The Hickman courier., 1869-04-24
IDA LEWIS.

Thirty years ago, just at the dawn Of
a stormy September morning, Grace Oar
ling, the heroic daughter of the Long.
stone lighthouse keeper, on the English
coast, launched boat upon the raging
tide, and rescued, with her relunctant
fathers aid, and at the imminent peril OF
her life, nine persons from the disastrous
wreck of the Forfarshire steamer. For
this fearless and noble act, done in her
23d year, praises and rewards were heap
ed upon her in unstinted measure, fund
of $4,000 was subscribed for her benefit.
the remaining four years of her life were
crowned with every comfort, and her
name has passed into current usage as a
synonym for an unselfsh and heroic wo-
man.
Two weeks since, toward the close of
stormy March afternoon, Ida Lewis, the
intrepid daughter of the Lime Rock
light keeper, in Newport (R ID harbor
performed deed that places her side by
side, in point of self-sacrifcing courage,
with the Grace Darling of England, and
rounds career of even greater useful
Fasn HsaS ig I9 thS sfaSsi4g Of human life The
and the gale drove the waves across the
harbor with fury that taxed the full
strength and skill of the most experience
ed boatman. In the midst of this storm
reckless boy, scarcely II years old, who
had somehow obtained possession of one
of the smallest and most unsafe sail-boats
in the harbor. (since christened the "sol-
dier drowner,'' y succeeded in persuading
two soldiers, Sergt James Adams and
Private John Mclaughlin, to let him
carry them across from the city, whittier
they had gone to make some purchases,
to Fort Adams, where they were station
ed. Anxious to escape the dreary three
mile tramp by land, and believing the
lads assertion that he could manage the
boat as well as anyone, they trusted
themselves in it, and made half the trip
in safety, but about midway in the har-
Dor sudden blast struck the sail, the
startled boy jammed the helm in the
wrong direction, the boat eapsized in an
instant, and the waves rolled it twice
over, like the veriest cookie shell. For
long half an hour its luckless occupants |
elung to the keel, and wrestled against |
the binding rain and the fierce salt |
waves with all the energy of despair;
but finally the boys strength was ex-
his hold relaxed-one clutch at |
shoulder, and, with fren-
zied laugh upon his lip, he was gonel-
nor has any trace of him since been seen.
Fast paralyzing with cold, and almost
bereft of hope, the two soldiers saw no |
choice left but to clasp each other in a
last embrace, and sir mutual grave,
when suddenly, out fronfSShe I aue Rock,
half a mile away, shot a little uoat, driv-
en- by rapid strokes and sure, straight |
over the bounding waves toward the
drowning men. Hope kindled in the
breastsspgain, but faded when they saw
in the boat only a slender youth -
still slenderer woman p'riag| ana . Tc
On it swiftly Gamer hos sa'az,s oars.
was almost reachirS o. = slH the boy \
grasp the nearest SCI = 8 side -
" sSfsssd SISTER, cf5Fss - .s.,,,iicks 20
shall be capstzed s1sey q me Ts
bess57ss 7ssDnrESs.--- Y u ifrossEFoS > urneu 'hS]
It up, one man wH4l~ Xe, backeo
.he stern another BAN, < n in oyer
ift, 81 the next w5ms 4 sTocK sSS; or
It's freight of rescued lives, wass. Broad !
swiftly through she spray back toessR =
Rock again. The Sergeant was able to |
stagger on shore, but private McLaugh-
lin had to be carried into the lighthouse
where both of them received the utmost |
care and kindness, and were safely con-
yeyed to Fort A dams the next day