The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-08-26
THIS INFANT HAD NERVE.
Two-year-old That Floated in Cis-
tern and Helped Rescue Himself.

y
tern and Helped Rescue Himself.
Little Charles Lee Burden, the twenty
iye-months-old grandson of Lee Burden,
is being petted and caressed by the citi-
zens Of Elmwood, both as musical
prodigy and more particularly in recog-
milton of his wonderful presence of mind
and courage in the presence of death by
drowning which he displayed under the
most trying circumstances even to one
of maturer years.
Charley was visiting Grandpa Burden
h Greenwich street, and, clad in an Ill
Bter and tight fitting bonnet, was playing
in the yard, accompanied by his grand
mother. There is a cistern in the yard,
10 feet in depth, about s feet in circum-
ference and containing feet of water.
1t is supplied with an iron cover, and
precautions had been taken to have it
securely fastened. Charley decided to
make an investigation.
His grandmother left him for an in
slant, and the child in some unexplain-
able manner either succeeded in fitting
the cover by partly raising it, or else as
he stepped ON the edge it was raised
sufficiently to make an opening through
which the adventurous infant was pre-
cipitated. The grandmother returned
to the spot where she had left him, but
he had disappeared. She called out to
him, but no response was heard. She
made circuit of the grounds, but no
trace of the boy was discernible. Hap
PLY she thought of the cistern, and see
ing that the cover was bottom side up
she removed it from the opening and
was terrified to discover Charley float
ing on the surface of the water. He
had probably fallen into the cistern feet
foremost and his clothing had buoyed
him up so that he was able to float tenn
porarily.
The frantic grandparent called to him,
and he responded bravely. She be-
sought him to raise his head little,
and then called out to the gardener to
come to the rescue. Peter fastened to
the spot, and in his perplexity could not
devise an immediate plan of actie n.
Mrs. Burden realized the dire peril IF
the situation, and seeing a small pit, h.
fork near by she seized it, and with
Peters assistance made desperate eff
fort to fasten it into the infants cloth
ing. The cistern was dark, and it was
with extreme difficulty that the exact
location of the child could be discerned.
All the while the grandmother was urg-
ing Charley to keep up courage and ut
tering words of loving solicitude, and
the little fellow responded with lisping
assurances. Finally the handle of the
pitchfork was thrust within reaching
distance and Charley was hidden to
cling fast to it. He is vigorous, well
developed boy, and he quickly clasped
his hands around the staff and chung to
it with logged determination.
Slowly and steadily the weight was
lifted to the surface of the cistern, and
the wet and dripping figure was clasped
in the arms of his deliverers. Charley
was cool and self possessed, and was
quickly taken into the house and sup
piled with an outfit of dry clothing, and
hot drink was administered to him. He
lisped that he was pretty wet, but that
he was smart boy because he swimmed
in the Observation-Disclosures Journal.