Idaho County free press., 1924-08-07

Mrs. Boles Has Miraculous
Escape from Death; Babes
See Tragedy from Shore
Mother Takes Children in
Boat; Though Inexperienced,
She Reaches Opposite Shore

Herbert Saxby Boles, "a
years old, well-known Idaho
county stockman, was drowned
in Snake river, near the mouth
of Wolf creek, while attempt
| ing to save his wife, Mrs.
Hazel Boles, from drowning
in the perilous stream, about
IS O'Clock Saturday night.
Mrs. Boles, as though by mir
acle, escaped death.
Mr.. and Mrs. Boles and their three
small children, Marta, years old;
Mark, 6, and Betty, 5. had crossed
the river In a row-boat, from their
home on the Idaho side to the Ore
gon shore.
Bathing i'm River
| Mr.. and Mrs. Boles were bathing
in the cool waters of the stream,
while the three children sat inter-
estedly on the shore, watching their
puituto tiiJVt tht pAehsSN-
Suddenly Mrs. Boles stepped from
the sandbar into deeper water. She
thought she was drowning, and called
to her husband, who was in shallow
water, for help. Mr.. Boles rushed to
her assistance.
81 believe I'm going to drown" Mrs.
Boles shouted to him, as she again
felt herself sinking, and thoughts OF
her three little children on the shore
rushed to her mind. "You go back"
the mother called to her husband.
Mr.. BoIes, ignoring his wife's re-
quest, dashed further and further in
to the stream to save her. Suddenly,
as the woman struggled in the water,
Mr.. Boles disappeared in the river.
Mrs Boles did not see him sink.
Mother Saves Self
She struggled alone and finally, in
a manner which she was unable
to explain, reached shore. She looked
back, but Mr.. Boles was no where to
be seen. He had drowned.
81 saw daddy go down." Innocent
Iy cried little Betty, just 3, too young
to realize that terrible tragedy had
tltdt nCh utOthti "oo ooo
denly left widow, and that she, her
brother and sister, were orphans.
Mrs. Boles, with marked presence
of mind, endeayored to locate the
body of her husband, and, If possible,
raise him to the shore and resuscitate
him. Taking an oar from the boat,
she entered the stream where he had
drowned and where she came very
nearly losing her own life, and probed
the rivers depths, but she was not
able to find the body
Never R0wed Boat
Then, placing the three tiny chill
dren in the boat, the brave mother,
who never before had rowed boat,
entered the skiff, and, rowing with all
her might across the swift river, this
inexperienced and grief-stricken oars
woman safely reached the opposite
shore with her human cargo.
Proceeding then to the Boles house,
Mrs. Boles put in general call over
the ranchers' telephone line and sum-
moned the neighbors, the nearest OF
whom lived miles away. The first to
respond to the telephone call was
Price Kenner, who lived ten or twelve
miles distant Others rushed to the
scene, but it was 6 o'clock before the
first arrived at the river.
Drag for Body
Dragging the river for two hours,
the searching party comprising fifteen
men and three women, finally located
the body of Mr.. Boles in fifteen feet
of water, at a point about thirty feet
from shore.
The body was packed ON horse
fourteen miles to the Charles Miller
place, on Joseph plains, and then
was placed in an automobile belong
ing to Pick Chamberlin, of Whitebird,
and brought to Grangeville.
The party accompanying the body
Travelled all night, and arrived in
Grangeyille at z 80 Sunday morning
The body was taken to the Hancock
parlors.
1t was pointed out that had Mr..
and Mrs. Boles both lost their lives in
the river, the children probably
would have died of exposure, for it
was a lonely and desolate point ON
the Oregon shore where the tragedy
occurred, and practically no person,
TConfinued ON page fve)