The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-23
FATHER AND
SON SAVED
BY A TREE
Exciting Rescue Of Two Men
From Torrent,
BARB WIRE SAVES ONE
Who Was Able to Reach Town
and Secure Help.
BARB WIRE SAVES ONE

Lawton. 0. T. Sept Cache Creel
Is swollen from the rains and the Enter
prise reports a miraculous escape from
drowning as follows:
A L. Fullerton. a hatless and shivering
individual with water still gi:stening in
his hair. his brown coat dripping, a
streak Of sand across his breast, his blue
overaHs moulded to his legs. mis- hands
scratched and bleeding. presented himself
last evening at the police station. In
breathless monosylables he asked for
help.
Ny team is gone-dr0wned in Cache
creek" he said. Two men are waiting
They are up a tree"
Soon afterward Perry Foster, the jailor,
had his team hitched 10 his spring wagon
and accompanied by Fullerton, Jack
Stein, Deputy Sheriff sam Barnhin and
two newspaper men, was of for the creek
where the accident had taken place
The party drove out on the NARROW
road TO the park. East OF that place the
dark. onrushing stream uncertainty re-
fected the yellow CLEAN of our lantern.
An occasional glimpse Of the moon. that
was wading deep in the clouds, made the
current shine like silver scales.
Out in the middle of the blur Of gurg-
ling water was a tree that appeared ike
q vague gray mass in the obscurity.
From the willows a voice answered the
calls made by the rescuing party.
The stream was so greatly swollen
that it made two channels. leaving an
island in the middle. The nearest chan
mel was no more than thigh deep; SO Mr..
Fullerton experienced no difficulty in
crossingd it. once on the island he
finally succeeded in throwing a rope so
that It caught in the branches of the
troe. The end Of the cable was tied to
the trunk Of the willows and the other
end secured to a stump
This afforded a means of crossing the
deep water. Ihs younger of the men in
the tree, A. =. Klock, swung himself
apon the rope and although his legs
received another drenching he soon
landed high, If not dry. upon the muddy
land. Considerable amount Of persua-
sion was required 10 induce ". S Klock.
the young mans father 10 risk himself
upon the cable. He had already had
more of the water than was necessary
70 quench his thirst.
The fact is that he had a very. narrow
escape Not able TO swim a stroke. he
had come very near being carried Off
down the current. His son. however,
had clung to him with the grip Of 4 last
hope at the time the wagon overturned.
Finally, after a great struggle, the
young man succeeded in catching the
overhanging branch of the Tree and with
much perseverance, drew his father up.
AS for Fullerton, he was carried on
with the mad rush of the current, was
dashed into a barbedNire fence-under
the fence, but grasped the wire rigidly
and ultimately gained the surface.
As soon as he was firmly upon land
and had ascertained that his companions
we're still alive and safe, he Immediately
ret ont for town.
But his team has gone the sorreI and
dun horse for which, but FIVE days ago
he had paid $3.50 The worst of it was
that he had been obliged TO borrow the
funds with which to purchase the ami
mails. Moreover. he was scarcely done
paying for team of mules which last
fall were stolen from the Beal claim
There could be no mistake about the
Death Of the horses; for when the elder
Mr. Kioch. a man Of fifty years was
getting down out Of the tree his foot
struck one OF the animals that was sunk
deep into the water.
After he had reached the solid earth
he came near falling: ne was that nearly
exhausted from the nerve tension, the
fatigue and exhaustion. With his son
holding him by one hand and Mr. Ful-
lcrton holding on the other side. the
three plunged through the water of the /
south channel The owner of the lost 4
team rode TO town in Fosters wagon, !
hut the two men who were rescued from /
the tree walked in SO as TO warm them 1
selves.
Klock ana son are carpenters who re- /
side on avenue D. four doors west of /
the Christian church. They were re-
turning from the claim of Alr. Fullerton (
fourteen miles east of the city, after /,
having erected a house Their chest. +
containing tools valued at SEQ was lost
but no doubt viii be reclaimed from the /
creek
How Fullerton came drive into the /
creek. knowing as he q. that it was 4
greatly swollen. was expl Sed IN the 4
following manner: