Year: 1872

from the Utica Herald Nov. 1871


o the
proprietor OF the Forge House, an excellent guide,
skilled hunter and q man generally known to


Sperry, Jack Sheppard, Samuel Dunakin and
Daniel Sears were engaged in running deer. Mr..
Ing Lime Kiln Lake, John Browns tract while
the rest Of the party watched the Fulton chain OF
lakes. This was on Saturday last Mr.. sperry had
been quite successful, having shot one deer. re-
covered it, hung 1t to tree and dressedit Asecond
one was shot, and Sperry put out In boat alter
Willie. He secured the second deer, tied it to the
boat and was towing 1t to shore, when Willie
ia the boat to rom which @
third deer would be likely to take the water. The
lake was very rough and the action Of the the waves,
the. water, made the boat very unsteady,
preserve his balance and fell into the lake. AS he
fell Sperry caught the side OF the boat and upset
II The 6os with e Soe
was the landing. The boat upset about one-fourth
Of mile from the landing The boy on shore began
en% eaea cSeeriy tsHS q him. a6ons wIs
am coming ashore all right" For almost an
his little boy, in an agony OF suspense watched
from the shore For some time he made slow pro-
necessary was too great even for his strength.
from the boat, but with undated courage, though
with falling strength, ne reganed his place. The
water carried away his oar and he continued
the unequal fight by padding with his
hands When he was within seven or elgh. rods Of
shore the water swept him from the boat, and he
was too weak to climb back upon It. Even then
he did not give up his wonderfu fight for life, but
cjpoing to the boat he tried to force IL against the
waters to the shore close BY The little boy waded
into the cold water to his shoulders, braving death


himself in vain attempt to save his father. He says
that had he been able to find a long pole he could
have reached his father and drawn him to shore. The
fathers strength was now completely gone. He
above water, and drift at the mercy of the wind.
As the boat drifted by the landing 1t approached
nearer the shore, and the brave little boy again
wadcd again into the lake in another desperate
effort to reach the father The water at the land
ing was deeper, and the longest pole the boy could
get was not long enough to span the space between
the farthest venture he could make and the dying
man.


Here sperry gave up hope, and said family, 'I
must go.n A few rods north OF the landing he lost
his hold on the boat and was drowned


Willie waited lew minutes to see II his father
would rise, and then turned his face toward home,
sixteen miles away. Few boys OF his age have ever
been so tried. Alone in the woods, the ground
covered with snow wet TO the skin, and with
heart bursting with grief, he lost neither spirit nor


He went to Fifth Lake, got boat, crossed the
lake, ran down the creek to Fourth Lake, aud
there found the wind so strong that he could not
pull against 1t.


Meantime Sheppard, who had left Lime Kiln
Lake in the morning to put out the dogs, re-
turned, and fired his rine rs signal to Sperry
to come across after him. AS no reply was
upturned boat gave him an idea of the fate OF
Sperry. The boys tracks were visible In the snow,
and, hoping to save him from his fathers fate,
Sheppard followed him to Fifth Lake, and taking q
second boat reached Fourth Lake just as Willie,
driven ashore by the winds, was leaving the water
to 20 home through the woods.