Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 277, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1918 — MAROONED ON ISLAND IN RIVER 22 DAYS. [ARTICLE]

MAROONED ON ISLAND IN RIVER 22 DAYS.

Many Persons Passed, but/Couldn't Hoar His Calio—Darkiand Water His Food. 1 CODY, Wya—That ho wasi marooned on a small island in the Shoshone river for twenty-two days—constantly In sight of a bridge across which traffic was streaming, unable to reach either bank of the river because of an inability to swim and unable to make those on the bridge who saw his signals comprehend that he was doing more than waving them a friendly greeting to them—was the rather fanciful but apparently true story told local authorities by Dave Gootch. a stenographer of Jonesboro, Ark., who is now under the cars of a physician here. ' r '-“Gootch. asserts that near the , end of last month, after taking dinner at a here, hs went; out on the street. The day being exceedingly warm be wandered toward the river. He says that as be neared the river, he became dizzy from the heat and sat down under a trot, from which point he professed that his memory was s blank until be awoke In the. night, to rind himself on tho island in/the river. How he happened to. get on'the island and couldn’t got off by* the same means he gained the spot/ of land is a point overlooked in his narrative. Gootch claims to have remained on the island for twenty-two days, each day signaling to those. passing on the bridge, and'always unable to make thorn ■ understand that he wanted aid because the roar of the river drowned bls voice. s., He asserts he (had nothing to eat but the bark of shrubs growing on the island, that he wais almost crazed by his situation and that he frequently thought he would die. He was eventually rescued by a deputy sheriff after a small boy had reported seeing his body lying on the island. While the features of Gootch’s story tally, as to his, having been in Cody recently; disappearing after registering at; a hotel, and having been found on ‘ the island, there are a great many who wonder why he didn’t make some attempt to reach the mainland Many a man has learned to swim in less than twenty-two days, particularly when he had all day in which to practice.