Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-06

A NIGHT OF TERRoR-EIcnry Osster of Nan
kin, Mich, while searching in the woods recent
ly for missing cow, got mired in marshy
piece Of ground, To his right, about ten feet
away, was knoll of solid ground, on which
grew thorn-apple tree, one of the limbs eX-
tending almost over the mans head, and about
four feet beyond the reach of his arms. Think
ing that if he could ret possession of his gun he
might secure the limb, Osstcr took off his sus-
pcndcrs, tied them together and made moose
on one end, and after careful and tedious work
lassoed the rife and dragged it to him. This
was after he had been in the mre nearly two
hours, and quite while after dark. He was
induced to believe that he had not sunk any for
the last half hour, but the extra weight OF the
gun as he held it up sunk him nearly to his
hips in "A moment, and he quickly laid it down.
Little tufts of grass growing up from spots of
solid ground not much larger than his hand,
were all around the man, but the moment he
took hold of one OF them il would pull away,
having no real support. Osster had a pipe
with him, and he got this from his coat
and twisted off the German silver ring
around the STEM The ring he broke between
his teeth, bent it up like hook, and then fast
ened it TO his suspenders, determined TO make an
effort to reach the limb. Time after time he
made the throw, but the hook failed to catch, or
slipped OIL, or bent out straight, and ut ten
O'Clock at night the victim was up to his hips and
slowly settling. Placing his coat and vest on
either side he pushed them down with his
hands, and in this way kept his body from set
Ting as fast as it otherwise would. He ceased
trying to shout knowing that he could not eX-
pect help before another day. AS 0sster did not
return at dark, his partner feared that he might
have shot himself or met with some other acct
dent and walked a mile or so in the direction
from which the man was expected and stopped
within half a mile of where he was sinking
down to death. Returning home, he agreed
to make further search in the morning, and
when the time came got a neighbor to
90 with him. They took Il direction quite
distant from where Osster was TO be found, and,
to be brief, searched the woods until nearly
noon, and then determined to go the hamlet
and see if Osster had been there. In coming
out of the woods they passed within forty rods
of Osster and were nearly half mile away
when one of them fired shot at a squirrel on
the fence. All night long Osster had been
slowly sinking, and when the sun marked noon
he was up to his shoulders in the mire. Hearing
the shot, he put forth all his vocal strength into
one grand shout followed by another, and his
voice was heard and recognized Even after
his friends were within fifty feet Of him he had to
shout to guide them, as his head was below the
grass. 1t is needless to say that they instantly
set about the work of rescuing him. Logs and
brush were piled into the swamp until they
could reach him. Finding that they could not
pull him out by the arms, the mire was scOoped
away from his body, and he was literally pried
out by lever inserted under his feet.-DetrOu
Free Press.