News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-04-05
A SNOWSTORM TRAGEDY.
Even in England They Have Snow
Blizzard Incidents.
From the London Standard

Mr.. A. o. Brooks, deputy coroner for
the Hundred of High Peak, Derbyshire,
held an inquest at Ashopton Inn, twelve
miles from Sheffield, yesterday after
noon, on the body of William Walker,
aged II, son of Mr.. Mark Walker, far
mer, of Ridinghouse park, in the parish
of Derwent. Only three witnesses were
examined-the father, mother and
brother of the deceased. Their evidence
showed that on Monday two of Mr..
Walkers sons, William, aged II, and
Frank, aged 10, left home between 10
and IL o'clock in the morning to look
after the sheep on the moors. The lads
took with them two collie dogs, "'Nell''
and "Dot," and they were seen going in
the direction of Winstone Lee Tor. On
the way the lads met their father, who
said they had better put their coats on,
and they took his advice. Some three
hours later the dogs returned home
alone, and appeared to be very restless
and peculiar in their manner. The
father and mother then set out to find
the lads. The dogs went along and kept
''wafiing" las the people put it,, eager
in their desire to get on. After going
a considerable distance Mrs. Walker OBJ
served dogs footprints, bat noticed no
boot marks in the snow. The dogs,
especially the old one, appeared to
''settle'' near a great mass of fallen
snow, which had slid over from Win
stone Lee Tor. The snow had evidently
drifted to the edge of the cliff and, sub
sequently, slipped over in huge mass,
weighing many tons, and the path under
the face of the tor was buried. Mrs. Wal
ker soon discovered foot and ankle pro-
jecting from the snow, and raised the
alarm, recognizing that it was the foot
of her youngest son Frank. Her hus-
band, who was some distance away,
came with all possible speed, the mother
meanwhile working at the snow to save
her boy, who was head downward, and
must have been there for three or four
hours. A fierce wind was blowing at |
the time, and the snow was whirling
about in clouds. She in short time |
rescued her son, but the body was stiff |
and cold, and the face blue and discol- !
ed. The mother used every effort to re- |
store animation. Partly succeeding, she |
at once asked: ooh, Frank, where is
Willie?" and he answered: "He was |
here last night" evidently being under |
the impression that he had been there |
all night. As the search was being con-
tinued the husband observed the old |
dog ''Nell" again scratching and "waffl
ing" and he went up to the animal, who
barked impatiently. On reaching the
place indicated by the dog he noticed
the feet of the other son, Willie, pro-
ecting through the face of the solid
mass of snow, which was at that spot
several feet deep. This body was also
buried deeply, the snow being firmly
wedged, and the body jammed in so
closely that it could not be extricated
until shovel wa obtained and the snow
cut. It was found that the body was
face downward in a slanting position,
over four feet of snow being on the head. |
After hard work the body was got out.
1t was evident that life had been extinct ,
for a considerable time. From the ,
statement of Frank Walker, who was .
with his brother, it seems that the two ,
boys, after attending to the sheep, went +
to look at the snow on Winstone Lee ,
Tor. While they were looking they OBJ
served the snow slipping down upon
them, and ran to get out of the way, but
both were overtaken by the huge mass
and buried. The jury returned YER
1ict of accidental death, and expressed
heir sympathy with the parents.