New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-10-29
Lost ana Fonnd.
THIRTY YEARS CAPTIVITY AMONG THE INDIANS.
[From tbe Jasks On l,IIeh.l oi.izsn.l

[From the Jackson (slichl Citizen
Thirty years ago, when jackson was little
hamlet of 200 or 800 persons, a young woman
might have been seen one sultry day in August,
accompanied BY little boy five years old, wend.
ing her way towards grove in the neighboring
| town of Blaekman, for the purpose Of engaging in
the, then common pastime of picking berries. The
| young woman. after toiling away for some time,
became annoyed with the eeaseless opportunities
| of the child, and sent him home. She thought
nothing more Of the matter till, upon her return
4 in the evening she was surprised to find that the
| boy had not returned. Inreply to the queries Of
the anxious parents, the girl related the circum-
| stances narrated above, and added that she knew
nothing OF the whereabouts of the child. Day
after day passed, and still the missing member of
that distracted family did not return, nor could
any tidings of him be heard by his agonzed pa
rents. Finally. after every searching party who
went out to find the missing one had returned and
reported their mission fruitess, and after all hope
OF ever seeing their darling boy again had van
ished from the minds Of the afflicted parents sus
picion began to fasten upon the young woman,
who was servant in the family. She again as
serted her innocence, and stated that she knew
nothing of the missing boy from the time she had
sent him homeWard. Inspite of her pr0testations
however, she was arrested for the murder OF the
boy and incarcerated in the rude lookup which
had been erected bythe9early settlers. Here she
was kept for time, till it became apparent that
no evidence against her could be obtained, still
asserting her Innocence to the parents of the
child, who longed for some tidngs that would dis
pei the uncertainty which hung over them like q
cloud Their hopes were doomed to disappoint-
meht, however, as nothing could be heard of the
missing one, and he was finally numbered with
the dead the parents giving up all hopes, of ever
hearing from their boy again.
Years passed, and the little hamlet became a
large and donrishing city. The solitude whehfor
merly reigned on the banks of the Grand river was
broken by the mechanic and the artizan, and the
air resounded with the busy hum of industry.
Nearly all the old settlers had passed away, and
another generation succeeded them. Among the
many new comers was son.in, law of the afflicted
family, Mr.. j. q Ballard, our fellow-townsman,
who was greatly surprised few days since to
learn that the boy who had long been numbered
this State, and was making inquiries after his fam
lly. The boy had grown to be q stalwart man of
S5. His eonntenance had become bronzed by
continuous exposure to the elements, and his
slneRy frame hardened BY repeated adventures in
the Western RildS. He stated that he had but q
lin recollection of his former home, but wildly
remembered the time when two stalworth forms
with red Fisages crossed his path, snatched him
1p in their arms and carried him off amidst his
plLeous cries for his loving mother, Since that
time ne has been constantly with the Indians
joined them in their hunting expeditions, and fol-
lowed their trail as they journeyed toward the set
ting sun. He learned to speak the language of
the POttawatomies- that was the name of the
tribe with whom the greater part of his life had
been spent and in answer to his repeated nqui-
res, his eaptors told him that they had stolen him
from jackson county, and that his name was Will
ley. The Indians confounded this name with Fily,
which is the real name of his father. Mr.. Ballard
went in quest of the missing one, and upon arri-
wing at the place where he had been making inqui.
ries was told that he had gone away but would
return in few days, when he will proceed to the
home of his aged parents, to make gladthe hearts
of an afflicted father and mother.