Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-07-02
From the Memphis Appeal.
$50 A Tale OF horrOr.


About thirty years aso, Mr.. Joseph st.
Clair built cabin in Arkansas, far up toward
the head waters of White River. 1t was then
all wilderness country for many miles a
round and game was very abundant. There
was no lack of bears, catamounts, wolves and
panthers. In fact, that country was, at that
date, perfect paradise for the practiced hun
ter. .--
Mr.. st. Clair had no family other than a
Young wife and one infant. He was fond of
hunting, but he cultivated a few acres in corn
and vegetables. At first it was fully ten
miles to his nearest neighbors, but during the
ensuing spring man named Williams made
a settlement, within half mile of St. Clair S,
and the two families became neighbors and
quite intimate. -.-.
Mr.. Williams was man in humble crcum
stances and had a large family, mostly of
grown daughters, and no small children. One
day in the month of July, 1929, (the first
summer that Mr.. st. Clair lived there) b.
wife was at home with the child, aud Mr. :,
Clair was off with his gun. Ahour c.
o'clock in the morning she left hot babe aSice'
in the cradle, and went to the iieid 90 .ata..
| beans for dinner On hei
| was gone. She, however, IelL no alarm, be
cause she supposed that her husband had
come home during her absence, and had hid
| den somewhere about the house with the
child merely for little fun. So she busted
herself in preparing dinner. ~
In an hour or two her husband returned
from the woods, bearing his gun and young
deer that he had killed, and on enquiry, de-
clared that he knew nothing of the child -
They now supposed that one of Mr. Will
liams' daughters had come in while Mrs. St
Clair was out, and finding the baby, of which
she was very fond, had carried it home. This
theory was to them quite satisfactory, for
there were no other neighbors, and the child
could not 60 away, unless carried. How else
could it have happened. ... ..
Dinner being over, Mr.. st. Clair walked
over to his neighbours, to bring back his
treasure of baby that Miss Lucy had bor-
rowed that morning Miss Lucy had borrow
ed that morning, Miss Lucy said that she had
not borrowed the baby-she had not seen it
that day. Mr.. st. Clair was hard to convince
that no one of the family had taken the
child, but all assured him that they knew moth
ing of it, s. 81
1t was now time to be alarmed "What
| has become of the poor child ?" was his ex-
clamation; he ran back home in great agony.
The mother in like manner was almost fran
tic They could not conceive who had tax
EN- away their child.
Mr.. Williams family joined in the grief,
but could afford no aid-no consolation
They could invent no theory, nor devise any
plan by which the children had, with any de-
gree Of probability, disappeared. Who was
there to take it away? Why would any
one wish to have it :? They were utterly at
loss. -....-.
Finally it was remembered that occasional
ly there were parties of Cherokees hunting
through that county. 1t was now surmised
that they had happened to come to the house
while Mr.. st. Clair was in the field, and had
stolen the child and carried it away. This
was at once received as plausible and quite
probable.
Early next morning Mr.. ST. Clair and Mr..
Williams set out to seek for the Indian
camp, and Mrs. st. Clair was left alone. She
was sitting in silence, weeping tears of bitter
anguish, such as none but mothers ever shed,
and wondering in her heart what had become
of the darling babe 1t was now about the
hour of the day on which she, the day previ-
Gus, had gone out. Ere she was aware, a
large panther, with stealthy tread, came to
the door and looked in toward the CRADLE
Mrs. ST. Clair screamed and he ran away
The fearful truth was now apparent, and no
new light has ever yet been cast upon the
subject.