Connecticut western news., 1884-12-17
A BOY OF NERVE.
Saving hIS Brother from Drowning by q Re-
 mnrknble Display of Entrance.

mnrknble Display of Entrance.
 Ice to the thickness of two inches formed over a small pond in the lower part of Green Township, Pa,, during three or four cold days and nights. On Tuesday James Mcguire and his two sons, James and Lawrence, one aged 10 and the other 15, went out rabbit hunt ing. 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 Saturday 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 8 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 rescue 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 himself out upon it. His brother now resolved to run the risk of going out to his aid. He had shouted loudly for their father, but had received no re- sponse. He made as much haste as the threatening 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 water. His brother seized hold of him, but made no effort to help him to get out, fearing that the ice would break again. He resolved to keep his brother from sinking, as he was now so exhaust ed and chilled that it would not be pos sible 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 beginning to relax their hold when he heard his faith CTS voice in answer to his cries. Ma guire came running out of the woods near the pond, and but for the shouts of his elder son to keep back, would have run out to their rescue, and plunged them all beneath the ice. He hurriedly cut bushy sapling 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 drowned.
 When James Maguire was eight years old he exhibited another remarkable evidence of nerve. He fell into an abandoned we'll in an old grown-up garden near his fathers house. There was but little water in the well, but the well itself was twelve feet deep. Unable to make his cries heard, he climbed up the side of the well 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.