Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-07-01
AN AWFUL FATE.
Lost in a fathomless Quagmire-,
a Woman and Child Buried
Alive.


A Powelton, Ca, correspondent OF
The Atlanta Herald writes under date
of June Is that in Boggs County, on
the road leading from Marshville to
Fruwick, and ten miles from the form
er town, resides a well-to-do farmer by
the name of Myrup. His amiable and
loved wife early after breakfast had
taken he infant child. about 13 months
old, in her arms and gone of in search
of fine and favorite milch COW. On
coming home from the field to his din
ner, Mr. M. learned that his wife and
sweet little prattler had not made their
appearance Almost frantic with fear
and excitment for their safety, knowing
that large bear had been seen in the
swamp near by only few days before,
be put ont Immediately in search of the
missing ones. All the hired men and
women on the place followed, and.
each taking a different direction, the
whole country was ransacked for sew
era miles around. The neighbors, also,
as the sad news reached them joined
in the search. The sun was just sink
ing behind the western hill when the
miserable husband was returning up a
small branch that had it's source at his
spring, and as he was still anxiously
but almost hopelessly looking in every
direction, while passing along he de-
scried in patch Of luxuriant grass, in
marsh a few PAGES off, something like
piece of gingham. He stood horri-
fed and motionless for a moment OIL
two, and his heart almost stopped pull
satlng as the thought rushed to his
frenzied brain that the object he saw
might be his wife's bonnet, and that
both she and his darling might be buried
in the fathomless quagmire over tht
center of which lay this relic. Ap
preaching to within safe distance O
this miry pit he discovered the grass
turned downward and the surface o
the slough broken and depressed, show
ing that some living body had fallen il
anu been struggling greatly to get out
Very soon one of the neighbors anc
two of the freedmen belonging to the
farm came up, Mr.. Myrup had alread,
explored to the depth of his arm in th
mire, but found no further traces o
the unfortunate ones. A pole II o
Is feet long was now obtained and sen
down it's full length, but neither coulc
anything be felt or bottom touched
Another rod, longer than the first, wa
then fastened to it, and the same ex
animation made with a like result
Any further attempt was therefor
deemed useless. 1t was accordingl,
decided to desist and the party whicl
had by this time increased to thirty
five or forty persons, all set out 70
their respective homes, just as the pal
of night began to wrap the earth il
darkness. At this juncture the stat
Mr. NJ. S mind, who had been carrie'
away by force, can better be imagine'
than described. His agonizing erie
and groans were piteoas indeed an
most painful to hear. This quagmir
had been known to all the occupant
of the farm from it's earliest settlement
but never till then was any conception
formed of it's imense depth. Full 3
feet of it has been sounded, yet it
lowest part, if it has any, is still to b
asertained. The mean diameter of th
pit proper, for some Is feet down,
about 3 IL feet