The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-02-15
HERDS DARING DEED
Nebraskan Fireman Who Saved
a Chi1d's Life.
GRABBED BOY FROM ENGINE PILOT

George PoeH, Who Was First to
Receive Nations Gold Life Saving
Medal, Threw Him From, the Track,
hut Was Himself Caught by the
Locomotive and Badly Injured.
George Poell Of Grand Island. Neb.,
| the fireman on the st. Joseph and
ceived letter from President Roose-
welt notifying him that he had been
awarded a gold medal for saving the
life OF a child. thereby nearly losing his
own, has told in his own words the sto-
ry of his deed of heroism. Many of the
details of his heroic act We're recently
| told for the first time, says a special
dispatch from Grand Island, Neb., to
the Chicago Tribune.
Mr.. Poell lives with his wife and her
mother in a modest little home pur-
chased wholly from the proceeds of tie
sale of his photograph and Of the child
he rescued. The photographs were sold
by the rescued child's father
The people of the county also showed
their admiration for Mr.. Poell by elect
ing him county clerk, an office which
pays $1,000 year. Mr.. Poell was I'M
known in the (HalD county, and his sole
campaign issue was his rescue of the
child.
The child whose life was saved by
Mr.. Poell in so daring a manner was
| Paul Ussary, the two-and-a -half-year-
old son Of John Ussary, the station
agent at Powell, Neb. On June % last
the child was seen on the track ahead
of train which was running at rate
Of thirty miles an hour The tran
could not be stopped in time, and Mr.
POell climbed out of his cab, crawled to
the locomotive pilot, snatched the child
from certain death and threw it to one
side of the track. In doing SO he slip
ped and fell. He was caught either I'M
der the pilot or the wheel Of the engine
truck and was dragged 800 feet, bump
ing over the ends of the ties His right
foot was torn off at the ankle, both
arms were broken and his flesh fright
fully torn and bruised.
Poell was conscious when picked I'D.
but his first thought seemed to be for
the child. At his request Brakeman
Everhart Immediately ran back $50
feet from where the fireman lay to find
the child. He had only a slight contu-
sion on the head and almost immeai-
ately began to cry. He was quickly re-
stored to his mother
Talking the other day of his thrilling
experience, Mr.. Poell called attention
to the fact that in every account so
far as published it had been stated that
he thought of his little brother at home
at the time.
II don't know where the newspapers
got that" said Mr.. Poell. Though l
have little brother at the old home in
Hanover, just didn't happen to think
of him. In fact, there wasn't much
time to think. We were rounding a
curve at pretty good rate and on
down grade with heavy train. Sud-
denly the engineer put on the emergen-
cy brake. | looked out ahead. There
was child on the track. The little
fellow seemed to have heard us and in
his childish way appeared to turn part
ly around and then toddle off straight
ahead Of the engine, as if to run away
from us and beat us.
1.-THE engineer could not leave his
post. | saw at once that we could not
stop the train in time. l can still see
those little blond curls bobbing up and
down. Something told me / must run
out, get on the pilot and sweep him off
the track, and--well, that was the only
thing there was to do. In some way
slipped, got caught just below the CYL
inder, was dragged quite distance
and then dropped"
Mrs. Poell is as proud Of her husband
as she we'll may be. She shows the
shoe which Mr.. Poell had on the miss
ing foot at the time and explained, the
light of admiration beaming in her
eyes: I
Mrs. Ussary has the handkerchief
and cap George wore at the time, but
she refused to give them up, saying she
would not part with them for the
world" Mr.. and Mrs. Ussary We're in
Grand Island to visit the Poell family
as soon as Mr.. Poell had sufficiently
recovered, and, as may be imagined,
the strongest ties, Of friendship have
been formed between the families. Mr..
Ussary, man of humble means, has
done all that he could do to aid the
family Of his benefactor.
The medal is given to Mr.. Poell by
the interstate commerce commission
and is the first to be awarded under
the recent act Of congress authorizing
the giving Of medals for the saving OF
life on railroad trains or tracks.