Extraordinary Escape.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 81, 29 January 1852, Page 4

Extraordinary Escape.

The last Abingdon Virginian contains the following account of one of the most remarkable escapes probably on record. It was almost miracutous: The chi'dren of Mr. Gcoroo Ilickan. a ritizen of Scoit county, were pliying together in a fa-Id, and mar ilie niontli of a Ihilioniless sink-hole. In llieir p.rmboU one of ill. in, a lioy about riilit or ton years of age, pushed l,i« liitie brother, about four years old, lie ul (ong ovrr the edge and down into the de p dark |iit below. It was tome lime after the child was missi d bcfoie any cciinin iulorm •-■ t'on could he ilra.in from the oilirrs as to what hud become of him : and it was i,nlv threat* of scv'te punis'.-iucnt lW»l liaally overcome thrir fear, sindt-xtor crl from ihe hot who did the deed a cnn'tsvo-i of w' ni had happened. An iff.-rl whs made inm ediartU t.i ascertain the silua<ii>n ol the little f 110-.v, .indo fiord l.im relief if he was not beyond it.power. Ripe 3wi re tied together, with a stone attached to one end, and an iillt nipt wa< made to fathom the depth beneath, but more than sixty feet of rope were employed in vnin ; no ho!to.n could be r< ached. A liglilrd oniric was then bt down, bui it* liulit gave no hnprlnl indii ation, exei| t 'bat the pit «afiee from choke dump or impure air as far down as tin- candle desci nded. Night came on, and all further cll'orls liud to be fur the lime abandoned. On the next day further trials were made of the cbpth of the pit, but with no letter sneers'. In desp.vr the lr.ii.tic parents were about to give up all hopes • f lecovery or of relieving their little iiiiiaicnt, and pr-p were being made ioel.se up t''e iniiulli id'the pit to prevent a lik • oei ttrrenc- in the future, win n it wns sn.gested nitd nerecd upon that another and a final efl'nit sliou'd be made by Idling some individual •■'own by topes to examine the nature of the nbtss, and BFceriain if there was any ei - conn.g-nient for fuither cllorts to be found In-low. A brother of the lm.l child undertvok the fVnriul ta'k. <- oids were l.iste„til .iroun.i lis waist and limbs, and one to his wrist, by übi'li be might indicate Id those above bis •wis'-'i-s eith'r to descend or to bo drawn up. He was swung o(F ard slowly lowered, until having gone to the depth of'i.b.mt fifty feet, be looked below him, and llieie shone thn tiftb tin- thick darkness two glis eniiu evesiiiUiiily 1 unking upward. In another moment be was itnoding on n shelf or angle in the shaft witli the child clasped to his bosom. He fattened the little fi How securely to his own body, and bidding him take ihe rope firmly in his hands, the signal was given to draw up. 'lhe child hung convulsively to the rope, and, in a few minutes lln-y arose wi hin view of the hundred anxious spectators who had assembled to witness the result; and when the first jdimi se of the little fallow alive caught their rag' r gaze, fcreams nod shouts of joy from the excited multitude filled the nir, and h\f, tears if sympathy started from the eyis of cvny beholder- Alter the fmt paroxysms of relight had subsided, the child was (xamiiu-d to .-ee if it bill sustained any injuiy, rind extraordinary to tell, with the tX'iption of a litile b.nise on the back of its lie.ul, it wa« pcrffdly sound and unlnvt. Tin- only complaint it innr'e was that it w.H hungry, being nearly t>'enty-seven bonis under the grounc. To ii.'qu'iie* made of it, it replici that it saw a light, and Ireaid it thunder. From ibe nature ol the pit, it apprared that the huh- fel'ow bad fallen a perpendicular dist mcc- of forty It" t, upon a slope or bind in lh« .-lial'i, and from that place bad glided down twenty IVet fruitier to tliu .-pot where he was louu.l. Itauiiu siguin-il a sort of pillar or wall, and jor/.ino upwii'd. How lie escaped instant de.trin lij.. is licMmd all Lccoui.t.