The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-14
lngrasitude of the Rescued.


Il isla common belief that persons saved
from drowning are forever grateful TO
their rescaers. There is little If aEY
foundation or Justification for this belief
for persons rescued from watery graves
Invariably detest and ignore those who
have risked life or limb TO save them
The same may be said OF those who
have been saved from accidental dsdth
OF any kind but the ingfaitude OF sSne
ones rescued from Drowning seems b be
most pronounced. Every one VINO has
saved life in the water has hal some eX-
perience with this seemingly unnatural
phase of human nature
II is true that there have aaen In
stances when the rescuer has been re-
warded, but among 1on9e ness3I.s saved
il is barely possible TO PICK csts axe who
proved that they were <Ta-sslL
PSYCHOLOGISTS ana Others WHO have
made q study of this insrtsitIGe account
for * from the fact that persa0s saved
from a violent death have such 4 horror
~ the incident that thss aaEe ever! hing
identified with ii.
Another reason, and j 'osscal one, too,
is that the rescued one >eels le owes, not
only ais being. bur all he possesses 70 t,'s
rcScuer and can reward hsm cnly ~ OF
fe-ang his all even rh3Ggl he possess
asserts itself and he conc udeS - offer
nothing As with the man who borrSws
$40 and promises TO pay 1t BACK aud does
not even after an extension Of time. e
begins to think i'll. then speaks III CT
you. and finally cordially hates you.
In proof OF this here are few natahle
instances of this same human quality:
For many years Nathanse! Story has
been in charge OF the oIawortdSe at
Prison Point, Charlestown, Mass, and
has saved upwards Of forty persons from
drowning he has never been rewarded
by any one of them. and several Ter
whom he Tisked his life have deliberately
tried TO injure him in various ways.
One bitter cold night, in the later 70s,
ne plunged overheard from. the Eastern
railroad bridge after an old man who had
accidentally walked off the bridge. After
considerable hard work and intense sui
fering he managed TO get him ashore. He
carried the unconscious man 10 his house
and did everything TO save his life. but
the man died. His name was Littlefeld
and he proved 10 be the pastor Of the
Swedenborgian church and greatly es-
teemed by his flock. A sermon which he
was To have delivered on the following
Sunday was found in his pocket. and Mr..
Story was rewarded for his good work
with an invitation TO come over to the
church and hear Il read Mr.. Story was
not d good church member at that time
The following winter he rescued a wo-
man at the drawbridge. She was carried
into his house; she became very III and
for several days was threatened with
pneumonia. She was nursed by Mr. Sto-
rvs wife and his family physician was
called in to attend her After three
ks VA ofI go,
home in Newburyport Mrs Story loan
ed her a dress. the dress she had worn
having been ruined By the salt water;
Mr.. Story provided her with a railroad
pass to her home. and since then she has
never recognized his services, never re-
turned his wife's dress, or even sent a
postal card of thanks
A man for whom he risked his life in
the icy waters on bleak winters night
had petition in circulation in Cam
bridge for his job as draw tender less
than a fortnight afterwards
The late Captain William H. Daily, of
Boston, a life-saver of national reputa-
ton, best known on the Pacific slope.
saved upwards Of fifty persons from
drowning and experienced the ipgrati-
tude of the rescued Oh several occasions. /
Once when in a tight place, he wanted
to borrow $50 from a millionaire. Mr.
NJ, whom he had saved from drown
ing in 1881 at great peril, but NJ told
him that his money was all locked up in
real estate and he couldn't obllge MIN
Another rich man who was assessed for
real estate in San Francisco for 5000.
was rescued b. Captain Daley after
hard struggle, and didn't even return
thanks.
resident of Vine HiI. California,
wealthy man, saved from drowning by
the brave Daily, would not sign the GER
tificate proving the rescue which was 20
Be forwarded 10 Washington and through
which he was 10 obtain the national med
al for bravery in saving life.
railroad lawyer. who was rated
millionaire. would have lost three mem
bers Of his family but for the y -omp.
and daring action Of the heroic Daily
but when it was suggested 70 him 10 :e-
ward the sef-sacrifcing Daily. he
shrugged his shoulders and remarked:
He only did that which any brave man
would do He was coward and a cur
himself, according to his own statement.
for he was good swimmer. vet cared
not take a risk even for his own chi
dren. Later. when DailY went 81 aim.
as he was notary public, 10 hava fonr
aIidaVitS sworn to which would m /
pany the certificate aforementioned. lie
charged Daily % cents on each. tie ro-
tary's fee amounting to g, although Daily
needed the money at the time fo- room
rent. When chided for his meannsss he
said: 1t was a matter Of business with
ms"
Shakespeare probably had the snzrafi-
tude Of the rescued IN mind when he
wrote:
I'm rapt and cannot cover
The mOnstrous bulk Of this fnzratIfude
With any size Of words
Sott+i,ar1 Kaneae p,,oi,o-. M