The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-12-24

as l could and under the ice after him.
| Aweel | soomed. and soomed, and did
ma catch him. | soOmed, and soomed,ay
hoping to find him, till | had nae chance
to come back alive, if did ma turn. But
just as | turned my feet struck him.
Then my HART got up again, | grippil
him, and dragged him back wi me, and
sOomed and soomed for my ain life the
moo, as weel as his. Eh, mon, | was
amaist game. But | wadna loose him.
" was bath live, or bath dee. Pm just
givin' in, when see the light O. the hole,
max fort, and get him oot, and on the
ice and DINA it keep breaking direckly
with the pair o. us, and sac we go lOon-
derin' and smashing till we are helpit
ashore. Moo I'll tell ye farce. Pm
haulding the chiel prisoner by the collar
and shaking tother neif " at them a..
Ye ken | wanted to fleicht on them, for
saying | riskit myself mair for the rich
than the puir. But a. / could say was,
'wOw-wow-wo breth wadna
come back to my body. And while | was
'wOw-wow-wOwing at them, and grip
ping my captive like mollyActor, DINA
he turn roond and thank me in brief dis
cOorse vara ceevil. En-, mon, glOwered
at him. / loosed him an rolled away
backwards to glover at him. He could
hae repeated his catecheesm, and could
only baash an blather. The man
was better man than me; for he had
been langer in. Oh, declared that on
the bank, sune as ever | could speak"
come now to the Crowning feat of
this philanthropic and adventurous life
and | doubt my power to describe it. |
halt before it, like one that feels weak,
and mountain to climb; for such feat,
believe, was never done in the water
by mortal man, nor ever will again while
earth shall last.
James Lambert worked in Sommer-
yille's mill. Like most Of the hands he
must cross the water to get home. For
that purpose, a small ferry boat was pro-
vided it 10y at little quay near the mill.
One Andrew had charge of it ashore, and
used to shove it off with lever, and re-
ceive it on its return. He often let more
people go into it than Lambert thought
safe, and Lambert had demonstrated, and
had even said "Ye'lI haze an accident
some day that yell rue but anCe, and that
will be a your life" Andrew, in reply,
told him to mind his own business.
Well, one evening james Lambert
wanted to get away in the first bOat-load.
This was somehow connected with his
ha wing bOngh new hat; perhaps he
wished to avoid the crowd of workpeo-
ple-here | am not very clear, However,
he watched the great wheel, and the mo-
ment 1t began to waver, previous to stop
ping, he ran for his hat, and darted down
the stairs. But, as he worked in an up
per story, full dozen got into the boat
before him. He told Andrew to put off,
but Andrew would not till the boat should
be full /; and soon it was crammed. james
Lambert then said it was shame of him
to let so many on board, This angered
the man, and, when the boat was so
crowded that her gunwale was not far
above water, he showed her violently OIL
into the lide-way, and said words which,
if he has not prayed God to forgive them
in this world. will perhaps hang heavy
round his neck in the next.
To hell-ye beggarsW he cried.
This rough launching made the over
laden boat wobble. The women got
hlShlCllCuj anu DClOIG llG DOdJ udu
gone twenty yards she upset in dark, icy
water, ten feet deep.
1t was night.
Before the boat coupit " athegither,
they Il llew to me that could for theyd
kenned me. L the water, them that
hadna a baud o me, had haud o them
that had a haud o me, and they carried
me doom like Iced"
Now it is an old saying and true one
that "Atter-wit is eyerybOdy's wit"
Were | to relate at once what James
Lambert did hundreds would imagine
they could have done the same. Tocorrec-
that seli-deceptiOn and make men appret
ciate this hero correctly, | shall stop here
and entreat my readers, for the instruc-
ton Of their own minds, to lay down this
narrative and shut their eyes and ask
themselves how it was possible for NOR
tai man to escape drowning himself, and
to save those who were drowning him.
You have seen that it cost him the skin
of his finger to get clear of single baker
Here nc was ClutChed and pinned by at
least four desperate drowning creatures,
strong us lions in their wild despair, ana
the weight OF twelve people more hang.
Ing on to those that clutched him, 30 ill.,.
the united weight of them all carrrrl
down the strong swimmer like statue
in Il sack.
SIR, when ye'ye twa feet i the grave,
your mind warks hard. | dIdna ..rIggle,
for it was nae muir use Than 20 warstle
wi kirk. just straucheneu myself GOT
like corp w, and let lnem tax me
doom to the bottom y tic Clyde and
there l stude up right, a. waited for
kenned the puir souls would droon afOre
me, and, | saw just ae wee wee chance to
save them yet. Ye shall understand,
sirr, that when folk are drooning, they
dinna settle doom till the water fills their
lungs and drives the air oot. At first they
wayer up and doom at sairtain intervals
Aweel, SIR, | waited for that, on the
grund. Twas the only ane grunded, yen
obsairve. A slight upward movement
commenced. took advantage and gied
vi'lent spang VII my feet against the
bottom, and WI me choosing my time, up
we a came. My arms were grippit, but
| could strike cot wi my teet, and before
ever we reached the surface | lashed DOT
like deeyil for the quay. Aweel, sir,
WI all could do, we didna wend abune
a yard, or may be yard and hauf, and
dOon they carried me like Iced. |
strauchened myself as we sank, and
gruuded. Inc lave were a. roond me
like a fon (X). | bides my time and
when they are inclining upwar! Istrikes
fra the grund; an this time, mair slant
ing towards the quay. That helpit us,
ard in Il dozen yi'lent strokes we may be
gained IVA yards this time. Then doom
lika Iced. Plays the SAME game again,
up, and doom again. And moo, SIR, there
was something that turned sair against
us; but then there was something for us,
to. balance it. 1t was against us that they
had all swallowed their pint O. water by
this time, and were ma 81 buOyant: it was
gnid for us that the water was shallOwer
now, may be not mair than twa feet over
heed. Moo this tWa feel wud droun usas