WILLIAM
RANDALL FOUND
Wandered in Woods for
Four Nights and Five Days
Lost the major part of a
week, one foot frozen, nothing to eat but tobacco and
winter-green, wet to the skin twice by falling into rivers, and
endless wandering in wet and snowy weather. Such is the tale in
brief of the recent experiences of William Randall Jr. of
Charlotteville, who had gone out shooting and got separated from
his companions.
On Saturday morning, 22 Oct
1910, he left camp, having a .303 rifle and 19 cartridges. He shot
at a moose and missed him, and started to pursue the animal
without noticing where he was going. and as night came on he could
not find his way back.
That night he fired all his
cartridges in signals and so his rifle was of no further use to
him.
He slept out that night,
and on rising the next morning found his clothing was frozen
stiff.
His only food was the
tobacco he had carried with him and winter-green leaves. Although
he did not feel much hunger after this, he steadily grew weaker.
He kept on his travels,
always seeking to find his way back to his starting point. Day
after day this was practically the whole of his existence, a
perpetual search for an outlet from the wilderness in which he was
lost.
Tuesday night was one of
severe cold and henceforth he had to drag his right leg, now
useless. Again and again he fell down, only to struggle to his
feet to continue his weary way.
At last, on Wednesday, he
got back to the neighborhood of his start, and crawled into a
cabin, where he was found.
Medical help was procured,
and it was found that his foot could be saved, although 12 hours
more would have meant its amputation.
