The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1922-11-10
SAVED BY RABBIT
Miner Tells Of Miraculous Escape
From Death.
AZ instrument Of Preserving Man
From Dreadful End, Animal Was
Honorsd by Community.


This true story of the almost mi
raculous rescue OF man imprisoned
In the shaft Of lead mine was told
to the writer, Cora Cole Mccullough,
by member OF her family. We quote
Il from Our Dumb Animals (Boston),
says the Literary Diges,:
Many years ago was living In Mon
tana. A smelter had been built and II
created a demand for silver rock.
owned an interest in q lead mine that
had been sunk over thirty feet Think
ing the time had come to make 1t
available, l decided to go there and
get some ore and have 1t tested. did
so, and reached the place just In time
to take shelter In the mine from
terrible hail storm. lighted my can
die, went to the bottom, and went to
work. l had not been there more
than FIVE minutes when / heard
noise that sounded Hike cannon. The
rock over my head SHOOK, and In a
moment the shaft caved In. You can
imagine my feelings better than / can
describe them, when I found myself
buried alive.
I tremble even at this distant day,
when / think of that moment. The
roof of the shaft was made of rocks,
and when they came down they did not
pack so tightly, but that the air came
through. There was nothing / could
do to release myself. / knew that II
relief did not come from the outside
| must perish. No one knew that !
had gone there A road ran past the
mouth of. the shaft, but II was not
Travelled much, and i was not likely I
to attract attention by calling. Never
theless, / shouted at Intervals all day.
The following morning I commenced
calling again, and all day, whenever
thought ! heard sound. shouted.
When night came again, all hopes OF
being released were abandoned. will |
not dwell on the agonies endured. |
The morning Of the fourth day of |
my Imprisonment / heard something |
crawl into my grave.
l lighted my candle and saw a rab-
bit. There was only one aperture large
prevent his escape. l saw In him food
to appease my hunger. and my hand
was raised to kill him, when thought |
occurred to me that prevented the blow
from descending.
had two fishing lines. Their united |
length would reach the road. / took off |
my shirt, tore 1t into strips. tied them
together and then to the nsh line. !
then tied the end made out of my
shirt around the rabbits neck and let
him out. He soon reached the end of
the line, and / knew by the way he |
was pulling that he was making a
desperate effort to escape. Soon the |
tugging ceased, and as / knew that |
was one OF rabbits accom-
/ thought he had gnawed
himself loose. About three hours af-
terward felt the Inc pull. and some
one called. ] tried to answer, but the
feeble noise / made died away In the |
cavern. 1 then pulled the line little
to show that 1 was stfiin aiiiive. All I
grew stiI. again, and l knew the per-
,on had gone for assistance. Then
anne the sound of voices. l pulled
n the line and II brought me food. 1t
OOk all Tic intn WIN WI hNa -. eff~
,haft nine hours to reach me-
Il very large pine tree that stood
rear had been the cause of my mis-
'ortune. 1t had been dead number
If years, and the storm had blown 1t
,ver. The terrible blow 1t struck the
round had caused the caving In Of the
hiatt The rabbit had wound the line
round a bush and tied himself so
hort that he was imprisoned outside
s securely as had been inside. He
vas taken to town, put In large cage,
nd supplied with all rabbit delicacies
he market afforded. He, however. did
ot thrive, and the boys, believing he
pinned In thought" voted to set him
rec. He was taken back to his old
and liberated He not
My saved my life, but became the
enefactor of all the rabbits near, the
liners refraining from shooting any.
DR. fear IL might be my rabbit.
Lead Poisoning Among Workers.