Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1875-08-28
4 Father ReScueS His Child from
the Clutches of an Alligator.

Las, Saturday abcu; sn.down, four miles
east "i this place ON Biloxi Bay. occurred
>cene calculated 10 send thrill of horror
through every human hcart, and 10 make
even the bodc>t trembc with fear. Two
little girls, daughters of Mr. Elam X. black
well. living nn the back bay ii Biloxi, while
lathIuG M the bty immediately III front Of ms
dwelling. were attacked ny an enormous alII-
-aj"r The eldest. Il @irl about seven years
odd. l,"l1inI lh- Youngest, an infant 'i ~"
year., III tier hands, wa, quietly enjoying her
bath, when suddenly her ii,t!c sister was
snaIclcd from her and burue swiftly from the
shore. Terrified beyond al, azure, and una
bic To render ai'v a--l-Idncc IL h"r urinItnuale
sister, the elder -Irl uttered a scream. which
was quickly caught ~ tie ear uf her Father,
who happened. accidentally, '" be Pa->ins IN
thirty or forty yards Of the spot where hi>
daughters were ha;hin-. Realilin. m
>tanty from the tone 81! the voice, thar hI-
children were IN >ou.' peril. bat unable To
conjecture IT. cNact natuT", Mr.. Blar rkweli,
who Is an active aud athletic man, rushed
rapidly 10 their a>>i>rau.c. ana arrived at the
spot Just III time To discover his liytIe dau.h
ter being borne out int, ihc lay 10y an ali-a-
tor. tomprehendinp the scene NJ one, aul
nerved to almost super-humau eior, 10y the
desperate situation of his child, the ag"nI>ei
father leaped madly Into the warr IA pursut
of the would-be destroyer Of his daughter,
which was then some twenty five OF tnr'y
yards from shore. The water, for "A 'stan"e
of forty or fifty yards ont into the bay from
the point where the children were bathing,
sanges in depth from one and . hal. to two
feet, and then suddenly attaining tic drlitl of
forty or fifty feet, and both the anuIal (whmh
by This time had discovered the pur-ui) and
the father seemed TO realize that the deep
water Immediately IN front of them once
reached, pursuit and recovery won!d lie
alike impossible both, therefore, redoubled
their efforts, the one TO reach the point tie
other to prevent it. In this Struggle, although
sinking to his waist in the soft mud at the
bottom at each bound the father WAS sue
cessful. He succeeded in gIaspiHg his child
by the arm about ten feet from deep water.
| The alligator, which all the while h-id the
childs foot in lis rlouth, Pcrcelvin2 It>"ii
oveiiaken, and alarmed and confused 10y the
boldness of the assault, released ~ holt aud
made its was rapidly into the deep water III
front Of it The father, completely exhausted,
raised his child out OF the wa'cr ami pefceIN-
ing that it still lived, by desperate Effort sue
ceeded in Tegaining the shore and deposltng
the child safely in the arms of the mother.
The little girl is unhurt with the exception Of
a couple of bruises on lis foot made by the
| teeth of the monster.
| We obtain these facts from Mr. Blackwell
himself, who is truthful and reliable man,
and we assure our readers this is no fiction,
but that every word is true. Mr. Blackwell
says the only way that lie can accoun, for his
child not being drowned, is that a; every thirty
or forty feet the alligator would raise itself in
the water and allow the child, head to come
out. At these intervals it would scream,
and evidently breathed enough 10 maintain
! life.
| Parents had better be cautious with their
children and keep them out of the water
unless accompanied by some grown person.
The bayou in front OF this town is every day
full of children, and there is hardly day
passes without one of these dangerous animals
being seen in the Immediate vicinity. II
would not surprise us at any time To hear Of
some children being devour-d by one of iiIese
ugly creaiures.-HansbOrO Democrat.