Washoe County NV Archives Obituaries.....Colt, Vinnie 1913
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/nv/nvfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Kathy Grace http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002598 November 5, 2010, 10:34 pm

Reno Evening Gazette May 23, 1913
Girl Dies In Fit In Blizzard

Vinnie Colt of Truckee Wanders Far From Home and Succumbs to Exposure

Wild Story Erroneous

Tale of Bear Having Eaten Her Groundless; Body Found by Brothers

Truckee, Cal., May 23. - The arrival here this afternoon of a posse with the
body of Miss Vinnie Colt, 27 years old, who died in the mountains some distance
from here early in the week, definitely set at rest reports to the effect that
she had been killed and partially eaten by a bear.

The girl's clothing was torn, evidently from brush through which she traveled,
but there were no marks on her body, nor were there any signs of bears within a
mile of where it was found.  Miss Colt was subject to epileptic fits and the
conjecture is that she was seized with one of these during a snow storm last
Sunday night and died of exposure.

The body was found yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock by two of her brothers,
William and Elmer Colt.  They had been searching for her ever since her
disappearance last Sunday.  After the discovery of the body one brother started
back to get assistance to carry the body in while the other kept watch.  It was
well that they arrived when they did, for last night the coyotes descended in
droves, and,had it not been for the guard, would have torn the body to shreds.

Besides the two brothers who found the body the young woman is survived by her
mother, who is 72 years old, and another brother.

For years Miss Colt has been subject to epileptic attacks.  It was her custom,
when she felt a seizure coming on, to go out and walk a long distance in an
effort to ward it off.  Sunday she felt the need of walking.  On these long
walks she was always accompanied by a small mongrel dog.  She and the dog set
off early in the afternoon of Sunday.  That night and Monday night there was a
heavy snow storm.  Evidently she was overcome in this storm and died of
exposure.  The dog came back home on Tuesday and then followed the brothers who
were searching for their sister.

Searched Over 200 Miles
When the search finally came to a close yesterday afternoon with the finding of
the body, the brothers had covered a distance of almost 200 miles, tracking back
and forth across the snow and mountains.  The body was located at a point in
Juniper creek canyon eight miles west of Boca and about 18 miles northwest of
Truckee.

The Colts have lived here for nearly six years.  Prior to that they resided for
14 years at Sierraville, Cal.  The body will be taken there for burial.

It is believed the theory that a bear had killed and eaten the girl was gained
by the fact that bear tracks were seen paralleling those of the girl for a short
distance, when the search was first begun.  There are a great many bears in the
neighborhood where the body was found.  Last year five of the beasts were killed
there, one of them weighing 600 pounds.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nv/washoe/obits/colt803gob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nvfiles/

File size: 3.4 Kb