Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-12-31
A Boy of Nerve.

formed over small pond IN the lower
part of Green Township during three
or four cold days and nights of the past
week, writes Resca, Pa, correspond
ent of the New York Sun. On Tuesday
James Mcguire and his two sons, James
and Lawrence, one aged 10 and the
other Is, went out rabbit hunting. The
two boys came upon fox track that
led from piece of woods toward the
pond. The father had gone in another
direction, intending to make a circuit
through the woods and come back to
the pond on the other side. He told
the boys to wait for him at the pond.
He had been gone some time when they
discovered the fox track. They followed
it to the pond, where it led across the
ice near the inlet. The rain of the Sat-
urday previous had weakened the ice
considerably, but the smaller of the two
boys thought it would be safe for him
to walk across it. When about a rod
from the shore the ice broke, and he
disappeared beneath the surface. He
came up quickly and grasped the edge
of the broken ice; but in endeavoring
to draw himself out it broke, and he
sank again. His brother started to res
cue him, but the cracking ice caused
him to return. The boy came up in the
same spot again, and clutched the ice
at the edge. This time it bore his
weight, but he was unable to pull him.
self out upon it. His brother now re-
solved to run the risk of going out to
his aid. He had shouted loudly for his
father, but had received no reaponce.
He made as much haste as the TIM eaten
ing character of the ice would permit,
and seized his brother by the shoulders.
In attempting to pull him out the ice
gave way beneath him and left them
both struggling in the water.
Fortunately both boys could swim
we'll, and the elder one reached the fur
ther edge of the hole and by great care
succeeded in drawing himself out upon
the ice, which seemed to be stronger on
that side, being nearer the shore. The
younger boy followed his brother to
that side of the hole, but he was SO much
exhausted that he could merely clutch
the ice and hold himself above the wa
ter. His brother seized hold of him
but made no effort to keep him to
get out, fearing that the ice would break
again. He resolved to keep his brother
from sinking, as he was now so ex-
hausted and chilled that it would not be
possible for him to support himself
much longer. A continual shouting
to his father for help was kept up, but
for nearly half an hour no reply was re-
ceived.
The elder boy felt that it would not
be possible for him to retain his hold
on his brother much longer, and the
latter seemed to have lost all power to
help himself. His fingers were begin
ming to relax their hold when he heard
his fathers voice in answer to his cries.
Mcguire came running out of the woods
near the pond, and but for the shouts
of his older son to help back, would
have run out to their rescue and
plunged them all beneath the ice. He
hurriedly cut a bushy sapGng and
pushed it out on the ice from the shore.
The boy in the water had strength left
sufficient to clutch the branches and
hold on until he was pulled out and
dragged ashore more dead than alive.
He had to be carried home. But for
the nerve and endurance of his brother
he must have been drowned.
When James Mcguire was 8 years old
he exhibited another remarkable evi-
dence OF nerve. He fell into an aban-
doned well in an old grown-up garden
near his fathers house. There was but
little water in the well, but the we'll it.
self was twelve feet deep. Unable to
make his cries heard, he climbed up the
side of the we'll by the chinks in the
well, falling back to the bottom twice,
but reaching the top and drawing him
self safely out on the third trial.