St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-03-22
A Struggle for Life.

[ Thirteen miles east of Cochccton. SuI
: livan county, \. Y, up among the pin
1 and hemlnck hills of Sullivan county
i'll the town of Bethel, is Black Lake
: one of those small inland lakes for W hicl
the county is noted. and named on ac
count of the very dark color of its wa
tiers. \ tannery is erected here. an,
scattered here and there in the fnrcS
+ and clearings are the homes of the la
= borelS at the tannery. making quite ;
settlement about the lake. There. il
that quiet and solitary spot. was wit
: messed within the past week Il seen,
: that called forth the exhibition of thoS,
qualities of courage and endurance
which are the pride of the hnckw Gods
man, to il degree that has no lnllllcl il
the annals of courageous deeds. TIL,
children of some of the employees at til,
tannery had gathered at the house al
one of them, where they enjoyed them
selves until nearly evening, one day thi,
week. Two little girls. Helen Brooks
daughter of William G.. Brooks. foreman
of the tannery, and Hattie Schoonmakcl
proceeding home from the party. took
Il ''>hort cut across the lake. which j.
frozen over. and was considered safe
When they had reached almost the other
shore Hattie broke through the ice, and
in trying to help her out Helen slipped
III too. They both sank, and when they
came up, according to james kilcain. Il
lad fifteen years old, who was working
Il few rods from the shore, they were
cntwined III each others arms. Young
kilcain at once started towards the hole
i'll the ice. with the intention of giving
the girls all the assistance III his power.
When he reached them they were Strug-
CLING to grasp the ice. kilcain got hold
of them, and had them half way out OF
the water when the ice gave way he
meath him. and all three were plunged
hencath the chilling water. When they
came up the lad began shouting for AS
| Si>tancc. james Brooks, who waS in
the woods near by. now came upon the
scene. 1t WAS his sister in the water
with the others. and he ran to help her.
In reaching out he slipped into the wa
ter. Both girls had been clinging Ia
Young kilcain, and he was fast becom-
ing exhausted with his efforts to keep
them and himself above the surface.
When the other boy fell in his sister let
20 of Kilcain, and twined herself around
his arms. and then attempted to reach
one edge of the ice. 1t would break
away with the combined weight of him
and his sister, and tired him so that he
dc~isted. and the two boys began shout
ing for aid. Thomas Burt, another boy.
was attracted by the cries. and ran Ia
the edge of the ice. and Instantly broke
through. There were now five of them
h..
life. \ man named Max Desckcr. Il
! hrn"mN wood chopper. lrrdIing the
shouts of the children when he was
working in the woods, ran down to the
lake shore. and beheld the situation.
He had his little tiVc-N wear old son with
| him. and telling him to remain quiet on
the shore. rushed To the struggling little
ones in the water. only To share THEN
fate. As soon as he plunged int" the
water both little girls graSped hold of
his coat. and he was keeping them atioat
when his little son. terrified at seeing
his father in the water. jumped III and
graSped him around the neck. The
whole settlement had now been attract
ed to the shore of the lake and the
widest excitement prevailed. Women
t;linting. CRYING and praying: men shout
Ing. and the chilled. failing persons in
the water battling with death. that
stared them III the face. Men shouted
to do this and do that. and hctwern it
all. nothing WAS done to aid them.
When Dcsekcr found his little hoy about
his neck he seized him in his powerful
arms. kissed him several times. and " it'll
Il look of despair threw him far ont upon
the ice. where he WIS taken mp and
carried To his mother.
The little girls Were now rapidly fail
ing. but Young kilcaIn succeeded in
climbing ont on the ice and shouted for
Il tanmcrN hook. One WAS brought. and
he succeeded in pulling ont the imani-
mate tnIm of the Schn"mmlker girl ~
she WaS sinking beneath the ice
Thomas Dent. father of the boy who
now jumped III to the assistance of
D,.sckcr and the rest. and after him
went Thomas llanley. These two Su>-
tanned the almost exhausted and frozen
Dc>ckrr and the boys until plank
and more tanurrN hooks were brought.
and hN their aid all safely landed The
: girls. although believed to he dead.
were rc<lI>ritated. The others were re-
stored 10y warm fires and clothing. The
affair created quite Il sensation through
ont this entire section of country. and
the courage and noble conduct of DcS-
rkcr. IIaulrV. Dent. father aud son. and
the Ia,i> kilcain and Brooks. is II theme
of hundreds of admiring tongues.
Bradley Grant of Binghamton, y. Y,