The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-11-05
LIFE WAS SAVED
BY SHEPHERD DOG
Rev. Antonio Alright, Well Known in
Centre Church, Had Thrilling
Boyhood Experience.

Rev. Antonio AFTlgHI, pastor OF the |
Italian Evangelical church on Broome |
street, New York, who has preached !
in the Centre Congregational church of |
Brattleboro several times and to whose !
Sunday school the Centre church Sun
dav school has sent Christmas boxes
manv wears. was drummer boy IN
Garibaldi' s army, and after being taken
prisoner escaped and would have lost
his life had it not been for large
dog. The story of his rescue after sink
ing in q marsh up to his hips is told
bv Rev. J. G. Stevenson, B. A., in a
recent issue of the Christian World as
| follows:
Pastor Antonio Alright is connected
with the Italian Evangelical church in
| New York. As far back as 1S49 he
was drummer boy in Italy in the army
of Garibaldi, and being taken a prison
cr he was sentenced to serve as a
pallev-slave. At last he escaped, thanks
| to the help of good carter, and before
| long he was on his way to Leghorn,
where he hoped TO find vessel which
would take him as cabin boy to New
York To reach Leghorn meant jour
ney of over two hundred miles, much
| of il across terrible marshes. On the
second dav of his travels poor Antonio
got in to a quagmire, and though he
tried to struggle out again he sank
gradually until his knees were covered
with the terrible mud. This sinking
took quite while, and all the time the
boy kept calling for aid. But in that
desolate place there was no one to hear
him. and slowly. very slowly indeed, he
sank deeper and deeper until his hips
were covered.
dusk came ON, and the poor Lad
had given up all hope, when a big
shepherd dog appeared on another part
of the marsh. The good dog seemed to
know exactly how Antonio was stu
ated and also knew the marsh, for on
much firmer ground he came quite near
the boy. OF course, Antonio coaxed
him, for he felt if he could get hold
Of him and pull, he might thus be able
to scramble out of the mire. The In
telligent dog knew how to take care of
himself, and had apparently helped
wayfarers before. for at every step he
would feel the ground carefully with
his paws, and when he found, quite
near to Antonio, place where the soil
seemed solid. he gave a bark and then
Law down with his hind paws resting on
solid ground and his fore paws
stretched across the mire Antonio
reached out towards his paws, but it
was too far for him to grip them. So
after thinking he took off his coat, and
holding the sleeve firmly, he flung the
Egarment towards the dog. The dog
tried to get hold of it with his paws
and mouth, but il was Just beyond his
reach. and the good animal dared not
Evcnture any nearer. After several 9TH
er attempts, Antonio made a tremend-
Gus effort to reach over as far as he
possibly could. and then once more he
flung the coat towards the dog. His
struggles to throw il almost sent him
quite under, but TINS time the dog was
able to grip the other sleeve with his
teeth and at once began to pull. Stead
ilv the noble animal tugged and tugged,
and Antonio felt himself rising. The
dog kept on pulling, and by slow de-
grees he at last dragged the boy out
of the quagmire Soon Antonio had one
foot on firm soil and the next minute
he and his noble reseuer were together
on solid land.
How it turned out that the dog be-
. longed to a hermit who looked after
Antonio, how the boy made his
way to Leghorn. how he got his job
as cabin boy, how in New York the
first English he learned was Hurry W
and Get out, how he sold plaster images
then became a Christian and supported
himself through school and college and
became a preacher-all this is written
in the account of his life. All eff il
is good reading; but what troubles
me is want of news about the dog
But if that good old dog is dead, ther,
are other dogs who are living, and fol
/. the sake of the noble animal who res
Ieued Antonio we must all be kind t
them =