Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-07-20
Extraordinary Adventure.

One of the most extraordinary adventures o
a child of which we ever heard, occurred neal
Pawtucket last week. On Thursday, the lst in
slant, son of John Keenen, of that place, aged
only three and a half years, disappeared from
his home, and no tidings could be obtained Of
him by his parents. On the following day, bills
were circulated soliciting information respecting
him. 1t was at length ascertained that a child
answering his description had been seen in an
easterly direction from the village, and an active
search was Immediately instituted for the missing
boy. 1t appears that he was seen by several
persons, but in one instance only under circum-
stances that excited suspicion that he was lost,
and in this instance the person neglects to take
charge of him Immediately, and when followed
had disappeared in the woods and could not be
found
The course of the child was followed in part
by the information of those who had s,en him,
but mainly, we understand, by his foot prints in
ploughed fields and muddy places. He was at
length found on Saturday evening, at halt-past
FIVE o'clock, near the boundary line between See
konk and Rehoboth five and half miles in a
straight line from his home, and ffty-tour and a
half hours after his disappearance, and ittynine
after he ate his breakfast on the previous Thurs
day morning. He left his home baretooted and
very thinly clad, having nothing on but thin
calico dress and an apron, and these were wet when
he was found In this condition he had wander
ed to the place where he was found, through
ploughed fields and woods, and across bitches
and swamps. So far rs is known or believed, he
had not eaten mouthful of food since the previous
Thursday morning. Two nights the little fellow
must have slept inthe open air on the cold, damp
ground, and they were cold nights, too there being
frost on each, if our memory is correct. His feet
were badly acerated by stones brias, DC, and
much swollen. buthe appeared to be otherwise in
good condition, and is doing we'll. His greatest
anxiety on being found was to be taken to his
mother, for whom he said ne had been looking.
When asked if he did not sleep cold the previous
night, he replied that he did.
The latter part of the strange adventure of
this child was in and through an extensive swamp
in which people have been lost, and where, some
fcrty years ago, woman, unable to find her way
out, perishcd, and her body was not found until
nine days afterwards. In this swamp is stream
of water five or six feet wide, and of considera-
Die depth, and the mud in its bed and on its
banks is SO deep and soft that it is difficult to
cross it. But this child did cross it how, every
one who has seen it is puzzled to conjecture.
From the appearance of his tracks in this swamp,
it is supposed that he wandered about therein
several miles He was found on the margin of
the swamp but was supposed to be in it, and
between one and two hundred men were enga-
gcd on Saturday in searching for hirh.
We question whether there IS another instance
on record in which chil5' of so tender years sur
yived so much faii%,|Ie, privation, and exposure.
If this little E,eenen lives and does not make a
tough Sn' cimen of man, his age will belle the
pro"..r,>e Of his spring"