his relatives,
whose address he himself had even forgotten."
The above article describes Charlie Norton,
who some might say was a man of grit. Others
might call him a stubborn old cuss.
In the book from which the article was found,
"The Middle Fork and the Sheepeater War," on
page six you will find a dedication to the people of
the past and the beautiful land that surrounded
them. On the last line of the dedication Johnny
Carrey and Cort Conley say it all, past and
present, with the statement, "It was never easy:
a heaven of a place to live and a hell of a place to
make a living."
Maybe Charlie Norton was willing to go through
hell just to live one more precious day —in heaven.
Jeff Fee