Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-02-14
A BOY OF NERVE.
Sn vIna his Brother from Drowning by a Re
marketable Display of Ednrnnre.

Ice to the thickness Of two inches
formed over q small pond in tie lower
Eart Of Green Township, Pa, during
three or four cola days and n5ghts. On
Tuesday James Mcguire and lis two
SONG, James and Lawrence, one aged IL
and the other -, went out rabbit hunt
ing. The two boys came upon q fox
truck that led from q piece Of woods
toward the pond. The father had gone
III another direction intending to makea
circuit through the woods and come
back to the pond on the other side. He
told the boys to wait for him at the
when they discovered, the fox track.
They followed it to the pond, where it
led across the ice near the inlet. Tie
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 a rod from the shore the
acc broke, and he disappeared beneath
flc surface. He came up quickly and
Trasped the edge Of the broken ice; bat
III endeavoring to draw himself out it
broke, and he sank again. His brother
started to rescue him, but the cracking
3co caused him to return. The boy came
mp IN the same spot again, and clutched
The ice at the edge. This time il bore
bis weight, but he was unable to pull
himself out upon it. His brother now
resolved TO run the risk of going ont to
his aid. He had shouted loudly for
fhcir father, but had received no re-
EpoGsc. He made as much haste as the
threatening character Of the ice would
permit, and geiz"d his brother by the
shoulders. In attempting to pull him
ont the ice gave way beneath him, and
left them both struggling in the water.
Fortunately, both boys could swim
well, and the elder one reached the fur
lher 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 80
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 MIN to
get ont, fearing that the ice wohld break
again. He resolved to keep his brother
T,,p, c;pbipr no bo uyoc noe, ~, nrI,o--L
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 haitian hour ne 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
eeemed to have lost all power to help
himself. His fingers were beginning to
relax their holdNwhen he heard has faith
cr's voice III answer to his cries. Ma
guire came running out Of the woods
near the pond, and hut 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 a 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 OF until
he was pulled out and dragged ashore
more dead than alive. He had to he
carried home. But for the nerve and
endurance of his brother he must have
drowned.
When James Mcguire was eight years
old he exhibited another remarkable
evidence of nerve. He fell into an
abandoned well III an old grovu-ur
garden near his fathers house. There
was bat little water il the well, but the
well itself was twelve. feet deep. Unable
H. mako his cries heard, he climbed up
the side Of the we'll by the chinks i'll the
well, falling back to the bottom twice,
hnt reaching the top aud drawing him
sell safcly out on the third trial