The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-17
MS HEROIC RESCUE.
,,ow pLvcKy JOHN MIcHAuo SAVED
HIS CHILDREN.

:. House Destroyed by firs-in Getting
little Ones From the Building He
rsrribiy Burned - Feet Frozen
while Running to a Nsighbor''.
,0ecial to the Lewiston Journal
. " Fort Kent, Me-, says: The story
nlucky John Michaud is the most
ol rsondipg ever known or told in this
pea, q the country. He is in critical
pns s; Il In neighbor' house, his own
eOu uiao been burned. His feet are frozen,
Ds snis hands, legs, arms and face are
.od in a horrible manner. -Four of
w. Sa'' small children will live, but the
,I wear old baby girl may die, and the
. ~ of the neighborhood is that they
war;, ~s not all roasted or frozen to death.
va few nights ago, when the Their
..ometer registered 90 degrees below
.aro Mr.. Michaud and his five small
children were thrown into the cold,
sh;lins atmosphere from burning
bome having no time even to get cloth
mo The story of their terrible expert
a no has filled the hearts of the country
.aOre with horror. Mr.. Michaud for
ihe past year has lived with his five
'mOtberless children in q little two
room, story and a half house not far
irom Fort Kent, the mother having died
The latter part Of last winter. Since
then the unfortunate man has provided
Is hest he could for the little family.
Init in spite of all his efforts he was still
moor and by sickness and death was left
with scanty means. He lived about
three miles from the railroad station at
Clair, N. B., and his nearest neighbor
was half mile away.
In the center of the floor of his living
room was a large stove with funnel
running up through the ceiling and
roof. The children slept up stairs. Mr..
Michaud slept down. The night Of the
fire it was so intensely cold that he
staid up quite late, keeping hot fire.
About 10 o'clock he retired, after fill
inp the stove with wood. Some time
later he awoke to find the room filled
with flames and smoke, the ceiling be-
ing on fire.
There were no steps, only ladder,
to climb up where the children lay
sleeping. He assembled the ladder and
found the chamber filled with smoke
and the roof already burning and roar
ing like furnace. He grabbed three
Of the children in his arms and got
them out into the cold air before they
awoke. He left them there and rushed
back for the other two.
By the time he got there the bed was
on fire, and the fire had reached the
ladder, surrounding him. He was sure
be could not get them both down
through without exposing their bodies
to the flames, SO grabbing the older of
the two he threw him out the window,
taking the chances of dashing him to
death rather than to let him roast alive.
The other, little girl year and a
half old, he rolled in his shirt and start
ed for the ladder. He was descending
though the flames when burning
board from the roof came in on him,
burning his face, neck and arms severe
ly but he chung to his child and man
aged to get outside. His feet and legs
were terribly burned.
He knew that a short time in this
cold night would freeze the children,
so he rushed into the burning shed and
brought out two old horse blankets. He
then dug hole in the snow with his
arms, which were smarting from terri
BILE burns. Laying the blanket down,
he huddled the children together, threw
the other blanket over them till nothing
could be seen but a mound of snow.
After telling them not to move till his
return he started at full speed for the
next neighbours house.
One may picture what that journey
was llke--a man nearly destitute of
clothing, with no shoes, no socks. his
lace, hands, arms and legs horribly
burned, his feet frozen, running against
the wind with the thermometer 20 be.
low Zero
When he got to the house, he was ex-
hausted and tainted at the door from the
enects OF his experience and exposure.
Inc family were so startled that it was
some time before they could realize
what had happened. Nurses were called
ana doctors sent for, but the man did
nos recover sufficiently to explain till
morning, and it was supposed that he
was the only survivor of the family,
mat the others had persisted in the
uaines, but the first words the father
spoke were of his children. He was too
weak to go to them, and when he had
.Oia the awful story party of men has
tened to the scene.
40 their surprise they found the chill
ufeh all alive and all we'll, with the ex-
0eption OF the baby. 1t is feared that the
, , Will die, as its face and body were
burned in horrible manner.
Inc lad that was thrown from the
WINDOW escaped injury. Steps have been
"a, 20 provide for the afflicted fam
NY a subscription paper has been start
~ ~, and one leading man at Fort Kent
oas headed it with 500.
400 Many Friends.
Inc emperor oP China apooore tr no