Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-02-28
BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.
Seven Persons Plunged Into the Icy Wa.
ters of Black Lake.
CocEEcroN. sullivan Co.. N. Y.,)
February II, 1872.

February IL, lof--
Thirteen miles east of this place. NJ
among the pine and henlock hills 0
Sullivan county, in the town of Bethel
is Black Lake, one of those small inlan,
lakes for which the county is noted. ant
named on account of the very dark colo
of its waters. A tannery is erected here
and scattered here ard there in the force
and clearings are the homes of the labor
ers at the tannery, making quite settle
ment about the lake. There, in tba
quiet aud solitary spot. was witnessed
within the past week scene that strucl
terror to the stoutest hearts and whicl
called forth the exhibition of those quail
ties Of courage and endurance which are
the pride of the back woodsm IN, to de-
gree that has no parallel in the annals Of
courageous deeds.
The children of come of the employees
at the tannery had gathered at the house
of one of them. where they enjoyed
Themselves until nearly evening, one day
this week. Two little girls, Helen
Brooks, daughter of of William C.
Brooks, foreman of the tannery, and
Hattie Schoonmaker. proceeding home
from the party. took "short cut across
the lake, which is 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 in too They both
sank, and when they came up, according
to James 'Kicain, I'D fifteen years old
who was working few rods from the
shore, they were entwined in each others
arms. Young Kilcain at once started to-
wards the hole in the ice, with the inten-
ton of giving the girls all the assistance
in his power. When he reached them
they were struggling to grasp hold of the
ice. Kilcain got hold of them. and had
them half way out of the water when the
ice gave way beneath him. aud all three
were Plunged beneath the chilling water
When they cane up the lad began shout
ing for assistance. James Brooks, who
was IN the woods near by, now came up
! a. l. h,
water with the others, and he ran to help
her.
In reaching out he slipped into the
water. Both girls had been clinging to
young kilcain, and he was fast becoming
exhausted with his efforts 10 keep them
and him above the surface. When the
other boy fell i'll his sister let go of Kill
cain and twined herself around her
brother. He succeeded in freeing his
arms. and then attempted to reach one
edge of the ice. 1t would breake away
with the combined weight of hun and his
sister, and tired him 80 that he desisted,
and the two boys began shouting for
aid Thomas Burt, another boy, was
attracted By the cries. and ran to the
edge of the Ice, and instantly broke
through. There were now Eve of them
in the water all struggling fearfully for
life. A man named Max Deseker, a
brawny wood chopper, hearing the shouts
of the children when be was working in
the woods, ran down to the lake, and be-
held the .ituation. He had his little five
year 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 their fate. AS soon as he
plunged in the water both lintle girls
grasped hold of his coat, and he was
keeping them aaoat when his little son,
terrified a, seeing his father in the water,
jumping in and grasping him around the
neck.
The whole settlement had now been
attracted to the shore Of the lake, and
the widest excitement prevailed. Wo-
men fainting. crying and praying; men
shouting, and the chilled, failing persons
in the water. battling with death. that
stared them in the face. Men shouted
to do this and to do that, and between it
all nothing was done to aid them. When
Deseker found his little boy about his
neck he seized him in his powerful arma,
kiss him several times, and with a look
of despair threw him far out upon the
ice, where he was taken up and carried
to his mother. The little girls were now
rapidly failing. but young Kilcain rue
ceeded in climbing out on the ice and
shouted for tannery hook. One was
brought and he succeeded in pulling out
the inanimare form of the Schoonmaker
gil as she was sinking beneath the ice
Thomas Dent, father of the boy who
had already fallen in in aiding the girls,
now jumped III to the assistance of Desc
ker and the rect, and after him went
Thomas Hanley. These two sustained
the aImos, exhausted and frozen Deseker
and the boys until plank and more tam
cry hooks were brought and by their aid
all safely landed.
The girls, although believed to be
dead, were resuscitated. The others
we're restored by warm fires and clothing
The affair created sensation throughout
IL A.>..z. aaa&;ax, af tLa countru and