New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-16
A Home.Bred Hero.Martyr.
The New York Tribune says:

~
The New York Tribune says:
Among the applications made to the last
Congress tor medal for services in the
saving of life. was that OF John Horn OF
Detroit who may be Justly styled home
bred John Lambert. The character and
adventure of John Lambert, Of Scotland,
were very graphically described by Charles
Reade year ago in the Tribune, under the
title of a Hero and Martyr" Mr.. Horn is
a young man living at Detroit, assisting his
| father there in small tavern near the
public wharves. Doubtless this proximity
t. the water has given him the opportuni-
ties which he has had il several years tor
saving what he calculates in the aggregate
at about leo human lives from death by
| drowning.
The Hon. Moses w. Field, of the House
of Representatives. who knew Horn in
| Detroit, brought his claim to the attention
of Congress. In collecting information in
1 regard to Horns singular and thrilling
adventures, the following letter was
| obtained from the hero himself. 1t is a
| very modest and not detailed report of
| what he has accomplished, told in simple
| and homely language, and will be read with
| peculiar interest:
THE HERDS OWN STORY.
| To the Eon. Noses ". Field, House oe Represen-
| tatives
| DkAh uSlh-l uaNt ucNcI OcSIACO q puOIlC
| statement of the service which, under God,
| have been able to render in saving human
life. but as you have asked me TO send you
| list OF the men, women and children whom
l have rescued from drowning, will SO do,
80 far as can from memory. have never
kept record of the names, and the number
| Is SO great that you will excuse me- it leave
! some unmentioned.
l think l have altogether saved more
! than 100 human beings, but take no credit
| about this matter, and | have never re-
| GREETED doing what l have done in any
case, although l have had at times to keep
| my bed for many weeks On account OF the
exposure in the cold weather. 1t is well
for me that l had good mother to take
care of me at such times OF sickness. On
the twenty-trst OF May. IS. l saved Mr..
Manning. of Windsor. On the seventh of
July, 1865. l saved Mr.. George Taylor, Of
New York State; he was very near dead
when got him on the wharf. October 10,
1865, saved a child of Mr.. r. German. of
| Adrian: she was about i've years old and
| was near drowned when got her out. De-
cember l., 1865, l saved a son of Mr.. Yates.
who kept a clothing store on Jefferson ave
nue.. The night was very cold, high wind
was blowing at the time, and he was very
near dead when We reached the wharf.
NINE PERSONS SAVED IN ONE NIGHT.
| April H. 1866, was the worst night ever
had. 1t will be ever memorable as the
| night Of the great conf agration at the De-
troit and Milwaukee railroad depot, when
| sixteen poor fellows were dro wned. l res
| cued nine. and then became so exhausted
| that l could not swim, and had to abandon
them to their fate. l got very bad cold
and lay in bed for two weeks, but that was
| nothing in comparison to the good accom-
plished July %, 1866. saved Mr.. Joseph
Noble. of Windsor, and | believe you were
there at the time. He was once engineer on
the Great Western railroad. You know he
came near drowning me by his struggles in
the water. at which time | received severe
internal injuries. April :. 1867, saved
the son of Mr.. c. Myers, who lived in
| Mullet street. He was boy about
twelve years old. June Ii, 1867. saved
the daughter OF Mr.. Andrew Morse, of
| Cleveland. She was going on board the
terryboat with her mother and some other
ladies. when she fell off the plank. When
l got to the wharf she was going out
| of sight for the last time. and l plunged in
| and brought her to the surface. September
| Is, 1867. saved colOred man, who was a
! deckhand on the propeller Meteor. He
kicked me about in the water terribly, for
Der =. 1867 saved Mr.. David Miller, the
man who drove wagon for Hull Brothers,
storekeepers on Monroe avenue. May 10.
| 1868, saved Mr.. Robert SintOn. known as
"Free Press Bob You know he used to
be a reporter for the Free Press; and in
his haste to get news he fell in, and got
| him out
A few nights after that saved Mr.. Steele,
who used to keep store on Michigan ave-
| nue.. He was on the terryboat with his
wife; he had a very spirited horse, and was
holding him by the head when the boat
| struck the wharf. The horse jumped and
| threw him into the river, when the current
| hi fho OFF yrvv,v iv,
and got him out all right. October 4. 1868,
l saved a daughter of Mr.. McDonald% of
| Windsor. May IL, 1869, saved Mr.. Flat
| terry, one of the Flattery Brothers who keep
| furniture store on Woodward avenue. He
was heavy man; when got hold of him
he was near gene, and came near losing
nv OWL life in getting him out. June 81,
1870, saved q man called Mr.. George
Brodier. l was eating dinner at the time,
when soma person came running in after
| me, saying, there is o man in the river" l
ran out and jumped into the river, and as
soon as got near him he clutched me like
a wise and took me under the water twice.
When !! came to the top the last time, my
father handed me long pole, which l
caught. and that saved me. He was q pow
erful man, and kicked and struggled so
hard that he made my legs black and blue
for many months.
My mother goes to the edge of the wharf
with me very often, when l Jump IN; but
when she sees persons struggling in the
water and drowning, che never holds me
| back.
RIsKING HIS LIFE WHEN FIVE HUNDRED
STOOD IDLY BY.
| August "a, 1871, saved the daughter of
Mr.. A. Wilson, of Mil waukee. March 4,
1879, saved q cOlOred man by the name OF
George Wilkes; he fell off the wharf while
under the influence of liquor, but think he
has been q sober man ever since. July 4,
1873, saved the daughter of Mr.. F. Bar.
low, butcher, who keeps stall in the
market. She was going on board the ferry
boat Detroit with her mother and some
other ladies; the crowd was very great, be-
ing the fourth of July, and although her
mother held her by the hand, the crowd
surged, and she was crowded off the
plank and fell into the river. There were
about 500 people on the wharf at the
time, and they were all staring at the poor
girl struggling in the water, not one of
them daring to 90 to her rescue. l was in
| the house when some one came to give the
alarm, and when l got out there I could
just see her Dress as she was going out of
| sight four or five feet below the surface. l
jumped in and caught her, and when got
out on the top of the wharf with her the
people gave me three cheers. March 6,
1873 saved a young lady called Miss
Louise Mckenzie. This was the closest call
l ever had for my life. 1 was in the water
about seventeen minutes, and the river be-
ing full of floating ice at the time I was
| nearer dead than alive when I got out
Four men carried me into the house, and
they rubbed me with hot whisky for over
four hours before circulationiwas restored
| to it's normal condition. This severe ex-