The age-herald., 1898-09-08
A HEROIC LITTLE BOY
Almost Incredible Pluck and Nerve of a Lad
 in the Mountains of Tennessee

From the Chattanooga Times.
 There recently appeared in the columns of the Times brief account of a water spout or landslide which occurred in the mountains of Hawkins county a few days ago. The public, in hurriedly reading the account of this calamity, no doubt gave the matter but passing thought, as an event of frequent occurrence. and did not realize in any sense, unless by actual ex- perience. the devastation wrought, the sor- row brought, or the heroism frequently displayed in calamity of this kind.
 A gentleman who resides in the neighbor- hood visited by this death-dealing tornado related to me few days past the destruc- ton that was wrought the lives that were swept into eternity, and particularly the matchess bravery displayed by an u-year- old boy during the scene of devastation and death.
 But a short distance from Bays Mount ain, Tenn, where the counties of Sullivan, Washington. Hawkins. and Greene corner. and upon the side of a mountain known as Sandstone Ridge, nestled the humble home of the Comptons. The house was a two-story log structure, and the family con- sisted of Roe Compton, his aged mother
 Charity Compton, his wife Frances and nine children, the two eldest of whom were daughters, aged about IS and 20 years.
 A short distance below the house in front was branch, which during the dry seasons went perfectly dry, but during excessive rainy spells became a raging cataract
 In the rear of the house the land sloped gently upward for short distance, when 1t began to rise abruptly. and almost as far as the eye could see this ridge or
 mountain rose gradually to the summit, where 1t lowered above the home of this sturdy mountaineer. Many times had he watched the storm king beat fiercely | against its craggy sides, as for the mastery, while he sat in his humble house, sur rounded by his loved ones, in fancied se- | curity.
 On the night of this fearful storm the Compton family retired with no thought of
 the impending calamityT The husband, his l mother, and the two eldest daughters occu- pied one end of the home, while the wife | and seven other children slept in the apart ments of the other end
 During the night members of the family were awakened by the fury of the tempest. The thunder roared necessarily, and the vivid flashes of lightning shot in at the partly screened windows of the house and lighted up the interior almost as light as day.
 Down in the ravine in front of the house the waters began to rise rapidly. Tbev seemed to come down from the mountain sioes ana the valley in perfect waves, and see'heo ana sursed in their fury. The water was up within few feet of the house. when far up on the mountain side. Tn the rear Of the dwelling, huge boulder, which possibly had been anchored there for centuries, left its moorings and came crash ing down the mountain side Here it wouid strike tree and uproot it; there it would strike another rock and start 1t rolling. ana together they swept down the incline. gathering strength, velocity, and addi- tional destructive elements in the onward sweep of death and devastation.
 rms deatn-dealing mass of debris struck that end or the building occupied by thh husband, his aged mother, And two eldest uaughters. Together with the huge loss that went into the erection of the buildinn they were swept into the sesthing torrent or water in front of the house, and were either killed by the falling timbers of wefe drowned outright When the bodies of these four unfortunate persons were found the next day, miles below where their home stood, they we're mahgled almost beyond recognition.
 The mother and seven little ones, who oc- cupied the other end of the building, fared better, but went through an experience of terribleness that but few Of mankind afe tallad upon to endure. This part of the house was entirely wrecked also. What must have been the anguish of this moth- CTS heart as the falling timbers came crashing down upon her little ones7 For tunately the force with which the other end of the building was struck threw this end almost out of the water, else. instead of four, your news item would have record ed the death of twelve persons.
 When Jimmy Compton. aged eleven. wss thrown roughly from his bed, and awAk- ened by the falling timbers, he did not be-