The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-13
.2aI6 miscellany.
% FbrS;,,ine r,c;aent Of the Late Snow Storm

III . -. .c.l
1l that place during the recent ieafiui seor' anu
.ass If her most miraculous escape from DEATH
We copy from that paper: .,...1r
.s1sar. IN Tuasday evening, 18th inst, Mr. E. T. |
Runuion of our town, visited Jacksonville,
eight miles distant, on business, and returning
called at the residence OF w. E. Beach, one
~ . miie CHS side, to see bis recently married
ID. daughter, Mrs. f. 3. Weed. Alter supper Mrs.
w resolved to accompany her father home
and hastily cad herself for tie purpose. Leav-
70 1lsGi,x 4ar. Weed in the nouse father and dausn-
- ter proceeded to where the horses had been
tied to find them gone, but yet in sight Pur-
SUNG the team for some distance, and fnding
$40 it impossible to overtake it, Mr.. SUMMON I'm.
- plored his daughter to return, While he would
u as9 make his way home alone. This she would
not consent to do, lleeing quite ape 10 per-
nv her and remain for the night. This was
bro.s between seven and eight o'clock. The wealth
10 er! was then comparatively mild-w1th no
.snsowina, and light snow falling Ihsy R arshhet t
their Journey for time without diinculty, Dut
rs.. the niqht being quite dark and the snow nav
~, iao oblitecaied the track, they lost the ROAD
a5nsl hearing TO the South the unlnhaD6eu pral-
20 RE Both were conscious tilat nsy "e,e lost,
5 - yet neither breathed it to the otner' Durng
;be long hnurs from their departure from Mr..
Baach's house until II O'Clock, the storm king
boJ been gathering his stength, which now
1sA burst forth in such ieariui Jury rom the north
we It that it would seem Impossible that any
,I-- mere mortal could brave it and live. Benumb-
ed lost upon the trackless waste, their steps
ysbss followed by a pack of prairie wolves, whose
quick. sharp bark frequently rose above the
bowling wind, their thoughts cannot be por-
trayed, each having a full consciousness of
their great peril, yet coneea!ng it, and encour-
: y aging each other. At last exhausted nature
could do no more, both were tired out, and
saw the folly OF further contest with the
storm till the day should dawn, and lay down
,is1e beneath a snow drift to watch for daylight.
Mrs. Weed wore beaver hood, had
VIZ "cloud" or scarf about her neck, shawl, and
blanket which she had thrown on her arm
when leaving the house. The rude winds
s1isz sweeping ftiriously above them, the binding,
CIV drifting snow, the bowling of the wolves, the
If, II 2 from odd ths thoughts OF fiiands be-
Ioyed-of deata-all Heightened pictu e
EG1t walcn can never be erased ,rom their memo
ries. The dawn came, and with it the fury OF
1'. the storm increased. Mr.. Runnion knew him
= OF self to be on Plura creek, and resolved to
-G strike for the nearest house, some two miles
'9 Distant but Mrs. Weed was so chilled that
evs she could not walk, and after being carried
some thirty or forty rods, she begged her IA
ther to leave her and seek assistance. They
sat down and calmly talked the matter over,
yet she was freezing all the while
- n 10 leave his child thus was bitter thought,
wa but what will not parent do to save his chez
. yea ished idol? Knowing that she must perish,
"a sH and that speedily unless succor came, he
lS sought place to leave her; breaking the ice
as he supposed of a little bayou from which
1.-the WdtGr- naU reCSuGu, anu Ildklln Cavity
'l1a of some two feet in depth and of sufficient
length, he laid her in it, wrapping the blank
= ~ ct -nd shawl around her and the scarf about
her face. They kissed and parted. Then COW
ering her with snow, marking the spot as best
he could, with heavy heart and sad look at the
s8H spot where lay his treasure, he made his way
down the creek to the New Hampton & Wan-
comba road, thence to the house OF Mr.. Ut
ley, arriving there near 8 o'clock A. NJ, We'd
ne day. exhausted, with hants and race froz-
oDd fTqn lis ct0
It'd; and although the storm was raging fear
.s fully, and the hope of fnding the poor girl,
Z, 10 some three miles distant on the bleak PRAIRIE
sgs9 seemed like hoping against hope, the call of
'sss hottest nature did not plead in vain. Quickly
IVA team was harnessed, and Mr.. Gilbert Vim
cent and Mr.. NJ. M. Utey, with Mr.. Runnion,
started for the rescue, finding the place where
~ 1.-The party had lain beneath the large snow
drift during the night They searched in vain
.fEolllntil about p. NJ, passing almost directly
~ the spot where sine lay. Finding the
search vain, and Mr.. Runnion fast failing from
- exposure and exhaustion, with heavy hearts
DE- the party returned at evening. Mr.. Runnon
-s74 was taken to the house OF MIR. Utley, where
both Mr.. and Mrs. Utiey were assiduous in
administering TO his comort-the storm rag
1910 ing too ieariuly and his system too shattered
10 think Of bringing him home that night.
