The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-12-05

| DINE NOVEL Boy TWELVE YEARS Old
| WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF A LAD IN THE
WooDs.--The Sun of Thursday says "a lad
named j. Clampitt, twelve years old, living at
IA George street with his parents, has been CIV
| ing dime novel story to some of the credu-
/ lous reporters. The boy disappeared from Sat
urday morning last till Tuesday evening, and
when he came back to his distressed parents,
| told them his adventures, probably to escape
thrashing for running away. His feet were
| blistered and his clothing soied He said he
went out on the Hookstown road with coun-
| tryman, and near the tollgate; got out about
dinner time Saturday. Now comes the dime
novel. He said
| "About this time funny looking wagon with
| six horses, was coming up the road and Just as
| it went by, two men jumped out of the back
| part. caught hold of me, and pitched me into
| the wagon, which had straw on the bottom.-
They put stick in my mouth, and tied it be-
| hind like horses bit, SO that could no
| and then they tied my hands down to IN, -.
running rope across my wrists and under my
knees. There were two little girls in the wagon,
but they seemed to know the men and laughed
at me, another boy smaller than l, who alec
had gag in his mouth. The men said they
would make good gypsy of me, and drove
along until it was dark, once in while eating
| and singing. l heard some one say something
about twenty three miles, and think we went
that far out on the Hookstown road. There
were also in the wagon round stove, and three
sheep with their legs tied. When the wagon
stopped wo were in the woods and they carried
me and the other boy into hut made of old
boards and canvas. They Embossed our legs
and gave us bread and water and wanted me
to eat some fried crow, but wouldn't. When
ever we cried the stout man kicked us and told
us to be quiet. The other man was small and
thin, and there were three women, one Of them
very TALL with long nose and loose, black hair.
They had bonhres burning, but it was awful
cold, and they tied us again before they went
asleep. Just before we left the road to 90 to
the camp they tied something over the eyes of
me and the other boy, so that we did not know
which way we were going. The camp seemed
pretty large, and there were horses pigs, sheep
and chickens running about. On Sunday the
two men watched us closely, and kept our hands
tied, except when they made US carry wood
from large pile and buckets of water from a
spring. We worked again Monday, when one
OF the men was away; but can't tell any
thing about the men, for one took off his long
whiskers, and though there seemed to be differ
ent men, think one man, with red hair on
Monday, was the same man who had black
hair before and drove the wagon. On Monday
night my legs were sore and they did not tie
me so tight. and when they were asleep I got
loose and ran away. There must have been
one man awake, for he followed me, shouting,
Stop, or I'll shoot YOU and he did shoot at me
twice I had not gone far when | came to
road, and ran along that nearly all night, and
at daylight met colored man, who said l
was on the IIookstown road. twenty miles from
Baltimore"
The boys father, who is bell founder, work
ing Tor the Messrs. Register says he don't know
what to make of the story