Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-08-16
DIGGING TO SAVE A LIFE.
The Miraculous Escape OF a Boy En-
tombed in a Well

Independence was more excited yes
terday than for many years. Oslo
Tucker, a colored boy, 10 years Old,
was buried alive in a thirty-fc5t deep
well. For eight hours he was antomb-
ed under tons of rock and the fact that
he is now alive is almost miraculous
On the Maxwell place on Walnut
street in Independence, occupied by
Mr.. Graham, a hay dealer, there was a
well which needed cleaning Mr. Ora
ham employed two men who recon-
mended to him, Jerry Lucas and Bill
Green. After bailing out the water
eileen was lowered into the we'll At
the bottom many stones had caved in
and Green, realizing the danger would
not continue work down the1-e The
two men seemed very sorry to give up
their JOB and especially after they had
spent three hours apiece bailing out
the well. Then Mr.. Graham gave
them $1.50 and tcld them to s5-p. that
he would not go down in thai we'll for
all the money in Jackson county. and
that he would not have them go. The
well was to have been cleaned out for
s.. Mr.. Graham supposed the matter
was settled, but about II O'clock the
men returned with Osia Tucker, who.
they said, would go down in the we'll
The people of Independence are indig-
nant tha5 when not daring to go
down the well themselves, they hired
an innocent boy Mr.. Graham urged
in every way that they should Est at
t2mpt so dangerous a job. He then
went to dinner and the next that he
knew the rocks had caved in on the
boy. This vas at 1910 o'clock Oslo
Tucker, the negro, was en5ombed.
Lucas was sent for MINDLESS. After
giving the order for MINDLESS, but
without telling when the accident oc-
cured, he disappeared and has net
been seen since. The MINDLESS did not
arrive TIL half past one and then the
work of rescuing began in earnest.
The excitement in independence was
great. Everybody was either going to
or coming from the scene, which was
only two blocks from the center of the
town. There was constant stream CT
people all the afternoon, increasing
continually. Every position from
which the well could be seen was tax
en-. Crowds were about the house and
the continual efforts of policemen were
NEEDED TO keep back the crowd from the
well. The heart-broken father Ben
Tucker, an honest and much-liked Old
man. With his three daughters and
friends, were seated near the well,
anxiously waiting developments. At
first it was net supposed thar the boy
could be alive. When the excavaters
had taken out about five feet of rock
the bays voice could be heard. He
seemed remarkably cheerful for his
terrible situa.ion. He was lying near
the west wall, he said, and only his
right .eg was painful. The fact that
he was. not crushed insanity is mar
velous.
The relays of excavat0rs worked
like beavers. Two at time was all
thai could work in the well. This was
a dangerous pCsiti-n, but there were
many who volunteered. The minutes
dragged along. The crowd was in a
constant murmur At times reports
of the distance from the excavatOrs to
The boy would reach the multitude,
but after hours of waiting, as it seem
ed. the reports Of the distance would
only increase.
AT ten minutes past seven the boys