The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-08-30
Remarkable Escapes of Eminent Men.

| some years ago young man, holding
subordinate position in the East India
Company's service, twice attempted to
deprive himself of life by swapping n
loaded pistol at his head. Each time the
pistol missed fire. A friend entering
his room shortly afterward, he requested
him to fire it out of the window: IL
then went off without any difficulty.
Satisfied thus that the weapon had been
duly primed and loa'ed, the yourg man
sprang up, exclaiming:
must be preserved for something
great, and from that moment gave up
the idea of suicide, which, for some time
previous, had been uppermost in his
thoughts. That young man afterward
became Lord Give.
Two brothers were on one occasion
walking together, when violent storm
of thunder and lightning overlook them.
One was struck dead on the spot: the
other was spared, else would the name of
the great reformer, Martin Luther, have
been unknown to mankind
Bacon, the sculptor, when n tender
boy Oh five years old, fell into the pit of
soap-boiler, and must have perished,
had not workman, just entering the
yard, observed the top of his head.
When Oliver Cromwell was an infant,
monkey snatched him from his cradle,
leaped with him from a garret window,
and ran along the leads of the house.
The utmost alarm was excited among the
inmates, and various were the devices
used to rescue the child from the guard
ianship of his newly-found protector.
All were unavailing; his would-be res
cuers had lost courage, and were in
despair of ever seeing the baby alive
again, when the monkey quietly retraced
its steps, and deposited its burden safely
on the bed. On subsequent occasion,
the waters had well-nigh quenched his
Unsuitable ambition. He fell into deep
pond, from drowning in which clergy
man named johnson was the sole instru-
ment of his rescue.
AT the siege of Leicester, young
soldier, about seventeen years of age,
was drawn out for sentinel duty.
One of his comrades was very anxious
to take his place. No objection was
made, and this man went. He was shot
dead while on guard. The young man
first drawn, afterward became the author
of the Pilgrims Progress"
Doddridge, when born, was SO weakly
an infant he was believed to be dead. A
nurse, standing by, fancied she saw
some signs of vitality. Thus the feeble
spark of life was saved from being extin-
guished, and an eminent author preserved
to the world.
John Wesley, when child, was only
Just preserved from fire. Almost the
moment after he was rescued, the roof
of the house where he had been fell
in. OF Philip Henry, similar instance
is recorded.
Many years have now elapsed since
three subalterns might have been seen
in the water off st. Helena;
one of them, peculiarly helpless, was
fast succumbing. He was saved to |
live as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Well
ington.
The life of John Newton is but the
history of marvellous deliverances. As a |
youth he had agreed to accompany some
friends on board of a man-of-war. He |
arrived too late; the boat in which his
friends had gone was capsized and all its |
occupants drowned. On another occa-
sion, when tide-surveyor in the port of |
Liverpool, some business had detained |
him, to the great surprise of those who |
were in the habit of observing his unde-
Waiting punctuality. He went out in |
tile boat, as heretofore, to inspect a ship,
which blew up before he reached her. |
Had he left the shore a few moments
sooner, he must have perished with the /
the rest on board.