River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-08-11
A HEROINE.


HOW low VIII (aftu IA
Train.
The Boone Iowa. Standard says
When the wind and rain was pouring
in torrents down the canyon through
which the railway track from here to
Moingona runs, on Wednesday night OF
last week, young girl of fourteen OF
fifteen stood at her window at midnight
near the lower end of the ravine,
watching the slow forward creeping OF
the pilot engine sent out to explore the
condition of the entertainments and
bridges. Suddenly, as it passed upon a
well-known trestle, she saw its lights
disappear, and knew there were human
lives in danger. Rushing out into the
storm and to the brink of the chasm,
Kittie Shelly called at the top of her
voice, with the hope that some poor
struggler in the turbid waters might
hear her voice and be encouraged by
her cry. She was heard, and back
from the swaying tree-top, in which
precarious perch the engineer had
found another lease of life came an an
swer to her cheer, many times repeat
ed. But the streams forbade hearing
the directions which were shouted to
the young girl, and she was left to her
own resources to effect a rescue. which,
fortunately were not wanting Alone.
and guided by the Pickering light of a
dim lantern, she commenced her jour
ney through the tall wood to Moingona,
a mile away, to summon help. She
crept beneath the swaying branches,
her face brushed by the switching I'M
II Il 20 s-f bVs,r Il
the little hollows of the hillside, each
nov a running brook, losing her way at
times, though every foot of the route
was known page under ordinary cir
cumstances, and at last came out upon
the long railway bridge. Here her
light blew out, but she did not hesitate.
Across the slippery bridge ties, for
there were no planks, she stepped,
guided only by the CHASTITY flashes of
lightning while the wind blew a gale
and wrapped her skirts about her head
and drenched her eyes with the cold
spray of the storm. Beneath her were
the waters whose embrace was death.
Six feet had they risen i'll an hour; one
false step and they would close over
her forever. They dashed and howled
against the piers and across the ice
break, clamoring for her, and licking
out their foaming tongues and flecking
the trembling timbers with their froth.
There must have been q providence
which guided little Katie Shelly's foot
steps across that perilous passage in
the awful night until the safe ground
of the western embankment was
reached, and she fled through the black
darkness, with streaming hair,
and outstretched bare arms, to
the lights of the town, and in the ears
of anxious men at the depot shouted
the story of disaster and the cry for
help Two men went down in that
fatal chasm, and two widows and two
families of infant children call for the
lost who never return but two other
men and two other families, to their
dying days, have cause to thank the
good Lord that He made one woman
with the brave heart of Kate Shelly.
The cold, business-hke official report
will never tell it as it is, only that
"the accident was reported by young
girl and relief was promptly dispatch
ed" And when the fatal trap in which
poor Olmstead and Pat Donahue found
their watery graves is again filled up
and traffic once more is busy over the
spot, the great company will forget the
deed, or only remember it as an acci-
dent which brought no suit for PERSONAL
damages against the company.