American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-22
A Singular and Frightful Swing Ad'
yentare.

| OK Wednesday OF the present week a
| lively and joyous party of ladies and
gentlemen started out from the neigh
! borhood of Guthrieville, Chester County,
for the purpose of spending day on the
summit of the romantic Welsh Noun
tain, about two miles and a half f-on
Morgantown, The PARTY consisted of
six ladies and i've gentlemen. Two of
| the la6ies were sisters from Baltimore,
Misses :. Y. and Annie Il. johnson.
daughters of Il prominent salesman of
that city. The sisters. Mere spending a
few days with their friends, who made
up TIE excursion to the mountain for the
benefit of the visiting ladies prior to
their departure from home They left
the farmhouse on the above morning at
1--WE o'clock in Il large covered wagon,
containing provisions, ropes for swings,
crouuet sets and Il parlor organ. They
reached the summit of the mountain at
uaif-past seven O'Clock and Immediately
commenced arranging for the day, In u
lew minutes the blue smoke of their
camp fire curied above the tree-tops, and
breakfast was duly prepared The en-
tire forenoon was very pleasantly passed
with the various games and festivities
incident TO such occasions: delightful
songs were sung, accompanied on the
organ, and for Il time the mountain rocks
and glens gave back beautiful echoes to
the pleasant and enchanting music
1t was three O'Clock in the afternoon
when Miss Annie johnson ea pressed IL
wish to engage in swinging A swing
had been put up in the morning, sus-
pended from Il tree sixty feet high.
About half -way up the solid oak huge
limb branched out to the left, upon which
both ends of the rope were fastened
thus making the swing thirty feet, re-
quiring rope over sixty feet long, one
used for well-digging. The swing had
been used during the day without acct
dent Miss Johnson, who is Il lady of
daring disposition, insisted on being
swung rs high as could be done by the
aid of the gentlemen, and to crafty her
wishes they consented. The young lady
Is between eighteen and nineteen years
old, a pretty brunette, dark eyes, and
was dressed in gray linen suit. She
sat on the seat board of the swing and
grasped the rope tightly and babe them
go ahead The swing commenced its
motion and gradually rose higher and
higher. until an altitude of about twenty
feet had been reached. She still insisted
swing, higher and higher, until fully
thirty feet had been reached. She had
been cheerful and lively up to this point,
but all of a sudden she became quiet
and the rest of the ladies were awe
stricken, and when the swing, with its
precious burden, made one swift sweep
in the air, her head was noticed to drop
to one side, her muscles to relax, her
arms to let go their hold and drop, and
away the unfortunate girl was hurled
through the air, and only saved from a
frightful and terrible death by one of the
most miraculous interventions ever heard
of. The momentum of the swings mo-
ton carried the apparently lifeless form
of the girl up fully thirtv-five feet from
the ground and lodged her safely and Sc
curely between two branches, at the
point where they join the trunk of tree
which stood about thirty feet from the
tree to which the rope was attached.
The fright and terror of the party be-
low can be better imagined than de-
scribed as the swing came reeling back
ward, while its former occupant was
lying apparently lifeless in the branches
of the tree. 1t required only few min
utes' deliberation for the gentlemen to
realize the situation and determine what
to do. 1t was fully twenty feet from the
ground to the first limb above, and the
trunk of the tree about three feet in di-
ameter. They backed the wagon with
its canvas cover directly under the tree
so that in case she would drop her fall
"Ouio pS uc sN
was hurriedly taken down and in an in
slant one end of the rope was thrown
over the limbs of the other tree and Sc
cured below. By this means two gen
uemen of the party hufriedly went up
the rope and in few minutes were at
the side of the unfortunate girl. She
was just returning to consciousness, and
the force of her fall had so securely
wedged her between the trunk and the
limbs as to require no little eff
fort to eXtricate her. Miss Johnson
at once realized her fearful situation
She was pale and weak, but still had the
good sense to do as the gentlemen de-
sired The rope was pulled up, Il slip
knot was made and then passed around
her body under her arms, the other end
passed around the limb, and in this man
ner she was lowered to the ground in
safety. With the aid of the wagon
cushions and several shawls Il couch was
arranged, upon which the young lady
was placed and soon regained her
strength and posure.-Re"dtng (Po)
EaqIe