The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-08-23
From Death 10 LIE.

| h''h'HEi WIZ VI wv Tp'''h'VH Sulu,
turning 10 90 a"ayi "only , boy
drowncd!" The life saving officer, how.
ever, seemed TO take different view OF
the drowning Of 4 boy, and he hIrriodly
elbOwcd his way through the crowd till
he was ut the waters edge, with the re-
porter ut his elbow. Three Of the fish
ing Schooncrs were tied up at this par,
of the pier side by side, and on the deck
OF the third lay naked boy apparently
dead. Half dozen market men and
fishermen stood by, saying that the boy
was dead and that that was all there was
of it.. The liie.saying officer sprang
aboard the nearest schooner, and was
Immediately stopIcd by policeman
who was OH guard for the boy had
been ont Of the water for some time.
Stand back" said the ifc-sayer, al
am physician" and, followed by the
reporter, he was soon on the deck on
which the drowned boy lay.
The Ollicer.phySician felt the boy s
skin, felt for his pulse, drew NJ one OF
his eyelidS and looked at the pupil, and
asked the by>tandcrs how long the boy
had been ont Of the water.
You can't get no job here unless you
nre an undcrtnkcr," said one Of the
men. Gle was stuck in the mud most
ten minutes, and he's been layin' here
ten minutes more; so, if You fctches
him 10 life, it'll be little resurrection,
and don't You forget it,"
The officer paid no attention TO the
mans opinions, but devoted his whole
time to the boy in n way that seemed to
Indicate some hope Of saving the life
that was apparently gone. The boy
could not have been colder or more ap.
parcnty licless if he had been dead for
week.
The officer opened the boys mouth,
an operation that required some force,
and found it full of mud. Pulling the
lower jaw down rs far rs possible, he in.
trOdnced one of his fingers and care.
fully but quickly cleaned il out. There
was enough mud in the mouth 10 choke
the boy if he had not been in The water
at all. The officer whi>kcd off his
coat, rolled il mp into pillow, aud laid
it on the deck With the assistance of
two or three bystandcrs, he turned the
boy over on his face and laid him so
that the cnal-pIlow WAS directly under
his stomach. Taking the bOy'S two
ankles in enc Of his hands and ewing
them to one Of the men to hold up so
that the patients feet were several feet
higher than his head, the officer pressed
carefully but firmly in the region of the
small of his back, and Immediately a
stream Of water guShcd out of the boys
mouth. II had been all this time in the
lungs, waiting only for proper treat.
TO help it out. The boy was then,
after minute or two of this exercise,
turned over on his back again, and the
officer knelt over him. Putting one
hand on the boys right side and the
other on his left, just over what arc
known as "the short ribs" the officer
gave them apowcrful compression, and
then suddenly let go. The instant he
took off his hands the ribs sprang back
to their natural position, and a draught
of air rushed into the lungs. This was
repeated a dozen times or more, but
still the boy was. to all appearance, q
corpse.
"Oh, give us rest on that, said
another of the men. "rhe boys dead,
and that settles it, Can't you let a
drowned boy alone!"
The assertion that the boy was dead
seemed to be only too true. lie looked
like piece of marble; and the reporter
suggested that il was not worth while TO
make any further efforts.
"Why," said the officer, al haven't
begun yet. The boy may live and he
may not. But he's going to have fair
chance for his life, anyhow. Stand back
little, all of you, and give him a little
more air."
Disseminating for moment the arti-
fetal breathing process, the officer took
one of the boys hands between his own
and began to slap it vigorously, at the
same time setting three of the bystand-
ers at work on the other hand and two
feet. The reporter relieved the officer
ut the slapping business, and the latter
resumed the rib-squeeztng process, COM
pressing the BOYS frame till he must
have cried for mercy if he had been
conscious. With four men slapping his
hands and feet, and an expert trying to
start his breathing, the boy must have
been unreasonable, indeed, had he been
dissatisfied. But he still lay as dead as
a stick, and, happily unconscious.
After about five minutes OF this treat.
ment, very much to the surprise of the
market men and the reporter, and
greatly to the delight of the life-saving
officer, the boy gave a slight gasp fol
breath.
Just at this moment of triumph the
policeman on guard called across the
decks. "Say, you'd better let that boy
alone. He's dead enough"
"Never mind what they have to say,
they don't know what they're talking
about" said the officer. sect me
glass of brandy"
lie redoublcd his artificial breathing
treatment, and one of the fishing sailor!
went down into the cabin and soon re
turned with tumbler nearly full of no
very inviting looking brandy. The DO.
meanwhile gasped again; had twilcheC
little in the legs; had rolled his hea'
to one side, and at length had drawn
good-sized breath. The minute hi
breathed the officer picked up the glas
of brandy and poured the liquid dow
the boys throat.
"Now, get me two or three blankets
as quick as you cam" said he, and a
the same time he unrolled his coat an
laid it over the boy. The patient cor
tinued to show more signs of life. II
soon drew short but regular breaths, AN
raised one hand to his head. Unde
the influence of the warm brandy
his stomach and the fresh air in b
lungs, he opened one of his eyes.
H;lo is all right now, said the Office
getting up with difficulty and strsish