Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-24
Hicks Says Spirit of
Deity Was with
Him in Tomb
Rescued Miner Tells of
Horrible Experience
with Rodents
Great Creatures crawIed Over His
Face at Night After Fesstina
on Bodies of Dead
Comrades
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald
BAKERSFIELD, Dec. 3D.
IF praying can keep me out of
hell l will never go there" said
Hicks this afternoon. God was
with me in that awful dungeon
and on the fifth day of my i'm
prisonment l seemed to feel a
great spirit sweep over me. From
then on | knew l would be res
cued and would come from my
cave alive.
Never did I have any fear and
the cruelest moment of my con-
finement was when my hapless
companions were in the throes
of their death struggle. I could
hear them gasping for air and
knew they were suffocating. A
current of air through crevice
below saved me from a like fate.
'The plug of tobacco which l
had in my pocket undoubtedly
saved my life. But for it l never
could have kept up my spirits ;
when it was gone | had terrible
craving for more and tried hard
to reach a tobacco sack which
lay above me. This was almost
out of reach and the rats were
eating at it. l struck at them
for many days before | dislodged
them and knocked the pouch
down.
"The great rodents, fresh from
meals on the dead bodies of my
comrades, would run across my
face at night and as the rescue
progressed they became even
more plentiful. | must admit it
was a terrible thought that the
animals all about me were sim
ply waiting for me to die when
they would seize on my helpless
corpse.
mo, | don't know what I
shall do about all the offers I
have received. I shall stay here
with DR.. Stinchfeld until after
Christmas and shall in the mean
while consider these propositions.
| don't deny that | intend to ac-
cept some of them why shouldn't
/? | am poverty stricken and de-
serve some reward for that awful
ordeal"
BY Associated Press
BAKERSFIELD, Dec, 23.-In less
than twelve hours after being released
from his perilous tomb in the caved-in
shaft at camp No. / of the Edison Elec-
trio company in the Kern River canyon,
where he was confined for fifteen days
and a half, Lindsey B. Hicks this
morning mounted a saddle horse and
rode to the company hospital, situated
at camp No. 2, six miles and a half
from the scene of the disaster.
He will spend Christmas at the hos
pital as the guest of DR.. Stinchfield,
the physician to whom the praise for
the remarkable physical and mental
condition Hicks was found in when
rescued is due. What Hicks will do
after that date has not been deter
mined. He believes that he will have
regained his strength sufficiently to al
low him to leave the care of the physi-
clan, but Dr. Stinchfield has suggested
that week at least be spent there.
Nm Condition Surprised Doctor
The remarkable condition of Hicks
was a great surprise even to DR.. Stinch-
field himself.
at found tbat bis tannarat ture WAS
normal just after the rescue and his
pulse a trife high, which was undoubt-
edly due to the excitement under which
the miner was laboring. His face Is
free from any lines or furrows and to
look at him you could not see any diff
ference from an ordinary workman who
has just done a days work in a shaft.
He IS weak I'm the legs and knees and
his legs are sore. caused by sitting in
one position, unable to move. What
little nervousness he displays will van
ish Just as soon as he grows stronger"
Last night after the rescue Hicks
with light support walked up the 200
foot incline from the mouth of the res
cue drift to the watch station at the
head of the shaft, where he sat for sew
eral hours conVersing with DR.. Stnch-
field, Superintendent Frank Miller.
Foreman Clark and others.
Miner Relates Story
Hicks smoked cigar and on his
head, i'm place of the brim, all that re-
mained of his hat, was substituted the
khaki hunting hat OF superintendent
Miller, Hicks talked freely of his adj
venture and the interesting Incidents
connected with 1t.
Eyes, l had a long siege of It, ana
now II Is over. From the first l knew
that / would be brought out all right.
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