Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-01-06
Starvation Extraordinary.

Gt&l v&kiOh AlAS4 tNOl oih0lI IL
The Australian correspondent Of the
Times gives the following remarkable
statement illustrative ef ihe power of the
human being to resist hunger -
"a very remarkable incident, which I
must shortly relate, il only for the inter-
est it must necessarily have for scientific
and medical men, lately occurred here.
Discussions have frequently arisen as to
how long human creatures can exist
without nourishment, and the fact which
| refer TO throws light on such investiga-
tion. Some weeks back, at the station
Of Mr.. Dugald Smith, at Horsbam, Two
boys and girl, aged respectively the ell
dest boy nine, the girl seven, and the
youngest boy five, the children of a car
penter named Duff, wandered by them
selves into the bush and were lost. They
had been sent out by their mother, as
they had often gone before, to gather
broom, and not returning before dark the
parents became alarmed, and a search
commenced. The father, assisted by
friends and neighbors in large numbers,
secured the country in all directions for
days and nights in vain. At length, in.
despair, the assistance of some aboriginal
blacks was obtained, these people pos
sessing an almost bloodhound instinct in
following up the very faintest tracks
The blacks soon came upon the traces of
the little wanderers, expatiating, as these
trackers always do, at every bent twig,
or fattened tuft of grass, on the apparent
acting of the objects of their search
"Here little one tired sit down, carry
him along. Here travel all night dark,
not see that bush her fall on him.
Further on and more observations
"Here little one tired again big one
kneel down; not able 10 rise, fall fiat on
his face" The accuracy of these read
ings of the blacks was afterward curious
ly corroborated by the children them.
selves. Ga the eighth day after they
were lost, and long after the extinction
of the faintest .hope of their ever being
again seen alive, the searching party
came on them. They are described as
having been found lying all of a row on
a clump of broom among some trees, the
youngest in the middle carefully wrapped
10 bis sisters frock. They appeared to
be in deep and not unpleasant Sleep
On being awoke, the eldest tried to sit up
but fell back. His face was so emacia-
ed that his lips would not cover his teeth,
and he could only just feebly groan
Father" The youngest, who had suff-
cred least, woke up as from a dream,
demanding. Father, why didn't
you come for US sooner? we were CRYING
or you" The sister, who was almost
luite gone, when lifted could only mur-
ner, "Cold, cold" No wonder as the
title creature had stripped herself of her
rock, as the elder boy said, "to cover
Frank, for be was crying with cold."--
The children have all since done we'll,
'ud are rapidly recovering. They were
without food, and by their own account,
lad only one drink Of water during the
whole time they were out, and this was
rom the Friday of one week until the
Of the next week, in all nine
lays and eight nights. The pathetic
POINTS about this little history are so OBJ
'ious that you will feel no surprise in
,eing told that it has produced marvel
Gus sensation throughout the colony.
'nly wish popular sympathy had easily
It command some less coarse and more
satisfactory appreciation of little Jane
Ouff's conduct than collecting money for.
Ter. This however. is the form the pop
liar demonstration has taken, and the
Jane Duff Fund" already amounts to,
everal hundreds"