St. Paul daily globe., 1885-12-16
A MOTHERS LOVE.
The Brave Act of a Deaf and Dumb
Woman.

OAAA0As
Sacramento (Cal.) Bee.
Mrs. Louisa Theabold, deaf and dumb
lady who resides on William E. Diyon's
ranch, few miles north of Elk Grove, had
an experience on Friday last that Illus
trates vividly the self-sacrifcing. heroic
nature of a mothers love. The lady was
walking in the garden near the house, when
something twas it instinct?) prompted her
to turn her head, and she saw one of the
boards used to cover an old well in the
garden move slightly, as if it had been
lifted up a short distance and allowed to
fall back in place. Curious to know what
had caused the disturbance, she stopped
down and peered into the well, and, to her
horror. discovered her son struggling in the
| water below. 1t was at least twenty feet
to the surface of the water, the child S
father was driving header In field a
long distance away, and no one was near
except the two little sisters of the drown
ing boy, the eldest Of these not being over
five years of age. The little girls, being ap-
prised of what had happened, shouted to
their brother to seize lead pipe which ran
down nearly to the water, but the little
fellow was unable to do so. The frantic
mother saw that her boy must perish in a
few moments, and before her eyes, if some
thing were not done to aid him, and then,
without further hesitation, she gathered
her skilts about her and leaped into the
WELL landing in nine feet of almost ice-cold
water. Then began the struggle for life or
death. The mother, grasping her boy in
one of her arms. seized the leaden pipe
with the disengaged hand. This was an
exceedingly difficult operation. and to add
to the mothers despair the boy lay on her
arm cold, motiOnlesS and apparently life
less. Looking up to the mouth of the well,
the poor woman could see the face of her
! little girls, and she finally made the eldest
understand that she should go for assist
ance. The nearest neighbor was Anthony
Opley, and he lived nearly mile away,
but to his house the little girl proceeded as
quickly as she could. Mr.. Opley was not
at home, but the tiny messenger succeeded
in making Mrs. Opley understand the
terrible situation in which she had left her
mother and little brother. Bidding the
little girl to go back to the well, Mrs.
Opley fastened with all speed to the ranch
of Mr.. Stetler, quarter Of mile away
That gentleman and his son were at home
and they flew to the rescue, rope was
procured, and soon mother and son were
on terra firma, both chilled through and
UlOTO u0du tlldu alive. 1Hcy WClO UdhCu
to the house, and under proper treatment
the mother was soon able to tell by signs
of her thrilling experience, and the boy
was brought back to life. The mother was
in the water nearly an hour, and only held
out as long as she did by shifting the boy
from one of her shoulders to the other,
clinging to the pipe with one hand. She
also conveyed the intelligence that the
little girl had arrived back at the we'll a
few minutes before Mr.. Stetler reached the
scene, and, leaning over the aperture,
signaled on her fingers, in the deaf and
dumb alphabet: Don't be afraid mamma
help is coming!' The grand, noble woman
says that had it not been for the hope in
spired by her little daughters message
she believes both she and the boy would
have been drowned; and. as it was, she
would not have been able to hold out five
minutes longer.