Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-11-20
A HERO OF CONSUEGRA.
FATHER XAVIER. THE SAVER OF
SCORES OF LIVES.
Plea of a Drowning Mother to
Save Her Chiid-The Latter Res
sued Only to BE Lost
Again-Nobls Deeds.

laymen during the terrible floods
which devastated portions of the fair
province Of Toledo. Spain. the con-
duct OF many OF the priesthood was
conspicuous for bravery and devotion
to duty, and the name that shines
bright above all others in this noble
work is that of an humble Franciscan
monk of Consuegra, Father Xavier
Wherever the reporters whose sad
duty it was TO record the horrors of
the disaster moved they heard tales of
the heroism and matchless energy OF
Father Xavier whose praises were in
the mouths of all the people.
There is no exaggeration in saying
that this brave man saved scores of
lives by his individual efforts on the
night OF the calamity. That he es-
capped himself is marvellous, as no risk
was to great for him to dare in the
hope OF saving the life of some unior-
tunate wretch borne toward destruc-
ton by the resistless deluge.
The correspondent of the N. Y. Ad-
vertiser sought out this hero and found
him so modest and diffident that it was
with difficulty that any reference to
his deeds during the time of peril
could be extracted from his lips.
Finally he was induced to describe
some OF the frightful scenes he had
Witnessed and in which he had taken
SO active part
After mentioning some OF the rescues
which. under the providence OF God
! he had been instrumental in effecting
the monk related thrilling story of
one particular case which had i'm
pressed itself upon his memory more
strongly than any others
He had already helped a number OF
poor helpless creatures to places of
safety, and was clinging in an almost
| hopeless condition to some floating
beams when he thought he heard
above the noise of the rushing food
the voice of "A woman invoking the aid
Of the blessed Virgin.
The night was densely dark, the
thunder and lightning were continu-
Gus, and the rain poured down in tor
rents.
Praying God for help Father Xavier
set out to swim in the direction of the
cry he heard.
Trees and logs, hurried down by
the current struck and bruised his
body, and debris of all kinds barred
his progress But the hope Of saving
life nerved him to proceed, and. pray
ing for strength. he continued on.
At last his perseverance, was re-
warded and he reached "a balcony
where a woman was clinging to the
iron railing. bearing on her shoulder
girl OF twelve who was already I'M
conscious and half drowned. The
mother, clasping her child, had been
swept against the balcony. and chung
there in the face of the rising waters
which must have soon overwhelmed
them
The first impulse of the priest was
to seize them both and endeavor TO
bear them TO place OF safety. but the
mother cried, Take my daughter
FIRST"
God help me. responded the brave
priest; Il will take you both"
1T is impossible" calmly replied
the mother. II beseech you. save my
child. / will pray for you to heaven.
Gods will be done"
~ Finding further urging useless, the
monk took the child upon his shout
ders promising the mother that after
bearing her to a secure resting place
he would return.
AS he struggled through the seeth-
ing flood he realized that the mothers
instincts had been true and that it
would have meant death to all three
had she yielded to his entreaty to in
trust herself to him with the girl.
Even with the comparatively light
burden OF the child alone it was a
fearful task to make Roadway against
the torrent Often they were entan-
J gled in the branches OF trees or were
struck by floating wreckage but after
many hair-breadth escapes the current
cast them upon the shore.
After a moments rest the priest set
about reviving the child, and having
done so he left her, eXacting a prom
Use that she would remain on the spot
until he should return with her mother
Another perilous voyage through
the flood brought him back to the bal
cony whence he had rescued the little
one, but the heroic mother was now a
corpse. Her arm, rigid in death, still
chung to the railing.
Hoping that 1t might be possible to
resuscitate her. the priest took the
body on his back and once more
breasted the flood. The spot whore he
had left the child was reached after
many difficulties but the girl. proba-
bly, too dazed TO heed his injunction,
had vanished.
Turning his attention TO the mother.
he found that she was beyond hope.
Her body was cold. She must have
died few moments after parting with
her daughter.
The priest reverently composing the
body left IL where IL would not be dis
turbed by the water. He then re-
turned to the task in aiding other I'M
fortunates-
1t was by such deeds that Father
Xavier became the hero Of the great