Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-02-13
THE LOST CHILD.

ready for sale. Upon turning over its leaves
w.,xrrsc ,lv remember he circumstances upon
which this story is founded. They are oil The
most interesting nature, and derive much graoe
from ,hr pure style IN which they a'e related.
Thu Reverend su,hor has strictly adhered 10
representation OF facts as they occurred. admit
ting no other establishment Than his own oecs'
,iona, moral red ions on the suFJe"t. " Is
an excrllen, work, and will br read with equal
interest," no h bv parents and children ne
story is briefly this
Itmav be remembered that about two or
three wears ago, considerable excitement was
produced throughout the country by the pub
lie alton OF an advertisement which went The
rounds in the newspaprrs, Offering Ugh re-
ward for the recovery Of child which had
oeen stole. from its parents. They were r. 81
dents Of Mount Prarie, Arkansas Territory
I, was ascertaincd that the perpetra'or OF tins
deed of darkness, was a villain who had Tor
long time expressed his enmiy 10 Mr.. Howe
and his family, on account OF their religious
principles, and their unwillingness to join IN
The circle OF destination which he freqoen'ed
Although many persons voluntarily went forth
in various directions, and every other effort
was made in order 10 apprehend the wretch
who had thus despoiled an aniable family "i
their first born, no Information OF any Kind
could be obtained respecting eiiher him or the
child ill nearly year had elapsed since It's
loss. A, this period. SAWS the narrator, a
neishbor came one morning, and told Them
al last some information touching he late OF
their LOST son. From his coun'enance as he
SAID this, they could gather nothing with re-
yard to the nature Of the news. He seemed
10 have an air Of mystery anf would saw moth
ing in the pre- ,ence Of The family, hui informed
the father tina, if he would accom- NsnV him to
a certain place, he thought he could set his
mind AZ rest as 20 he fate OF the ehld. ne
father and mother Instantly inferred That The
child was dead, although he had not said so
How strangely blinded are we TO whs, pass
es in our own minds! The mo her had often
thought and said tbs, she should BE- glad IL she
was sure her dear Henry had ESCAPED from
the hands of cruel men. and was SAT- In he
Presence &c God in a herer world! BIZ, when
she frs fel, ,ha, th-se wishes had INDEED been
vraned, and her poor Henry was actually dead!
the grief Of he mother arose within her, and
she tainted. As soon as she recovered. her
husband moun'cd hi. horse and accompanied
hi, nsiehbor He led him in silence along the
road where The child had last been seen, mile
from he poin, where he had been seen bv Ca
z.r. (,he servant TO whose care the child was
cor6d d. He then turned off INFO deep ra-
vine, covered on every side by thick vines and
brier bushes. spring ran along the bottom
of il. IL was dark, dreary, oGI-"l they way
place, surroundrd bv thick woods; and seemed
The very SPOT which bad m-n would have chos
en- 70 perpetrae deed Of horror Here the
man s,opped, the father followed him in arx-
lou, silence Al little distance from the
source Of the spring, beside log, were bones,
such as the imperfect knowledge which Mr..
Howe had Of structure and tue anatomy oil
the human body, might lead him to suppose
were ,hose of child. They laid little dis
ordered, as though some beast had carrlessiv
walked ever them, but there were apparently
all the chief bones Of the Grle body There
was The skull, and 10 make the evidence more
compile e some locks Of far hair which resem-
oiled those Of Henry were scattered around. -
The neiehbor said little, and but li,ile was nr
cess,,y 20 bring home conviction TO the near.
OF this unfortunate parent, tina, here. his dear
child had persisted, and this was all that re
manned Of him! Ii is useless to auempt to
describe his feelings. The bones were careful
~ removed 10 his house, and good Method
isl minister prayed, sung funeral hymn, and
urea he'd a sermon The remains were then
Inferred a. those Of Henry Howe. There were
few dry eyes at This funeral meeting, as The
minister. in The simple paIh"s OF ruth, spoke
Of the pathetic circumstances OF the case The
mother saw the bones buried beneath The soil,
but she retained the fair locks. one OF which
She placed mex her bosom while her eye was
often seen 10 fl with unhidden tears, and often
at the close of dav would she stray alone o he
spo, where she deemed all that was mortal Of
her Child WIS al rest"
Notwithstanding this almost convincing
proof Of the ehild's death, still the mother
seems 10 have enter aimed a preseu,imen; tina,
she should yet see him again, and 80 strongly
wa, she impressed with this ic y, that she
could not resolve 10 give him up, although she
continued TO weep over the stone which bore
his NAME. About one year AFTER Ills event had
,,an,nired, a Ie,,er was received through the
N ten post nfBre, directed 10 Mr. Howe,
wao was a. tha, time from home. His wife,
in W ose mind the memory OF her 1851 DARING
WAS ever vivid. wrh = vague hope which she
GOVT; hardly define, broke tue seal, and read the
SoIiouipa.