Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-17
A WONDERFUL STORY
A Sick Man Lies in a Calm Over Five
Weeks Without Food, Fire,
or Water.
Things Do Happen That Are Hard to
Explain and the Following
is Of That Glass.

sit is not generally known, bat never
theless true, that there is a man in
Seattle" says the Post Intelligencer of
that city, entitled to rank with the
famous DR.. Tanner.
about O'Clock last evening gentle
man called at this Office and stated that
man had just been brought into William
Gross hotel, on Mil street, who had been
lost in the woods for six weeks without
food. A reporter hurried to the hotel
and there, near the stove, sat little,
emaciated man with his face resting in
MS hands. ard he was pointed out to the
reporter as the man ne was looking for.
In an honest straightforward, intelligent
manner the poor fellow related the story
| of his sufferings.
"My name is John Leary. [ am al
Lrishman by birth and past so years of
age. [ arrived in Seattle on March II
| and put up at Our Home hotel, where 1
| am at present. [ remained ali night and
after breakfast on the morning OF March
Is put my blankets on my back and
started out, intending to find work on the
Seattle & West Coast railroad. WheR
| about sixteen miles from the city my
I
fell to the ground. A short distance from
| where L fell there was an old deserted
cabin, into which I crawled, dragging my
| blankets with me. There was 10 door
on the cabin, and had little fficul-
| ty in getting inside. Being thoroughly
exhausted l rolled myself in my blankets,
and there for thlrty-six long, weary days
and nights lay without food, and no
shelter save that afforded by the OLD and
leaky cabin and the pair of blankets
took there with me. This old hut was
Some distance from the road or trail in
the WOODS, and I could hardly hope for
human cid. Both my legs and one of my
arms were paralyzed, and l was utterly
helpless. The first few days and nights
suffered terribly from hunger aud thirst,
particularly from the latter. Occasion,
ally would drop off to sleep and dream
of running water and trees loaded down
| with luscious fruit, when I would start
and waken only to realize my miserable
and helpless condition"
"Couid you get no water?"
"After I had lain in the ca3in for some
days, only waning for welcome death
to come to my relief, I Ieard the
rain coming DOM, first very lightly and
then in torrents. Dragging my miser-
able self to the door / stuck my head out
and let the water fall in my face. Just in
front of the door was a block of wood,
! foremerly used by the occupant Of the cab
in a. step. This chunk of wood was slight
| ly hollow on top and retained some of
| the water from the caves. This water
would scoop up in the hollow OF my hand
and pour down my parched and swollen
throat. After had swallow we'd all dared
TO [ seemed to revive, and for the first
time after reaching the cabin began to
hope that | might live to get back to
civilization ano friends once more. Days
came and went and still no more relief.
After the first ten days, during which my
sufferings from hunger were indescrib-
ably terrible, my hunger ceased, and
| from that day TO the present time have
not felt any desire to eat. Every day l
made an effort TO get upon my Swet, and
as often failed, FINALLY became recon
ellie d to my fate and waited patiently for
| the hour to come when [ should die from
starvation. During Wednesday night,
April %, strange feeling came over n 9,
and my legs began to feel as if they were
coming back to life. Fearing that it was
another of those hOrrid decisions, pinch
a.! ed myself on the knee, and to my great
| Joy realized that I would soon be able
! to walk, provided that had the strength
| left TO do so. Early this morning [ arose
and walked about. I was almost over
come with JOY, and as soon as possible ]
| bid farewell to the old cabin which had
| sheltered me thirty-s;x long days and
nights. | left my blankets, being unable
70 carry them. All day long I walked or
crawied toward town, arriving here at 6
o'clock this evening. l was so changed
no one knew me, and [ had hard work to
convince the proprietor of the house that
| [ was the same man who LETT here on the
morning of March 49,"
The records of the house show the mans
statement as to dates TO be true. Mrs.
| Gross, the wife OF the proprietor, on see
ing the reporter, said: 81 feel awfully
sorry for Mr.. Leary, and have been to see
the doctor in order to find ont what to
give him to eat. The doctor said if let
MIN eat all he could it would kill him. He
said for me TO powder up some cracker
| and put it IN warm water with salt and
| pepper, and only allow the poor fellow to
| have few sp0onfuls every half hour, and
| am having it fixed for him now"
When asked if she remembered Mr..
Leary Mrs. Gross replied:
Claw me, should say I do! When he
LETT here March Is, he was fat and nice
looking, and now he looks like starved
person. Poor feliowl 1 think he should
be sent to the hospital. One of his arms
is still paralyzsd."
The story as related by Mr.. Leary seems
almost i'm Improbable, and will doubtless be
disbelieved By many, but the man would
| have no object in lying about the matter,
and his very manner 1mpresses one that
| he is telling the exact truth.