John A. King, 57, laborer, saved Frank Allen, 32, laborer, from suffocation, La Cygne, Kansas, December 23, 1912. Allen was in a well when the wall gave way, and he was buried beneath 16 feet of stones and dirt, the top of which was 12 feet from the top of the well. A crowd of men came to the well, but none would descend to Allen’s aid when asked to do so. An offer of money to whomever would go down brought no response. Later King was asked and volunteered to descend. He was lowered at the end of a rope through a hole in the stone covering of the well. A four-foot section of the wall remained in position at the top of the well. He worked in the well 7.5 hours filling a small box with stones and dirt, and at the end of that time Allen was free. King and Allen were hoisted to the surface in safety. 9796-902
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