The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-09-09
RESCuES WOMAN FROM WATER
EDDIE CUTTING, AGED FIFTEEN,
DOES HEROIC DEED DURING
RECENT STORM.
sumter Contributes at Least One
Hero of Those on Sullivan's Island
During the Recent Gale and High
Water.

Eddie Cuttino. aged fifteen. Of this
city. has just returned after a visit
to his aunt. Mrs. II. O. Strohecker, Of
Charleston. He and his sister, Hal
lie. were two of the Sumter people on
Sullivans Island during the recent
storm and Eddie doesn't mind telling
how frightened he was during part
of the storm. nor does he fail to tell
Of how he and another boy about
his age rescued two ladies from the
stormy waters which covered the
greater part of the island on Sunday
night. August q.
Eddie says that in the house: with
all of the doors closed and with the
wind and rain and tide shut out. the
storm did not seem so bad, and dur
ing the first part he rather enjoyed
playing in the water as the tide came
up higher and higher. but by %sby
as the velocity Of the wind inc. yed,
things changed. as ne put it. "those
were scary times" The tale Of how
he and the other small boy rescued
the two women is told In his own
words:
I'VE were all In the house, where
the storm didn't seem so bad, when
We heard somebody screaming for
help. Uncle Henry was taking things
easy and said that there wasn't 60
ing to be any storm. for the weather
man hadn't given out any warning, SO
we. Scott and l, said we'd 60 out and
see what was the matter. Well. we
went to the fence which separated
the yards and four ladies in the
house next door were calling for help
as hard as they could. We hollered
back that we were coming and climb
ed upon top Of the fence to see what
they wanted. Just as We got on top
of the fence the wind just naturally
took us off and pumped us down on
the other side. We went on to the
house. wading the water which was a
little over waist deep. but which was
without any current to drag us down
beach and the fence cut off the wind,
so we didn't mind 1t at all. The la
dies told us they were scared to stay
there by themselves and that the
house was falling. We told them we
would take them over to our house
and we got the two Of them that was
most scared and started on home with
them. We didn't have anything with
us so We could knock down the fence.
so we had to go through their back
yard and on out to the street and
come into our yard that way. The
water was up to our necks in the
yard. but we got on all right until we
got Off the sidewalk and started into
the yard'at our house. When We got
there i noticed that Scott kept get
ting farther and farther behind as
the water got deeper, and as I kept
hearing the lady with him hollering.
looked back and there she was
with Scott by the neck almost chok-
Ing him so that he was hardly able
to stand up In the water. He kept
calling to me to come and help him,
so / hurried up as much as could
and put the lady I had oil the top
steps out OF the water and I ran
back to help Scott, who was most
given out. l saw her have him
around the neck and every now and
then she would carry his head under
water and sometimes both OF them
would get a ducking. Well, when I
got there Scott got one hand and /
got the other and we pulled her on
through the water to the house. BY
that time the lady I had brought
nome had told the others all about
IL and Uncle Henry ran out and took
an axe and Knocked down the fence
and brought over the other two la
des.
The water was getting so high
then though that Uncle Henry said
that we had better not stay there
any longer, so we went over TO an
other house farther up the beach
and stayed there all night"
Master Cuttino then told how all
OF them had sat up all night listen
Ing to the storm and how glad they
were when the water went down and
the wind lulled. The party stayed on
the Island Monday and Tuesday. until
late In the afternoon. when the gov
ernment boat carried them over to
the city where Eddie and his sister
remained for n week before leaving
for home.