TO SAVE HER CHILD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 141, 13 June 1908, Page 8

TO SAVE HER CHILD.

SYDNEY, June 5. A sad drowning fatality occurred at Rookwbod on Wednesday, the victim being a little boy, Otho Ernest Joyce, aged 4J yp.irs, srn of Mr Eir.ftsc J. Joyce, aged smith, of Joseph-street. It seems that the little fellow was playing about the yard, when he took it into his head to ciinib c fence dividing th.xt and a neighbour's yard, but on alighting on the other side he crashed through a decayed portion of a covered-in well. The next-door neighbour heard the fall and a splash in the water, and ran to the well. Looking down she saw the little fellow in tiie water, but out of reach. She raised an alarm, and the distracted mother rushed to the scene, and plunged into the well. She was quickly in difficulties, and a man named Alfred Bragg, who had -been attracted by the cries, endeavoured to rescue the mother by hanging on to the planking of the well by his feet and making a dive. He managed to clutch hold of the half-drowned woman, but was unable to do more than hold her head above water until assistance arrived. They -were then both rescued, but the woman was in a bad state of collapse. On search being made for the child his dead body was ultimately recovered. The well was 12ft deep iiiiil 10ft wide, sind contained Tft 'f water.