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A T0U.G JEXXESSEE HEB0I5E. HIDlMl A HORSE INTO THE K1VEB TO SAVE HER BROTHER FROM DEATH. Near Gainsboro occurred an inci-dint inci-dint the story or which reads rnore like a romance than truth, yetJtls vouched for by Judge Fite, ono of Tennessee's most dlUuguisbed Jurists. Jur-ists. It was while the angry Cumberland Cum-berland was In his most violent mood, when the swift-flowing waters wa-ters w ere at Uielr highest, Uiat brave Mica Hall, a frail young girl of 15 years, performed an act of heroism which should emblazon her name high upon the scroll of fame. Mica's brother, Comer Hall, and another young man, both agedabsut 16, were in a canoe catching driftwood drift-wood in themlddlo of the stream. The weather was Intensely coId,and both young men had on their heavy overcoats aud heavy undereJotbee. Suddenly the canoe wa upett and hoth boys were thrown into tho stream. The current at this point is very swift and the canoe quickly went to the bottom of tlie river. The brave young fellows begau to struggle strug-gle desperately to save themselves, but the heavy clothing weighted them down so that they could make little headway against Uie angry waters, which bore Uieru switUy down Uie stream. Some distance down Uie river is a small Island, which was covered at the time by about four or fire feet of water, loung Hall's companion landed ngaint thli island and managed man-aged by the most desperate efforts to maintain bis position upon It. Toor Comer, however, was not so fortunate. In his effort to escape lie continued to lloat farther and farther far-ther away. About 300 yards from where his companion lodged Comer floated against a tree-top, and clung to it with a desperation born of de-siair. de-siair. All this time young Hall's mother moth-er and 1.1-vcar-old sister, Mica, were standing at the edge of the water several hundred yards from where he bad lodged. They were, Intrutii, at thu edge of a great sheet of water which bad backed up from the river. riv-er. The frenzied mother saw Uie desperate struggle of her son to save himself, and, wringing her hands In grief at the thought of his meeting death Iu Uie bosom of Uie angry river, riv-er, was a'niost ready to plunge into Uie water aud make an effort to reach him. Then it was, in the supreme hour of peril, that the heroic young girl ran back to the barn nnd secured a horse. Seizing hold ot Uie halter she lulled him down to theedgr or . I Uie water, and, tearing oirhcr cloth-lug, cloth-lug, jumped upon the jack of the animal wiUi the words "Ma, I'll save Rud or die," and plunged into the icy waters. Far down thostream her fast tiring britber clung to tbe tree top, the agonized mother ex-pecUnjf ex-pecUnjf every moment to see him ; (ink into the river, never to rise again. Mica urged the trembling animal : forward unUI he struck deep water, where it was with the greatest effort Uie shivering girl could keep his head straight toward the boy. The waters surged and splashed against tbe brave rescuers and every moment seemed an age. At Inst the tree was reached, and just ns Comer was becoming unconscious Jiu was seized by his hereto sister, pulled upon the back of the horse, nnd the battle for lifo began. The horse struggled desperately, b-it thei-oor girl held tenaciously to his nunc, aud, with one arm around the seml-coir'clous seml-coir'clous boy, finally managed to reach the bank far below w here she liad started In. Once safely upon terra firrua, she gave Tay underthe terrible strain, aud it Was several hours U-fore She was able to recite thestoryof her bravedevd toheras-sembled toheras-sembled neighbors. The other joungmau was rccued by n party or men, and Mica Hall Is the heroine or Uie Upper Cum-U-riauJ. -VcuAnVs American. |
