Litchfield enquirer., 1832-04-05

The following particulars of an event on the Alum Creek permitted to copy from letter from J. R. Swan, Esq. of Columbus, Ohio, to George Bray l ton, of Western, in this county. Mir. Theodore D. Weld the subject oft, is well known citizen this county, now on tour as agent for the society ih New York for the promotion of manual-abor institutions Columbus, Feb. 16, 1882.
 Mr. Theodore D. Weld came here yes- terday. The legislature adjourned on 1 Monday last; consequently he was disap- pointed in not being able to present the object of his tour to them. The country is flooded by rains; and the streams, or at least the Scioto, have not been so high since 1907. The stages are lumber w0g- ons with four horses. Friday night last, the 10th, Mr. Weld, with one other pass enger and two stage drivers, attempted to cross Alum Creek, few miles east of Co., lumbus. The horses plunged in, and were instantly swimming. The wagon tilted l and threw the other passenger and drivers upon one side, and they were washed on to the shore. MT. Weld was thrown near the axletree, and caught hold of the up- right. The driver jerked his horses so as to bring the leaders up the stream, as there was but one place where they could swim out, and they were rapidly floating with the swift current. This movement threw every thing into confusion. Mr.. Weld found himself near the heads of the lead- CTS, and they (being martingaled, so that their heads were drawn into the water,) were plunging and struggling. To pre- vent himself from being struck by them,he attempted to seize them by the headstall, but was struck down, and came up between the wheel-horses and the leaders. He was again struck down, and again rose in the midst ofthe mass ofhorses and wagon, and found himself entangled.
 Having struggled for some time, he was sensible that the lines, or whatever else it was that held him, were giving way; he l caught hold of the headstall of one of the horses, and placing one foot upon the breast of the horse, cleared himself and be- gan to swim down the stream. It was a. bout midnight, and tho moon had sunk ; but there was sufficient light to see that the bank was steep, and afforded no place to ascend. He continued to swim down the stream about quarter of mile, when he saw place that seemed to promise | sloping bank. He made for it, and reach ing it found place where the torrent had washed under hill, and there was no 1 means of obtaining rest, except by seizing upon the roots which projected from under the bank. He seized upon a root, but was soon washed away by the rapid current.- He then went down for considerable dis tance, and pcrceiving on the other side a place at which he might escape he made almost death struggle to reach it. He 1 was now almost exhausted, having gone down about mile, and been thrown into small whirlpool where one of his legs was struck by log or rock, which rendered it 1 useless in swimming, and being cucumber ed with his cloak, surtouts, overhauls, and 1 overshoes. He took off his cloak, and 1 swimming on his back endeavored to take off his upper surtout. This he found he could not do. He then tore the front of it, and finding he could not tear it off he took the skirts, one in each hand, and tore 1t up the back, but finally gave it up. He push- ed of his overshoes, and endeavored to get off his boots; he got one partly off, but they were too much soaked, and his feet too much swollen, to enable him to rid himself of them. He continued to go down the stream without any effort except keep ing himself above water, until he saw a tree which had fallen from the bank into the water. He put forth all his strengh to reach it, and was barely able to reach a branch. It was covered with ice his nand slipped; he caught another branch, but his hands having lost all their power he could hold on but a moment. At this instan; he saw some bushes at a short dis tance, which he immediately swan to, and there for the first time put his feet upon the bottom of the stream. The water was up to his waist, and looking about he dis covered that the bank was about the height of five feet perpendicular, and that his on- ly foothold and place of safety was where he was then standing in the water. He could see no light, nothing but an untorch- ed and solitary wilderness about him. He thought it useless to cry for help in that dead hour of night; he was upwards of a mile from the place where he went into the stream, chilled through and exhausted. He did endeavor however to cry for help ;
 le could at first hardly raise the sound of his voice, but was at length able to cry out. He cried for help, and listened and cried and listened until he was entirely exhaust ed no sound was heard to answer him. He had lost all feeling in his limbs, was in no pain, his eyesight began to fail, and he ko.. al.~ -,z..n oc aLo .u.