Thursday morning the storm had abated;
-- the sun shone clear and bright over the driven
snow; the mercury had fallen from fourteen
.a the day before, to twenty-eight degrees below
zero. MIR. kunnion was brought home by Mr..
~ Utiey, and his fearful story few from house to
.sa house; brave hearts and willing hands were
q not wanting. Several sleigh loads OF men, ac-
companied oy DR.. Mixer, who was careful to
Z have restoratives, were swiftly on the search
= On, such vibrations OF the heart between hope
Lns land fear as were visibie in every face Hone
that she might be found alive, and fear that
such hope was vain. The party reached the
edo supposed locality where Mrs. Weed was left by
hia her father, and the search commenced. Pass
iroO sid Ia 0f In Atr
track, and mark, and twig. We had forgot to
"a state that MIR. Ii. had broken Off some small
81 willows and stuck them in the snow directly
over his daughter; these, however. were en-
tirely covered by the snow which had drifted
,,,,e over the place. Il, r --1
3 "a With only the vague uncertainty that they
y ni.nc 1e near her, they persevered, guided |
alone by such instructions as Mr.. Ituanion in |
his enieebed and bewilde ed state was able to |
ifs give. At about ii o'clock one of the party
~ stepping directly over her, tell Though the !
80 snow into the cavity where she lay. She was
hle foundl and--al.va! AjoyouS shout rang out, |
aad in less time than we can pen the recital, l
So oyercoats and shawls were spread upon the
s. snow, shoveIs procured from sleigh, and she !
ia94 was raised insensib.e from the snowy bed
where she had lain for thirty hours. Placed
Il In aslei5h, shielding ner as much as possible
t from contact with the air, the party drove with
all speed to the nearest house, that OF Mr.. Jol-
ly, where the skill and unremitting efforts of
- DIR. Mixer we've crowned with success-she |
sag4 was savedl We are informed the reaction
came slowly, the shock to the system being so
n great and the sinking of the pulse So frequent,
ba. that for time the doctor iet doubtful OF a
lsd perfect resuscitation. Late in the ate moon
she was brought to town in semi-co'lscious
state, but raisd in the evening, and las been
80 conscious ever since, though suffering much
from pain and extreme exhaustion /
Strange to say, the lady, il nothing unfore-
seeli should intervene, will recover. Her feet
and ankles, and one of her bands are frozen,
q the former badly, though her medical attend
ant thinks he will save them with probably
slight "sloughing' OF parts OF the flesh. Alto
gether, this is one ofthe most wonderful cases
taA we ever knew. 1t appears like something too
Incredible for beli:i, that Mr.. Runnion even
could have undergone so much exposure but
when we know that Mrs. Weed was exposed
to the wild storm OF Tuesday night, and lay for
thirty hours beneath the snow, and is yet
alive Is marvellous, and racks the comprehen-
sion. When found she had moved but little
nom where her father had placed her, The
ice upon which the had lain had melted from
Der bodily heat, and when found she lay in
the bed OF the creek, nearly every part of her
hing being saturated with water. Her feet
were doubtless frozen in the morning before
her father left hel and to the providental fact
OF Their coming IN contact with the water may
9. be elihed not merely the safety of her limbs
but the preservation of her Re
'-' Mrs. Weed IS too weak TO converse but If |
tie, nor would l. be proper in her present state
OF mind 60 draw from her recital of the ter |
ssssnfi ,a n ruish of BODY and mind she hoe m