The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-02-29
HErotc Cospvcr OF 4 FOURTEEN. YEAR.OLp |

i HEROIC CONDUCT OF FOURTEEN. Y EhR.OLp
LAD IN LAssEs CoUNTY-HE FAILS IN HIS
| ATTEMPr TO SAVE THE LIFE oF A CoaRApE
| AND Is HIMSELF BADLY FRozES.-tFrom the
Lasseu (Ca'j ddoocate, February a. lon
Saturday of last week Thomas +. Watson, a
young man of twenty.three years, who bad!
been in this valley on avisit, attempted to re-
turn to his home, In Round Valley, some six
miles north Of this place. A lad named
| Minor Wallace, some fourteen years of age,
a nephew Of J. =. Wallace, Of Round Val.
ley, having been here several months at
school, and wishing to see his uncle and
family, with whom he had been living for
| years, concluded to go with Watson, and the
vain started on snow.shoes. The part!cu.
Lars NJ this unfortunate trip, as given by the
hov ,p,. 'ch, no doubt, are substantially correct,
are "a folio VS.: They assembled tke IN fountain
north of the 10 ,vn without especial difficulty,
but after turning the summit one Of Wat
sons snow.shoes got away from him, which
left him no other alternative but to wade IN
four or five feet Of snow. This he did quite
distance softly down the hill, until the boy
lost one Of his shoes, when Watson took the
remaining two shoes aud attempted 10 PACK
the boy. which he did FOR few steps only,
when he found 1t impossible to proceed IN
that manner. Night was now coming on,
and Watson, being considerably exhausted,
appeared to give up, and although they
were but little more than mile from Wal
lace's place the boy could not induce him
to make another effort to go there.
Sinking down in the snow, be commenced
to beat himself, deplore his situation,
and implore the boy to lie down beside him
tha, they might die toge her. The boy, re.
fusiug to lie down, told him that be would go
TO Wallace's and procure assistance. He &C.
coraincly started off for that purpose, but
after proceeding a short distance with much
diti,ul,y he found place where the uplift-
inc Of the roots Of tree had formed shed,
undcr which there was little or no snow.
! lie then concluded to try and get Wat.
son in there before leaving bin. He ac-
ord,ngly returned to his companion, tramp
ing down the snow to enable him the better
to get through; but he could not induce
him 10 move, and after an unsuccessful at
tempt to drag him he watched with him un-
Ill he died. and. day breaking, he started Tor
home. About O'Clock Saturday morning he
had succeeded 10 reaching the fence near the
house. when be haliocd, and Wallace came
to his assistance. His hands and feet were
found to be frozen. but Dr.. Snow, who was
| called to attend him, informs us that he will
not lose any of his limbs. One can hardly
conceive of the horrors of that night to this
boy, who was keeping his lonely vigil by the
side Of his dying compsnion, with but little
hone that bis own fate might not be sealed
in the same manner. Jesse Allnut, With
whom this boy was stopping while in town,
and who is particularly attached to him, pro-
tested against his taking the trip, and only
consented after a promise from them that
thew would 90 by way of Alexander's place,
which. had they needed, would probably
have saved the life Of one and much suffer
inc By the other.