The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-04-16
John Roberts, on Way Home
from Normal at Night, Has
Narrow Escape.
CRIES HEARD AFTER
HE SHOUTS AN HOUR
Had Cistern Contained Water,
Son of DR.. Roberts Would
Have Drowned.

VI LII. y. ID. hOUSEIS, VI Zoo SOuIu
Spanish street, fell twelve feet into an
open cistern Monday night, where he
remained for more than an hour be-
fore his cries for help were heard.
John had attended the entertain
ment at the Normal and was return
ing to his home when the accident &C.
Cured.
In relating his experience to a
Tribune reporter, he told the follow
ing story:
after l left the Normal at 10
o'clock / started across the vacant lot,
known as Park Place, just east of the
Fair Grounds, expecting to catch a car
at the intersection of Broadway and
the Boulevard.
when l started through the yard
past the big new house about halfway
across the commons, saw ladder ly-
ing in front of me. 1t was dark and
1 could not see that it had been placed
across one edge of a new cistern and
when l jumped over the ladder | drop
ped a distance of twelve feet to the
bottom of the pit.
81 was not unconscious but 1 was
somewhat stunned and was out of
breath, and it seemed like long time
before 1 was able to shout for help.
81 shouted for several minutes be-
fore l was able to stand up and try
to get out, and even when l was re-
stored sufficiently to stand alone, my
back panied me so severely and was
so weak, that l was unable to help
myself.
Finally l got hold of an old tin
can that had been dropped into the
cistern and with that l attempted to
cut steps in the wall by which l would
be able to climb out. When l would
get up to a pretty good height, the
wall would cave in and let ME back
down to the bottom.
at seemed to me as if l had been
in that hole for a week when Mr..
Silver and another man came and
helped me out"
Mr.. and Mrs. Chris Silver were
coming from town where they had
been attending the show, and when
they reached the corner of Henderson
avenue and Broadway they were at
tracted by the calls for help.
They were unable to locate the
sounds, and Mr.. Silver said that for
a while the calls would seem close, and
then it would seem that they came
from long distance.
They walked down to the intersec-
ton of the Boulevard and Broadway,
where they approached another couple
who also had been attracted by the
cries, and were listening and trying to
locate their origin.
The two men concluded to start in
search of the distressed person, and
leaving their wives under the electric
light at the intersection of the streets,
they proceeded across the commons
toward the Normal.
The calls continued for sometime
and it suddenly dawned up
on Mr.. Silver that it might perhaps
be lure to attract some unsuspecting
person to desolate spot for the pur-
pose of robbery, and he anxiously in
quired of his companion as to whether
he was carrying any side arms. An
inventory of their stock of implements
of defense showed that neither had
pocket knife, and the nearest approach
to weapon possessed by either was
a button hook.
They were determined, however, to
continue their investigation, and hur-
ried forward in the direction from
which the cries emanated. Suddenly
the sounds hushed and they stopped
and waited for them to resume. After
waiting for some minutes they push
ed ahead, and when they were sudden
Iy startled by a faint voice coming
from their feet, asking for help, they
were themselves on the brink of the
pit, and with one more step would
both have fallen in.
The ladder was lowered into the els
tern and one of the men went down
and assisted young Roberts in the as
cent. He was so weak after getting
put, and his suffering was so intense
that it was necessary to summon an
to convey him to his home.
Yesterday he was resting well, but
was suffering considerably from his
bruises, and was quite lame from TIE
injuries to his back.