St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-27

Woman = mead.
The Learys wondered all the way
home at this strange sight of a woman
and child sleeping in the woods. unpro-
tected from the cold and the failing
snow. They told two other young men.
Matt McNearney and John COffey, and
then all four started for the place. 1t
was z o'clock by this time. pitch dark,
II snow was falling heavily. They
took a lantern with them. As they came
near the great, gaunt white oak, they
saw that the woman had again changed
her posture. She was now kDeeling
with her hands together before her, and
long nHIr failing In front of her
face. The child lay near her. 1t had
not changed its posture. When they
came nearer, they saw that the woman
was %silivcring and shaking, although
her body seemed rigid.
They spoke to her, but she did not
answer. Then they held the lantere
close TO the little ones face. 1t lay upon
lis breast with n arm underneath It's
body, and the other drawn up a little.
1t had on a gray cloak with a black
stripe through it. Around its neck was
a red silk handkerchief, loosely tied.
On Its legs, which were swollen between
the garterS and the shoe tops, were
gray wooden stockings. The little
giri'S head was turned to one
side, so that one cheek was
pressed close to the bare ground.
The eyes were shnt, and the golden
hair was blown about her white fore
head. There was il smirch of dirt and
dried tears on her cheek. Her lips were
still red and parted q little. The snow
was collecting in little drifts in the
folds of the cloak. She seemed TO be i'll
a sound sweet sleep. But she was dead,
frozen through and through.
McNearney went for Sergeant Con-
ger. While he was gone Leary put the
shawl which lay on the ground around
the woman. He said to his brother:
shell freeze like the child" The
woman stared at him with wide, hollow
eyes and muttered: Eyes, yes, Fl
freeze if you don't put the shawl over
me-" Then she began to moan: The
shawl was stiff with the sleet of Friday.
and SO were the clothes OF the mi
ana the child.
Sergeant COnger came with a carriage.
They first took away the woman The
four young men stayed in the woods. and
II of them held the icy corpse of the
child in his arms. Then they took
away the child, and Caleb Ward, the
hackman, went for Mr.. DE Vries. for
they knew it must he his wife and child.
They took the woman to the police sta
zion, and then doctors came to try to re-
store warmth to her body, frozen by three
days and three nights of exposure to
rain and Sleet and snow and cold. She
was o perfectly sane and able to
recognize every one. But her legs were
frozen almost to her knees. They took
off her shoes and cut off her stockings.
Then began a slow process of bringing
back life to the feet, which were white
with an intense frosty whiteness.
In a short time the husband came.
He had been told all. He looked at his
wife. sShe turned her face to the wall.
Then he went into the back room. and
looked at the child that seemed to be
sleeping so peacefully, with its lips
parted just a little. The cheek that
ilad pressed the ground was turned up
A few pebbles and little twigs
had pressed into the soft fish
and had frozen there. The father
looked at the dead child q long time.
Then he can back into the front room
and sat down by the stove, and sat there
motionleSs until morning, staring at the
red-hOt iron. He paid no attention to
the physicians who were attending his
wife.
LII Tue morning husband ana wife
talked together a little and then he
went with her DID a train to Newark.
She is now il st. Michael's hospital, and
they say she may perhaps recover the
use of her lower limbs, but it is feared
that amputation will be necessary. She
has not said a word about the terrible
experience which has cost her the life
of her little daughter. No one knows
when the child died, but it is thought
that it must have been Saturday night.
and the mother feared to go home.
At the white oak tree were found two
empty bottles, another partly empty,
ami the fourth almost full. She had
used her satchel, her overshoes and her
hat as a pillow, and, as there are only a
few footprints in the npighborhoOd of
the tree, 1t is thought she went there
Friday night in the darkness and never
left until the men came and took her
away.