Chapter 1
Caribou Sheriff's Dept.
Date: March 1st, 1883
Abel Highland emerged from entrance of Boulder County Vein. Severe injury was sustained to both his eyes, at the point of emergence he was covering them. Mr Highland was calling for help. The two witnesses present at the scene during the event were Mrs David Donovan, who was bringing lunch to her husband Mr David Donovan, and Mr John Dill, a mine worker who was eating his lunch. Both were near the entrance of the mine. Mrs Donovan moved to help Mr Highland when he emerged. According to hers and Mr Dill's testimonies she stood about a foot away from Mr Highland and tried to talk to him.
Mr Dill claims to have then heard laughter coming from the mine before seeing a man stumble out. Mrs Donovan did not hear the laugh over Mr Highland's yelling but can corroborate the rest of Mr Dill's statement. Both Mrs Donavan and Mr Dill claim this man emerging from the mine after Mr Highland to be a Mr Oliver Brown, who was filed as missing by his brother, Richard Brown, two weeks prior to the events of March 1st.
Mr O. Brown emerged from the mine's entrance. Mrs Donovan and Mr Dill describe him as having torn and muddied clothes, blood on his hands and down the front of his shirt, and a strange leg injury. Mrs Donovan described his leg as "blackened", "withered", "rotted", while Mr Dill described it as "blackened", "possibly burnt", and "disintegrating".
Mr O. Brown, after emerging from the mine, attacked Mr Highland, sending them both to the ground. Mrs Donovan backed away, while Mr Dill tried to pull Mr O. Brown off of Mr Highland. Mr Donovan, who had been inside the mine, claims to been heading back to the surface at this point when he heard screaming. He made his way quickly to the entrance of the mine.
Meanwhile, Mrs Donovan had begun helping Mr Dill to restrain Mr O. Brown and they had managed to pull him off of Mr Highland. However, they were not able to hold Mr O. Brown and he managed to free himself of their grasp. Mr Donovan emerged from the mine in time to see Mr O. Brown running off into the brush. Mr Dill and Mrs Donovan have confirmed this claim. Mr Dill ran after Mr O. Brown but quickly lost track of him and returned to the scene after a few minutes.
Mr and Mrs Donovan picked up the then unconscious Mr Highland and lifted him onto a cart before driving him to Caribou. Mr Highland was then transported to Dr Devon Lively, a practicing Physician in Caribou.
Dr Lively has determined the severe damage to both of Mr Highland's eyes to be the result of an external trauma. Witness reports suggest that Mr O. Brown caused the injury. As of writing this report, Mr Highland has not regained consciousness and Mr O. Brown is still missing. Dr Lively is treating Mr Highland and does not believe his eyesight will be recovered.
Mr Dill, Sheriff Douglas, and several other men have launched a search party with the support of this police department to recover Mr. O Brown. As of writing this report, they have not returned.
— Deputy Elijah Degger
