Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-09-03
LOST CHILDREN IN THE WOODS.


The Peterson IN. ~ Guardian, noticing the
finding Of a little girl who had wandered into
the woods at West Milford, and remained from
Monday till Thursday, before she was discov-
cred, says:
''When found, five miles away, she was in
famished condition, and ravenously devour-
ed some bread which her DISCOVERIES happened
to have in their possession. Bordering the
house of her parents is spring or brook,
where the family washing is usually done.-
Whilst the mother was at the brook washing,
the. little one, aged about three and half
years, was playing about the bushes with
child somewhat older. As the bushes were
quite thick and the country back mountain
Gus and uninhabited. 1t proved impossible
to find the lost child and she would undoubt-
eddy have persisted, but for her accidental
discovery by q farmer and his man, who were
going over the mountain to cut little plot of
grass when they saw the little thing trying to
get away through the underbrush. Her feet
were bare, and, with her arms were all
scratched and wounded by briars and brush,
by which they had been torn Upon offering
her piece of bread from their dinner pail,
she snatched it and devoured it almost raven
ously. Her little hood she had kept upon her
head although it had been united all the
while; it is singular that during the days and
little hood. She was found in direct line,
five miles from home; but how far she may
have travelled in her wanderings to get that
distance away, cannot be told. She must
have gone over rocky places where she was
in constant danger of tumbling over precipees
and where rattlesnakes are so thick as to keep
men and boys in fear from their proximity.
She had also forced her way through briars,
over swanps and through thick srcub districts
where only huntsmen penetrate, for the corin-
try throughout is the widest and most i'm
penetrable. She was SO young as to be with
out fear, but must have suffered terribly from
hunger, and from the pains of her laccrated
| limbs.
The Columbus (ohio) Statesman speaks of
q child who was less fortunate in being dis
covered, and who persisted in the woods. II
says:
"About fortnight ago, bright little girl
six years of age, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
King, living about four miles from Kalda
Putnam county in this State, went with her
mother to visit neghbor, and while there
accompanied the neighbours children to carry
water to the father, working in field. On
the way some childish quarrel occurred he
tween them, and their little vister, vexed
and grievcd, started to return to the house,
which was in view. Probably rejecting more
ceived than of the path she was following,
she strayed away into the woods and was lost.
The other children returned in due season,
but Mrs. King was only surprised that her
child was not with them. Search was imme-
diately commenced, but when night came, and
the little one was not found, the anxiety of
the mother became terrible. The search was
continued the next day and the next, without
success. The whole neighborhood was aroused
and the people of the county, to the number
ofiive hundred per day, generally volunteered
their services and traversed the woods, and
the forest rang with their alarms night and
day, in search of the lost child. On the ninth
day the little one was found, lying over two
logs, where it had fallen, too weak to proceed
within two miles of the spot where it was last
seen, dead. 1t had removed all its clothing,
and when found was quite naked, its bonnet
hanging on limb, and its dress lying in a
playhouse which she had built to while away
the lonely hours. 1t had died within few
hours of the time at which il was found. The
spot had frequently been passed, but the most
of the search had been extended too far
When the dead body Of the child was taken
into the presence of the mother, and the hope
which had sustained her throughout thesearch
was gone, her reason tottered and she became
inSauS.p