Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-08
LOST.
IcoNcLupEp FROM YEsTERpAY.l

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The word was given, and the line, moro
than half mile long, began to move
sideways or platoon fashion, sweeping
from the road by the house across the
clearing to the woods. II was q grand
charge upon the great wilderness. The
long platoons, under the instruction of
their commander, swept the woods bor-
dering the clearing and then, doubling back
made semicircular curves. going deep
er and deeper at each return into the pri-
lneyal forest. The limit of their march
ing and countermarchng in one direction
was q river too broad to be crossed by
fallen trees; it was sure that Willie could
not have crossed the river. The termi-
nation of the marches in the other drcc-
ton was controlled by the Judgment Of
the colonel. 1t was a magnificent tramp
through the wild wet woods. under the
giant trees, each eye strained and expec-
tant OF the lost boy Here and there in
advance of the line as it progressed, n
partridge, aroused by the voices of the
men would start from the underground
and trip along for a few steps with her
sharp. coquetiish quit, quit, quit and then
whir away to some adjacent hollow, to
be soon again aroused by the adyanein g
line
The afternoon was wearing away. The
woods had been thoroughly explored for
about two miles from the clearing, far
beyond what it seemed possible for an in
FAINT less than four years old to penetrate
The colonel said he could think of moth
ing more to be done. The men returned
in struggling groups to the farm house
tired, sad, hungry, and dispirited. There
were, many speculations as to whether
Willie could be alive or not, and If alive
whether he could get through another
night.
lyon see,'' said Josh, 'ssuch a little
Teller. and three days and two nights
victim and freezin' and thawin' and
no grub, why, he couldn't, don't you see ?n
1t was never found out, not even at
Whiskey Hollow. where the men unveiled
all their inquiries, who the wretch was
that first started the dark suggestion about
the murder OF little Willie. Dan became
very angry when the men, fatigued and
famished. struggling back 10 the farm
house from the disorganized line as above
narrated, began to hint that things was
tremendous queer" and that 'them as
lost could fnd," and that John, Willie's
father, was perfect hyena when he was
.smad."
Dan, for the only time that day, became
profane as he Denounced the sneak, who
ever it might be, who had started such
suggestion. He expressed the conviction
that the fortune-woman had her foot in it
some way. Superstitious fools, he said,
were likely to be suspicious.
But Dams anathemas did not stay the
rising tide. As the searchers came back,
suspicious glances were turned upon the
father, who sat with his afflicted family at
the house. Some of the searchers stealth
lily examined under the barn, believing
that Willie had been "knocked on the
headp with a fail, and concealed under
the floor.
But John, the father, was no coward,
and he had neighbors and friends who be-
lieved in him. They told him of the sus-
picions arising against him. On the in
slant he called a meeting at the little hovel
of school-house, n few rods down the
road. The hundred searchers gathered
there and filed the room, sitting, lolling,
and lying upon the benches The father
of the lost child, almost stranger to most
of the searchers, took his place at the
teachers desk and confronted his aceusers.
1t was plain, direct work Here were a
known means Of finding the lost boy; and
more than fifty of them had said in effect
TO the man before them, eve think you
killed him" All were looking at John;
he rose up, and facing the crowd with
'dauntless eye. he made speech
If this were story told by Homer or
Herodotus, suppose Johns speech would
figure as wonderful piece of eloquence
for man never had a grander opportun-
ty to try his strength in persuading others
than John had But in fact there was
nothing grand about the matter, except
that here was straightforward man with
nerves of steel, who had been .'hard hit,
as Dan said, by the loss of his boy, and
was now repelling with courage and al
most scorn thrust that might have killed
o weaker man.
His speech was dramatically correct,
cool, deliberate, and digniiied. He said
he had no knowledge of the black-hearted
man who had originated so cruel a suspi-
cion at such time. and he did not wish
TO know who he was. He asked his hear
ers to consider how entirely without sup
port in the known facts OF the case the &C
cusations We're that had been suggested
against him. 1t was purely gratuitous
assumption, with not particle OF evidence
of any kind to.establish it. lie had under
stood that he was supposed to have killed
his child in anger and then concealed the
body. Such thing could not have hap
pened with him as killing his own child or
any other child in that way, and If IL had
SO happened be would not have concealed
1t. He only wished to brand this creation
of some vile man, there present probably,
as lie.s That was all he had to say upon
that point,
In continuing his speech, when lie al
luded to what be had suffered in losing the
boy he loved best of anything on earth,
there was atwitching of the muscles of his
face, which, however, he instantly con-
,trolled as unworthy oil him. lie closed
his speech by appealing to his friends
who had known him long and well to
come forward at this time and testify TO
his integrity.
As he ceased, the men rose up from the
benches and conyersed together freely of