The Hickman courier., 1877-08-10

Alone on that dangerous beach night
rapidly coming on, God inspired her
Will, that happy thought of how to save
them. Their prayers were ausWered,
God had heard them cry for help and
succor, when man was powerless and not
able to save. Abigail waded out toward
them a short distance to attract their
sight toward her; she beckoned them to
Jump overheard and swim TO shore, ex-
planning by pantomime that she would
catch and save them. These men well knew
their great danger waswhen they reached
the shore. They could not land in their
exhausted state without human assistance
to aid them; the undertow and moving
duicksand would wash them back and
drown them. This was Capt. Hacketts
fear when he cried to the mate in the
other rigging. Capt HacBett, from. the
other rigging, cries 70 his mate, jerome:
:" That is a good idea; it is eur only
chance. | viii try it; if I am drowned,
you can risk your chances, remaining here
another night, or, if | am saved, you can
follow me, one by one" The mate says
aft YOU 90, viii follow" Captain an
swers: Don't you try it until you see
that get ashore Capt. Hackett came
down the rigging, close to the water,
stripping off his oyercoat. Looking for q
chance, he jumped and swan for the
shore, watched by his comrades with in /
/ tense interest. He did we'll until ne /
reached the backwater of the quicksand, /
which was the great point of danger. /
The back wave overwhelmed him, his .
blood chilled with long exposure, /
he helplessly succumbed TO his apparent I
fate, and gave up, as far as his own efforts
went to save himself At this critical
moment Abigail dashed ia with impetU-
Gus spirit and speed. Grasping the
drowning man in her arms she quickly
bore him safely to the shore, and laid
him By her great fire of logs, giving him
hot tea. His young Scotch blood soon
revived. But there was no time to lose.
The passing minutes were too precious
with those lives yet imperiled. The mate
prepared TO try it, the captain says: So
VIII assist him when he -ot- 70
the bad place" as he deemed it.
The mate came with the same ]
result, when reaching the back reacting ]
waves. Against remonstTances of Abb
gail, Capt. Hackett rushed in attempt
ing to save him; the mate grasped the
captain with the desperate embrace OF
a drowning man, pulling him down with
him. They we're both exhausted and !
helpless, locked together, Powerlcss TO
save themselves. At this perileus moment
Abigail again rushed in; woman as she
was, she did what not one man in a s
could have done She picked
up these men with the strength OF g q
giantess and bore them safely to the
shore in her strong arms. God gave her !
strength for the occasion, and in ike
manner she saved each one Of the crew; s
before the light of day had entirely
passed they were all borne in safety to
he shore by this heroic woman. Not q d
nouthful of food had passed her lips
ince the night before. So intent was her ,
Iesire to save them that all that day she b
lad passed on that beach without
hought of herself: her heroic soul had I
ustained her. She guided these men,
Matched from the jaws of death by her
lands, to her humble shanty-home; she
ed and cared for them three or four Z
ays, the continuous storm preventing
hem from leaving the island. When y
hey crossed over to the main land and
o their homes they did so with hearts :
fgratitude for their safety.
a few days after was at Port Rowan
0 visit vessel that had been wrecked Z
he same night about that point Capt. :.
Davis, an old friend Of mine, told me
he story of Abigaips noble work The 7
ays were then frozen over. I hired a
leigh, and with Capt. Davis drove down :
o her house. Let me describe her A :,
all woman, over six feet high, straight .,
5 an arrow, stout, well-proportioned, .,
never having worn a stay or a corset IN :,
ler life, ignorant of the use of whalebone
n padding, bare -foothd, and all her :
children 50. She stood up before me in :.
n all grace of noble, uncultivated woman
lood, her great blue eyes cleaning with
modest benignity. 1 could not forbear
my great admiration
or her noble deeds She said she had not "a
lone more than she ought to have done. II
lor more than she should do again if N
Ter help was wanted. When | arrived p
lome 1 had some shoes made for her II
md the children, gotstockings, and made NJ
Up a box of things and sent her all that s
was able to. l bought her a bible, ! Ii
Inscribed her name in gold letters upon 40
t, and sent it with her package to her q
Her oldest girl had a white swelling on n
Ter knee. told her would get a steamer NJ
o stop for her in the spring one that te
an up the shore of Canada. and. if she IA
would come to Buffalo with her Girl. de
would get her into the Sisters hospital Is
md DIR. Hamilton would cure her. She co
anne and stayed at my house and at Mr. ds
Aurelian Conkling's; her girl was put tb
nto the hospital and cured. 1 went TO m
tIr. Hodges, who kept the American NJ
lotel, and asked him for his parlors for q,
levee for Abigail. L went among the On
'eople; ex-President Fillmore, Judge N
dall, and many prominent citizens do
ttended. a;
We collected over 81 900 for her in %,
hose rooms. 1 had written an article i,
nd published it in the Commercial -
Advertiser: it found its xvav +o O,,o1 -
There the Canadian parliament was -,
itting. 1t was read by permission Of nj
he speaker, committee was appointed ge
D investigate the facts, ana, when found ~
D be true, the government gave Abigail tot