Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-07-28

Another accident, which came near proving
fatal, is distinctly remembered. 1t happened one
Saturday, after morning exercises were over that
nearly the entire school started out to walk and
slide on the snow-crust, and large party of boys
directed their steps toward pond Of ice which
had formed within a hollow basin OF the hill near
Mr.. Spaulding's house. The ice was not very
thick, as was soon proved, but the boys were not
easily frightened and those who had sleds started
from the brow OF tho hill for ride across tho
pond. The first sled went safely over, but the
next being slow coach" stopped In the very
center Of the pond, the ice broke, and down
went the two boys and into ten feet Of very cold
water. All was at once commotion among the
party on land while the unfortunate couple In the
water were busy In trying to keep from sinking
and varying the monotony in shouting for help
1t was getting desperate for one Of the two AZ he
had disappeared twice and could not hold out much
longer, and no one seemed brave enough to go to
the rescue, when John W. Batchelder came rush
ing over the hill, took in the situation at a
glance, and boldly jumped in to save the nearly
drowned boy. Some boards were brought by
this time and the boys, with their preserver, were
finally taken out Mr.. Spauldng had seen, from
his house, Messrs. Child and McLoud frantically
tearing the boards from the fence at the top Of
the hill, and at once concluded that something
unusual was the matter. lie came running over
at the top OF his speed, his big rubber boots num-
Der twelve, which he often jokingly referred to-
making quick time over the crust, and arrived
just as the boys were being taken out He had
the rescued and the rescuers promptly taken to
the house, where everything necessary for their
comfort was quickly prepared by Mrs. Spauldng,
while party of schoolgirls, who had been walk
ing in another direction, came hocking in to offer
their aid and sympathy. They were so profuse
with the latter that many of the boys expressed a
wish that they, too, had been fortunate enough to
be victim to so much coincidence. The two boys
are now stalwart men, and will never forget this
occurrence. Jackman lives in Waterbury, Good
rich is In Illinois.
To see DR.. Spauldng indulge in hearty laugh
was always worth an hours hard study to the
scholar. How he would shake his sides when
anything funny occurred! How much he always
enjoyed catching some luckless boy or girl before
the whole school, and see their discontinued How
heartily he enjoyed giving the scholars an cleo
trio shock while engaged in giving experiments in
chemistry, or sprinkling the class with water
from the apparatus! Although he had no chill
dren of his own, his experience with them, par
tcularly with unruly boys, was something that
any parent would wish to escape from. The
trouble that he had with Miller OF North Carolina
for instance, and Wittgenstein Of New York. was
enough to wear out the patience Of Job. Yet
with all these cares, vexatons and responsibilities
during all these years, he never broke down or
became discouraged. When we saw him last,
only month or so previous to his death, he
looked as young, his form was as straight his eye
as bright and his laugh as hearty, as it was
twenty years ago. He died, as no doubt he would
have wished, with the harness on SOL