St Louis, MO Drowning Rescue, Aug 1872

How a Man’s Friends Nearly Strangled Him.

From the St. Louis Republican, July 29.

A man named Henry Neeley went down in a well on Saturday night at Bissell’s Point for the purpose of recovering a hat which had been dropped in. In a short time he gave a signal of distress, which told those above him that he was being overcome with foul air. There was but little time for deliberation. A rope was hastily procured by the bystanders, one end of which was formed into a noose and let down to the sufferer. After arguing a moment the man in the well gave the rope a little jerk, and the men at the other end commenced pulling it up. When about half way out they discovered that the noose had fallen over the man’s head, and that he was dangling by the neck. Horrified at the discovery, they wisely concluded that death by strangulation was no worse than death by suffocation, and so they continued to pull away until they landed Neeley on terra firma in an unconscious state. By the application of proper restoratives he was resuscitated, and is now doing well.

The New York Times, New York, NY 1 Aug 1872
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Transcribed by Audrey. Thank you, Audrey!