The Washington herald., 1909-01-03
p IoHN S. HAYWOOD.

oDport1lnitv has presented itself has IT
been given 10 possess the clear head.
cool Judgment, courage, and prOmDtness
OF action which enabled them 70 take ad-
vantage OF il. Yet there are many per
sons in the public eye to-day-persons
moving IN a great variety Of spheres Of
actfvity-vyIlo have had an opportunity 10
act as a Hfe-saver and who have i'm
proved that opportunity. A few Of the
many weIl-known Hfe-savers and their
deeds are here told about.
President Roosevelt has 10 his credit
the rescue Of a woman, Mrs. William J
Pettus. the wife Of a naval officer. from
what might have been q fatal accident
The President was riding in Rock Creek
Park. near Washington. one December
DAY in 1893 when he saw Mrs. Pettus,
who happened also 10 be riding there,
thrown from her horse. a FESTIVE animal
He dashed up in good cowboy style,
seized the horse Of the imperiled lady,
and then. dismounting. freed her from
the stirrups and helped her 20 her feet
He did il all before the man who was es-
corting Mrs. Pettus. or the President $
orderly who was following him. could
take part in the affair II was a prompt
energetic. dash.ng piece Of work charac-
teristic Of Theodore Roosevelt
One dav last August Kermit Roosevelt.
that son OF The President who IS 70 &C
company his father % the African hunt
ing fields. by his courage and skill as
horseman. saved three lives down at Oys-
ter Bay. For more than a mile Kermit.
on horseback. pursued a pair Of runaway
horses dragging behind them swaying
carriage in which were a helpless woman
and her two little sons.
Presidents Son a Hero.
Frank Hilton. business man Of New
York. had met his wife and two children
at the Oyster Bay station with a carriage
ard pair which he was driving himself
As Ar Hilton was driving along the
shore road toward BayviIIa. where he and
his family were stopping for the season
they came TO a broken down automobile
standing in the road. In turning out 20
avoid the dereliCt one of the wheels OF
the Hilton carriage struck a post with
such force as 10 threw Mr.. Hilton out
and brighten the horses The TERMED
animals sprang forward AZ a terrific gait
and the relns fell so that Mrs Hilton
was unable 20 reach them Grasping her
Two small children in her arms. the
frightened woman sat facing almost GER
tain death.
When the accident happened Kermit
Roosevelt was riding only few hundred
feet behind the carriage. When he saw
what had happened he put spurs TO his
horse and dashed forward 10 the rescue
L chase OF a quarter Of a mile brought
him alongside the rlnaways and he
reached over from his saddle 10 grab the
dangling reins. But the runaway horses
swerve5 and increased their speed
Half A mile further on tne speed Of the
r5naways began TO slacken; they were
beginning 20 tire All the time behind
them came on the boy horseman at fun
speed. riding with whip and spur. Final
II he was once more alongside Again
he shouted word Of encoura cement 10
the terrified woman In the carriage He
leaned far over 70 grasp the reins- This
time he succeeded. ana then. checking
the speed Of his Own horse. with great
skill with courage and GOODNESS and
thought ne obtained the mastery OF the
captured steeds- soon he brought them
20 q standstiU, helped Mrs. Hilton and
her children from the carriage. lifted his
hat mounted. and rode away.
Learn Who ReScuer Is
NJ. Hilton. who had been thrown into
a mud heap and not seriously injured,
soon folnted his wife. II was not until
some time later that Mrs Hilton learned
that her reScUer was Kermit Roosevelt,
"a chip Of the old block
The Iife-savinE adventures O. Presi-
dent-elect Taft are not extensive. but are
worthy Of al praise 81 considerable
personI risk to himself. IIr. Taft, in July
Of this year, rescued a twO-year-old child
from being ground 20 pieces under the
wheels OF a locomotive 2Ir- Taft was
walking Up and down the platform Of the
railroad station At Cincinnati talking
with his brother Charles 4 train drew
into the station and at the same time. 10
Jhe horror OF the bystanders. a little
child. a girl two years old, suddenly left
the side Of her mother and before she
could be grabbed t0ddled right IN front
Of the approaching train Nr Taft saw
the peril OF the child and quickly and IN
hesitatinsly stepped 20 the track. grabbed
the child. swung her from her feet by
her arms out Of harms way, ard got out
Of the way himself
The child's mother was hysterical from
fright. but she thanked the rescueT OF
her child fervently. If wildly. and had not
the faintest idea. until some one told her,
who IL was TO whom she was indebted
for the life OF her little girl. There was a
big crowd at the station and TAFT was
known 10 the crowd, which cneered him
enthusiastically. Mr. Taft would not
speak about the incident further than 10
4
duty toward helpless felIow-being and
20 beg people not TO talk about t.
Vice President Saves Life.
From the list Of government officials Of
high place who have saved human life
must not be omitted the name OF Charles
Warren Fairbanks. the Vice President Of
these United States. Somehow the pa
pers made considerable fun OF the Vice
Presidents share in the piece Of rescue
work which he performed, but neverthe-
less It is fact that when a young wait
ress at the hotel at Yellowstone Lake
fell into the water one summers day two
years ago Mr.. Fairbanks. who was sit
ting on the hotel piazza and saw the &C
cidenJ, rushed 10 her help and pulled her
from a watery grave. Some accounts
say he jumped INTO tne wafer WheTe II
was thirty feet deep and brought the girl
20 shOre-she had fallen overheard from
6 boat which was nearing the pier-and
some say he fished her out from the end
% the pier At any rate, he saved her
and directed the application Of first-aid
measures 20 bring her back 70 conscious
ness.
When Fairbanks was a student al the
Wesleyan University al Delaware. Ohio.
he helped man the local fre engines
along with other cOllegians. and one
night when fire broke out in a 1hickIy
populated district, and the foreman for
the engine Al the fire could not be found.
EOung Fairbanks took command and mt