The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-29
COL. MILLER's CLOSE GALL.
The Internal Revenue Commissioner
Recalls Thrilling Experience.
From the washington Post

The Internal Revenue Commissioner
Recalls Thrilling Experience.
From the Washington Post
''Poor Bing," remarked Internal Reve-
nue. Commissioner Miller, as he threw
| down the Twelve Pole Monitor "a bright
light was snuffed out when he was
! drowned"
Mr., Miller had just finished reading an
account of the finding of portion of Mr..
Bings body in the sand along the bank of
| the Twelve Pole river, In Wayne county,
| w. Va. Only portion of leg. incased
! in heavy inner boot, was found protud-
! ing from the sand. 1t had been there from
| March %, 1890, until last week 1t re-
| called one of the most frghtful expert
! ences in Mr.. Miller's life. On March %,
! in company with James A. Bing, law
! yer, and Fletcher Medley, a local
! preacher, Joseph S. Miller, now commits
siOner of internal revenue, and then agent
! for the Norfolk and Western railroad,
| started in tiatboat from Wayne Court
! House, w. Va, down the Twelve Pole
| river, =, destined TO the mouth
of the Ohio. This mountain stream was
| swollen to an unusual hight by the spring
| floods. Drift wood was as plentiful as
! leaves in autumn, and the rapid current
| carried the small boat down the stream
without effort on the part of the occu-
| pants. They had not realized the danger
| of the Journey until well out into the
midstream when they found it almost
! impossible to guide the bead safely
! through the drift wood which accumu-
lated as they progressed. Preacher Med
! ley occupied the bow of the boat, Com
missioner Miller the center, and Lawyer
! Bling the stern. The two at either end
endeavOred to guide the boat so as to
! escape obstruction. The current became
| stronger. the drift wood thicker. Oppo-
site Mr.. Isaac Piles farm great raft of
/ drift wood and refuse matter had accu-
mulated The boat dashed into this i'm
PEELED by the strong current, and despite
the efforts of Messrs. Medley aud
| Bling the small craft overturned,
throwing all into the turgid waters of
Twelve Pole river which, at this point,
was thirty feet deep. Preacher Medley,
a small man and a good swimmer, escaped
the raft and struck out for the shore,
| landing safely about quarter of a mile
down the stream. Lawyer Bing, who
could not swim, sank Immediately, and as
! he went down gave vigorous kick, hit
ting MIR. Miller in the side, and was seen
| no more. MIR Miller was forced under
meath the driftwOod, which extended
thirty or forty feet in advance of where
the boat struck, and when he came up he
! had great cash cut over mis- right tenn
! Pile, from which the blood gushed in great
| streams, almost binding him. Another
/ cut on the thigh and still another in the
right side almost disabled him. He was
| only half conscious when he reached the
surface. The air revived him. Being a
/ large and powerful man and a good
! but handicapped as he was by
| heavy clothes and high top
| boots, it was not long before he became
well nigh exhausted. He realized the ex-
IRENE danger of his position and neces-
sity for making an effort to save his life
With the blood still gushing from his
| temple he made for a small birch twig
which he saw about forty feet away. His
very corpulency served him in good stead
! here and kept his head above water when
his strength had almost departed He
reached the twig and wrapped his finger
around il. This gave him time to partly
regain his strength and also an oppor-
tunity to take his bearings. The twig
however, was very slender and was on
the point of giving way. Further down
the stream he saw small branch of
submerged beech, which seemed to
beckon him on to haven of safety He
made for this which, after a desperate
struggle, he reached. Grasping the limb
he remained for 4 few moments, long
enough to recover his breath and par
TALLY regain his fast exhausting strength
! He was becoming weaker every moment
from the loss of blood and his body was
| becoming numb with the cold of the
mountain stream.
One chance only remained for life, and
| this chance he took. The shore was still
! forty or fifty feet away and he determined,
| if possible, to reach it. He let go the
! limb and struck out for the shore, which
he reached in half-cOnsciOus condition.
| With one final lunge be threw himself on
| the bank, leaving his body below the
shoulders in the water. The terrible eff
fort exhausted all Of his strength and he
! lost consciousness, remaining in this
! perilous position for quarter of an hour
or more. Finally recovering, after an
| hours hard work, he pulled himself up
! the bank inch by inch A fence about
! twenty feet from the river was reached,
/ but he was so weak that he could not
| climb it. Finally finding an opening he
| crawled through and started for the pub
! lie road through a stubble field a quarter
| of mile distant. He fell a dozen times
! while crossing this field, but at last
| reached fence skirting the road aud
/ here he met a small boy, the son of near
/ by farmer.
/ The boy gave Mr. Miller a hat from his
/ own head, which partly shielded him from
/ the sun, ana ran 20 his fathers house
/ after assistance. The farmer came
| quickly. and the two taking down q panel
/ OF the fence, assisted Mr.. Miller TO the
! house, where restOra tives were applied
/ and he was put % bed His wounds were
/ patched up as best could be with the
I primitive remedies at hand. Dry cloth
/ ing was given him and under the care Of
/ the kind farmer and his wife, Mr.. Miller
recovered sufficient strength 10 permit OF
his removal 10 the country hotel Of
I Wayne Court House, five miles distant,
Tie next day Here q doctor was called
iu. aud after two weeks Mr. Miller recOv-
cred sufficiently ~ proceed on his jour
ucV.
These details as given above crowded
10 Dr. Milicrs mind us bee read the story
~ the recovery after more thlu four
wears Of q part of The body ~ bis friend
HIng Every effort. however bad br"H
maae tho neat jay for tAo recovery VI