Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-06-09
For The Telegraph.
Snd Accident.

D., SAD Accident.
A sad and mournful event took place at
the house Of Mr.. Robnet, in Coiumb;a
township, on Saturday morning, Nav 24tb'
VIM. o. an only son of Joseph and lane
Cline, ofWilkesville, met with an untime-
y death, by falling into well, about 80
ieet deep. The circumstances connected
with this melancholy occurrence are more
than usually peculiar and distressing.
Mrs. Cline had been on a visit amono
her friends ard relatives in that township
Tor few days, with her two children. the
eldest being about four years old. Mr..
Cline left his home in WilkesvilIe, on Sat
urday morning, in buggy, for ALBANY.
Athens county, for the purpose of trans-
acting some business there, contemplating
to convey his family home on his return
the next day Stopping at the house of
Mr.. Robnet, his brother-in-law, he found
his family there, when his little boy wished
to accompany him to Albany but the
father prevailed on the child to remain
where he was, and play with his little
cousins until evening, when he should re-
turn from Albany and bring "Willie a
present" In the afternoon, Mr.. John
Cline, the boys uncle, was at Mr.. Robnet's
and the little boy requested his mother to
let him go home with his uncle; but the
mother fearing that he might fall off the
horse, or get otherwise injured, induced
the child to remain with his playmates,
by promising him leave to 90 to the
pasture, some distance from the house
where there was young colt. "Willie." /"
IN company with eight or ten little boys,
started frofe%he House for the pasture lot,
for the purpose of seeing the colt. The
ladies about the house supposing that the
children were all gone to the pasture, took
no further notice of their movements. I'M
til the return of the little group, when they
reported that Willie had gone but a short
distance from the house with them, until
he left them, remarking that he would 90
back and "stay with Ma"
Search was Immediately made in and
throughout the buildings and farm, but
nothing could be found of the missing
child: Supposing that he might have fol-
lowed his uncle, person was sent there:
but 1t was soon ascertained that the child
had not followed him.
Mr.. Robnet atlength descended the well,
which was few feet from his house, when
10! to his horror and surprise, he found
the little boy, sunk in water and mud, at
the bottom of the well, dead-the water
being between two and three feet deep.
w hen MI Robnet emerged from the well.
bearing in his arms the lireless form of the
child, nothing could surpass the scene that
presented itself. Mr. Cline had returned
rom Albany but a few minutes before his
child was brought forth from the well. and
some forty or fifty persons were collected
'o0ut the house, whose sympathetic tears
md lamentations commingled with those
II the distracted father and mother.
What still adds to the popularity of the |
and distress, if such can
'e, is that after the boy was found to be
Missing, Mrs. Cline and her sisters Mrs.
tobnet and Mrs. Graham) rolled LARGE I
ock on the trap door which covered the |
veil, fearing that some Of the children
nlgnt' IN the confusion and search, attempt
raise the door and fall in.
Little did we think, when we last saw
Little Willie, and when smoothing down
us curing rlnglets, and admiring his beau
iiul and intellectual features, that we
hould be called upon in SO short time to
ecord his melancholy and sudden death.
lie was certainly one of the most beauti-
III, interesting, and Intellectual children
nat we ever beheld. We deeply sympa-
hize with the distressed and afflicted ia
her ana mother in the loss Of their dear
nd beloved ''little Willie" w. L.
June l, 1857.