The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-25
ADVENTURE IN A CAVE.
Six Boys Lest aad Found Again.

Last Friday, six adventurous boys
undertook TO explore 3 cave near
Hannibal, Missouri. They entered
during the day. and early in the
evening it became known that they
were lost. A special telegram to
the ST. Louis Globe. of Sunday,
says:
In the fore part of the evening
several parties went into the cave in
search of the missing boys, but
their efforts were unavaiiing, and at
IL o'clock they came out. Between
IL and IL O'clock another party of
five was organized for the next ef-
fort, composed of the following per-
sons: Charles Mcdaniel, Lafayette
10 binson, Jim Turner. Tom Ford
and Everett Mcdaniel. They en-
tered and followed up the Irvine,
six balls of which had been used IN
tracing The windings of the cave.
Here they discovered the tracks of
the boys, who had crawled through
a very small crevice. Charles Nc
Daniel here took the lead, and after
crawling some distance through q
rift just. large enough to admit his
body. he called, when from the dark,
unknown depths beyond, he heard q
faint response, hich he says sound
ed like the squeak of mouse.
lie crawiesl on still further and
called again, when near and loud
er response greeted him again. lie
craWled forward, lighting up the
darkness behind him with q bulls
eye lantern, which he had in his
hand, when he heard a voice ex-
claim, "Oh, see light" Soon he
caught sight of the little fellows, all
huddled together in an opening be-
tween two vast rocks, one under
them and one above, leaving barely
room for them to lie stretched out,
but too low for them even 10 stand
on their hands and knees, while in
width, in most places, it was barely
sufficient to Omit of the passage of
one at a time.
AS he came near them the boys
caught sight of his face, and Dana
Mcdaniel exclaimed, 80, thank
God, there is my brothe," and the
little fellows shed tears of Joy at
their deliverance from their long
and painful immurement. They
were completely exhausted, and
when the welcome voice came to
their ears through the darkness, the
little fellows were looking for an
open space where they could lay
down and sleep. 1t was five min
utes past midnight when they were
discovered, and at ten minutes be-
fore one o'clock Lafayette Robin
son emerged from the cave, leading
the way, and announced that the
boys had been found, and were all
safe and sound on their way out.
The whole party soon emerged
from the cave, and the shouts of Joy
that greeted the rescuers and the
rescued were so hearty and loud
they were heard in nearly all parts
of the city, and rang out on the
midnight air as though great vic
tory had been won. Fathers and
mothers ciasped their children to
their hearts, while tears of joy and
gratitude rolled down their cheeks.
During the wanderings of these
youthful Cimmerii in the darkness
of the cavern, the young Croul was
taken with q chill and laid down
quite sick. His companions stayed
with him like little heroes, covering
him with their coats and rubbing
his limbs until they got him warm
ed up and able TO proceed.
In conversation with one of The
boys to-day, lie told me that after
they had struggled long time to
find their way out, and had become
thoroughly disheartened, they all
sat down together and took 8 big
cry, bewailing their sad fate, and
filled with apprehepsions that they
would never again gaze upon the
blessed light of day. Finally they
dried their tears, and reasoned to-
gether and cheered each other with
hopes of delivery. Their abiding
faith was in the love of their par
ents. They knew that they would
be missed, and they believed that
the boys who had followed them in
for a short distance and retained
would give information of their
whereabouts. In this they were
correct, and now they are free
again.