The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-02-05
The Fate of the Lost Children OF Sy.
nnchlP.

JosEru WNrrE's three children left home
ut nearly o'cl ~ On tue afternoon Of Sew
Years Day. They went to white walnut
tree but little over half mile from the
house. They must have reached the tree at
about hnlfpast four. The weather wasmurky
and damp Probably the children spent an
hour in gathering white wPlnu,s and in peel
ing uf the outer shells. By the time they
had fil,i n bag AMI tin pail with
nuts L mus; have been LGlflast five. The
twilight was very short, and darkness rushed
upon them in a heavy rain storm. Terrified
at hs situation the oldest boy. thinking he
was rctrucing his stcps, pilotci his brothers
in etra ght line To tLy left OF the home
ward path. The night was 80 dark that one
could not see his hand before hs face, and
tie rain fcll in torrents. The frightened
children hurried over the rocks and through
the underbrusl, but every step took them
further from home,
AT halfpast four the mother ran from the
house into the woods, and called tho chi
drcn. She did not 90 to the hickory tree be
cause she did not know its situation. She
hardly penetrated the forest because the
younger chlirln at home followed her. and
alarmed h;r with their cries. At about
seven o'clock the father entered the woods
with lantern The deep aud steady fall OF
rain drowned his shouts. II was certainly
after seven when lac reached the hickory tree
on Camel Mount The children had gone
from the tree al least an hour and half be-
fore, aud were then, drcnchrd 20 the skin
struggling through the forest three.quar;ers
Of a mile 10 the left.
The neigbors were not fairly on the
search until after one o'clock A. NJ b.
that tine the little fellows, exhausted,
wet, chilled, and hungry, had probably fallen
asleep ut the roots of some large tree, or
under the shelter Of rock. Day dawned.
but the rain still fell in torrents. The
poor children awokc AMI struggled
onward. Their sufferinGs mny be
imagined. But one of them wore shoes.
Tho storm did not clear away until nearly Q
O'Clock on Sunday altcrn Don. They had
then been twcnty-four hours without food,
aud for tweuty hours had suffered the
| pitilcss beating of the rain. When night
was setting in they had reached the r. ugh.
est rocks of the mountain. From where they
stood they could see the lights Of sixteen
dwellings. They shouted for help. TIE air
being rnrifcd by the rain, their voices were
borne to the cars of Mrs CoUau, only mile
distant. She testified that on that Ii gilt she
distinctly heard children crying on tho noun
tain They first cried Hi.ec.cer A second
tins she heard their weak voices shout Papa,
papa 70 aud yet third time "Paph, papa
papa" Az her husband vas deaf, she said
nothing, giving At an c%cus' tina. she id not
know any children were missing.
Tho boys then prepared fer their final
! struggle. Precipiocs eighty feet high were
near thcn, aud the side Of the mountain wac
covered with huge bouldcrs. With bleeding
fe.t rLt '.vc...- bodies they moved IN til,
direction o The lights. The night
hecure SD. c.' ilcmmod in by
i'o '.,.- 'dlen dropped il
dcIHr 3d.. .'.. q ds iron. the iaour
tuin l'at l' ~ Tell Gslccp ado
cover Of }c'a. l'- o. r,lc brother, ..s.i
ped themselves {. me soggy coats in yci.