The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-05-14


OF kin to the missing child.
All night long tho weary and frui,lcss
search went on. The morning rose, cold
and clouded, upon the beuumbrd and en-
taus'cd company. An area of more thana
mile IN diameter around the house Of Mr..
khcy had been searched. No sign of the
lost child had been discovered.
New recui,s arriving from the more dis
tant parts Of the neghLorI,ood to fill the
places OF those whom fatigue or indispcnsa-
bic business compelled to retire, the search
was resumed upon the same plan that had
been pursued during the night. Every
possible place Of conceam"nt for a dead
body, or of refuge for the living child, was
carefully examined. Shouts were EXCHANGED
between the different drtachments and oc-
ca>i"nal guns fired, to attract the attention
of Ella, II still alive, and elicit some guiding
voice or SCUM! III response. The echoes,
rcvcrhcraing through the woods, or fIunr
back by the hills, soon died away upon the
win;rv air, and all was again silent and
'"'trss ms the grave. There was no sign
|" tell tho direction she had conr. The
troz'n earth refused to retain even - E.,l.
footprint TO guide the dclvcrcrs upon her
! track.
Still that noble band Of youths and men
tatcrcd not. Cold, fatigue, wakcfulucss
an" hunger, combined to opprvss them.
But wat were cold, and exposure au,l hun.
ger TO them, when they remembered that 4
lone chll:.., tho beloved Of all their hearts.
WAS wandering, without food or shelter,
through gloomy soliulcs and over H..
frozen ground, or that, perhaps, her fair
little form, rigid in death, was lying unLuriei
in some dark covert, or exposed on some
wi"'ry Lll The thought quickcned their
pace and spceded the search.
by noon Of the second day the area of
the search had extended TO more than five
miles in diameter. No liJings or sign Of
the lost child had been heard or seen. Hope
had clouded into doubt, and doubt was fast
darken'ng into despair. About three
clock in the afternoon, on the circumE.r-
cncc OF the outcrmost circle of the search.
and in the direction of the Obion Swamp. a
freshly torn fragment of some garment was
found ciinging to a bush. 1t was identified
as Of piece with the apron worn by little
Ella on the evening she left home. The
news was soon communicated to all, and at
once concentrated tho company an,
the sea'ch in the direction which it was
now certain the child had gone.
Mr.. and Mrs. Riley had kept even pace
with the rest until the morning of the sec.
ond day. Buoycd up by the hope of find
ing their child, and driven almost TO mad
ness by the tortured agony Of parents
heart, they could not be persuaded to absent
themselves from the search. They were
compelled, at last, TO yield to the conviction,
that two bitterly cold nights and one bleak
winter day had made them chililess.
With a grief too deep for tears, they re-
>''''He -'''t III luclT no" UpSOIlIp
home the result Of tho search for the body
of Ella. Alas for the riven hearts Of those
WHO sit in the silence of an unuterable sor
row, awaiting the return of the lif.lcss form
in which have been garnercd up the rich
treasures of Il parents love.
In short time after the discovery Of the
torn fragment Of Elias apron, her body was
found. 1t was lying upon the ground, cold
and perfectly rigid. She had evidently died
of cold and exhaustion many hours before.
Forming rude hearse of poles and bark,
with an ovcrcoat for covering, they placed
the body upon it, and began their fearful
and silent procession towards the residence
Of Mr.. Riley.
Ie who dwell in great cities, and see the
funeral pageant Of the young sweep along
the crowded tl'roughfarcs of fashion and
commerce, gl!terins with the trappings of
wealth and the Lazonry of pride, scorn moi
the severe simplicity oIthis rustic procession.
1t is the tear Of the mourncr, and not the
nodding plume and the sable drapery of the
hearse, that sanctifes and ennobles the
funeral cortegc in the eye Of reason and of
Heaven.
Few persons, indeed, could have wit
messed that rustic procession to the nome of
sorrow, bearing the cause of that sorrow in
their midst, and withheld the tribute of a
tear to the scene Innocence and beauty
had faded from the earth. and old men md
young men mourned for it's departure. A
sweet voice was silent, and forever, in those
rural retreats, and all wept that its cadence
was stiIled, and its melody gone, like the
husHed totes Of broken lutte, TO return no
more. The Teil of darkness lad been
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