Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1923-01-04
SAVED BY RABBIT
Miner Tells of Miraculous Escape
From Death.
A. Instrument Of Preserving Man
From Dreadful End, Animal Was
Honored by Community.

This true story of the almost NIL
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
it from Our Dumb Animals (Boston),
says the Literary Digest:
Many years ago 1 was living in Mon
tana. A smelter had been built and IT
created a demand for silver rock.
owned an interest in a lead mine that
had been sunk over thirty feet Think
ing the time had come to make II
available, 1 decided to go there and
get some ore and have it tested. did
SO, and reached the place just in lme
to take shelter in the mine from
terrible hail storm. l lighted my can
die, went to the bottom, and went to
work 1 had not been there more
than five minutes when l heard a
noise that sounded like cannon. The
rock over my head shook, and In
moment the shaft caved in. You can
imagine my feelings better than l can
describe them, when I found myself
buried alive.
l 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 1 could
do TO release myself. l knew that If
relief did not come from the outside
| must perish. No one knew that l
had gone there. road ran past the
mouth Of the shaft, but it was not
Travelled much, and 1 was not likely
to attract attention by calling. Never
theless, l shouted at intervals all day.
The following morning 1 commenced
calling again, and all day, whenever
I thought l. heard a sound, 1 shouted.
When night came again, all hopes OF
being released were abandoned. 1 will
not dwell on the agonies l endured.
The morning of the fourth day OF
my Imprisonment l heard something
crawl into my grave.
1 lighted my candle and saw 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. l took of
my shirt, tore it into strips, tied them
together, and then to the fish 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 l knew by the way he
was pulling that he was making a
desperate effort TO escape. Soon the
tugging ceased, and as l knew that
gnawing was one Of rabbits accom-
plishments. l thought he had gnawed
himself loose. About three hours at
terward 1 felt the line pull, and some
one called. 1 tried to answer, but the
feeble noise I made died away in the
cavern. 1 then pulled the line little
to show that l was still alive. All
grew still again, and l knew the per-
son had gone for assistance. Then
came the sound of voices. l pulled
in the line and it brought me food. 1t
took all the men who worked In the
shaft nine hours to reach me.
A very large pine tree that stood
near had been the cause of my mis-
fortune 1t had been dead number
of years, and the storm had blown II
over The terrible blow it struck the
ground had caused the caying in Of the
shaft. The rabbit had wound the line
around a bush and tied himself so
short thdt he was imprisoned outside
as securely as I had been inside. He
was taken to town, put in large cage,
and supplied with all rabbit delicacies |
the market afforded. He, however, did
not thrive, and the boys, believing he |
'pined In thought" voted to set him
free. He was taken back TO his old
neighborhood, and liberated. He moi
only saved my life, but became the |
of all the rabbits near, the |
miners refrainine from shooting any |