The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-01-06
A TERRIBLE DILEMMA.
The Struggles of Mother to Save Her
Child from Drowning.

The Struggles of Mother to Save Her
Child from Drowning.
A strange and sad affair occurred in
the village of South Greece, few miles
from Spencerport, New York, recently,
the particulars of which we find related
in the New York Times. The family of
John Prendegast, blacksmith, live IN
South Greece. Mrs. Prendegast was en-
gagged in washing, drawing water for her
use from cistern under an adjoining
room. Her two children, little boy
of three and little girl less than two
years old, were playing about the house.
Busy at her work the mother did not no
tice that her youngest child had disap-
peared. When she left her tub to go
into the cistern room to draw some
water she saw her child struggling in
the cistern. Without another thought
Mrs. Prendegast let herself down into
the cistern and seized her child from the
water, which was between two and three
feet deep. Grasping her child in her
arms she found that while unconscious
it was not past resuscitation if immediate
attention could be given to it. It was
impossible. however, for the poor moth
er to get out encountered by the child,
and she tossed it as gently as possible
up through the opening, which is about
three feet square, and it alighted safely
on the floor. But the unfortunate
mother then first discovered that she
could not reach the edge of the flooring
above. She called loudly for aid, and
her little boy came to the opening. She
cried out to him to run to his fathers
shop and tell him to come home at
once, but the little fellow either lost his
balance and fell, or was crazed
with fright and threw himself into the
cistern. The mother as soon as possible
put him up through the opening and
babe him run at once for his father, and
dripping as he was, he started for the
shop, which was some distance away.
While he was gone Mrs. Prendegast, by
some superhuman effort, succeeded In
jumping so as to grasp the edge of the
opening with her hands, and drew her
self up far enough to see her child lying,
still struggling, on the floor within two
feet of her hand 1t was only by the
exercise of unnatural power that she
maintained her position, the blood
actually gushing from her nose and
mouth, and from beneath her finger
nails, under the intensity of her grasp.
She saw her little one cease struggling,
evidently in death, and utterly helpless
to render any aid. The little boy hurried
to the shop, and the father has,
tened home. AS he entered the
door his wife uttered a shrek
and swooned away and fell back into the
water. Instantly he dropped down into
the cistern, and rescued his wife from
drowning, but she was limp and uncon-
scious. In that condition it was impos-
sible for him to get her out of the els
tern. By long continued efforts Mr..
Prendegast succeeded In restoring his
wife to consciousness, and finally she
recovered so far as to get out of the els
tern with his aid. She fell to the floor
exhausted, however, with the effort. Mr..
Prendegast got out with some difficulty,
and at once dispatched a man who
Glanced to be passing for physician,
in hope that something might be done
to restore the child and to attend to his
wife. The child was past aid, having
been dead for some minutes. The wife
is lying in a critical condition, and it is
feared will become deranged.