The Hartford herald., 1875-07-07
A HEART-RENDING SCENE.
Lost I'm n FathomIess Quagmire--A
Woman and Child Buried Alive.

Lost I'm FathomIess Quagmire---A
Woman and Child Buried Alive.
In Boggs county, OH the road leading
from Marshville TO Fruwick, Georgia, and
ten miles from the former town resides a
well-to-do farmer by the name of Myrup.
By hard work and skillful management,
his productive little farm, which was the
only property he found was left him by
the enemy, when he returned to his once
happy home at the termination of the late
civil war. His circumstances, 80 far as
the goods and comforts Of earth are cons
cerned, had become even better than they
were when the labor of the field was per-
formed by his own few iDdolent and much
INDUCED slaves. And even now his con-
dition might be as pleasant as it is pros-
porous, but for the calamity that has 80
recently and in such an unusual and
shocking manner overtaken him.
His amiable and loved wife, who was
helpmeet indeed, early after breakfast had
taken her infant child about nineteen
months old, in her arms, and had gone off
in search of a fine and favorite milch-cow,
that for the first time had failed to come
the previous evening, to add her daily con-
tributiou to the rich dairy of her kind and
grateful mistress.
On coming home from the field to HE
dinner, Mr.. NJ. learned that his wife and
sweet little prattler, the two most precious
of all his earthly treasures, had not made
their appearance. Almost frantic with
fear and excitement for their safety, know
ing that a very large bear had been seen
in the swamp near by only few days
before, he put out Immediately in search
of the missing ones. All the hired men
Of the place followed and each taking a
different direction; the whole country was
ransacked for several miles around. The
neighbors, also, as the sad news reached
them joined IN the search.
The sun was just sinking behind the
western hills, when as the miserable hus-
band was returning up small branch
which had its source at this spring, and
as he was still anxiously but almost hope
lessly looking in every direction. While
walking along he deserted in a patch o
luxuriant grass, in a marsh few pacei
off, something like piece Of gingham
He stood Mortified and motionless for
moment or two and his heart almost stop
ped pulsating as the thought rushed
through his frenz;ed brain, that the objec
he saw might be his wife's bonnet, ant
that both she and his darling boy nigh
be buried in the fathomless quagmire owe
the center Of which lay this relic.
Approaching to within a safe distanc
of this miry pit he discovered the gras
turned downward and the surface of tn
slough broken and depressed, showing ths
some living body had fallen IN and bee
struggling greatly to get out. Very 500
one ofthe neighbors and two of the freed
men came up. Mr.. NJ. had already ex
plored to the depth Of his arm in the mir
r but found no trace of the unfortunate onei
2 A pole twelve or fifteen feet long was no
! obtained and sent down its full lengtl
but neither could anything be felt nor th
bottom touched. Another rod, longt
than the first, was then fastened to it, an
= the same examination made with liE
. result. Any further attempts 10 recov'
, the dead bodies were therefore deeme
v useless. 1t was accordingly decided to d
f sist, and the party, which had by this tin
increased to thirty five or forty person
8 all set out for their respective homes, ju
y as the pail Of night began TO warp Il
l. earth in darkness.
It At this juncture the state Of Mr.. M
l mind, who had to be carried away
y force, can better be imagined than descr
y bed. His agonizing cries and groans we
d piteous indeed and most painful to hear
= This quagmre had been known to a
ell the occupants of the farm from its Garlic
o settlement, but never until then was al
,e conception formed of its immense dept
y. Full thirty feet of it had been sounde
yet its lowest part, if any it has, is st
n. to be ascertained. The mean diameter
he the pit proper, for some fifteen feet doy
w is about three and half feet.