The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1875-08-11
LITTLE RREEcHEs oUTDoNE.
HOW A PORT JERvIs YOUNGSTERS srRAyED
orr, STARVED FOR THREE DAYS AND WAS
sCoopED IN FROM A RATTLESNAKE's DEN.

In Blooming Grove, Pike county, lives
the family ola man named Chas Dunning,
consisting of himself, Ills wife and three
children aged six, four and two and half
years. On Monday Of last week the chill
dren went ouL to play IN the fields. After
being absent some time the two oldest re-
turned to the house and said they had l'st
their little brother In tile woods. Mrs.
Dunning, thinking she could mud the
child without difficulty, went out into the
I woods and looked for some distance around
calling him by name. Being unable TO
discover any trace OF him she became a
/ larnieL aud hastened back to the village
/ aud spread the news Of the child's loss.
I Blooniing Groveis composed mainly ofthe
i dwellings Of the Employees ofJacob Klien~
/ hans tannery, and when The news OF the
/ little boy's loss became general the grea>
test excitement prevailed. Business was
Stopped al the tanery, and forty men star
/ ted TO scour the wood insearch oflhe child.
-All the rest OF the day they tramped
/ through the w0ods without finding amy
/ trace of he missing little one, and all night
pine torches flashed through The forest
aislps, frightening from their perclies my
riaJs OF night birds, which answered with
| tl,eir shrill cries the shouts Of the men
calling TO the child. During the night
catamount was shot, but morning dawned
upon AN unsuccessful party Of sad-learted
Villagers. After short rest the hunt was
again commenced. and all Tuesday night
was prosecuted diligently. but with no
better result-The opinion now was
1 general that tile child had heen killed and
eaten by wild beasts, which sill haunt
Y the Pike county wilderness.
The search was continued, however, NJ
The urgent appeal oftie motI,er"f tiie boy.
Toward noon on "Wednesday one of the
party started away IN n direction which
had not hcen investigated as yct. Passing
about hundred yai,ls thn,ugh laurel
swamp, .wo miles from the village, he
came out III an open slace about thirty
feet square. The opening was walled Ia
81, every side hya thick gpwth of laurel,
aud was well filled with large rocks mar
ke,i will crryices aud large seams, res-
.n,blinr AZ abandoned quarry. The in
\ stant The man stepprd into the place, lie
was startled Us the sound oil raltlesilake,
giving hin warning To nause.--lo'king
down hr saw tile snake coiled NJ, aholll
Eulr feet away, in readiness To spring at
the first pruvor,iion. The backwoodsmaI
lind seei, such i thing before, aud, pick
Ing upa club, dispatched ihe shake at
onc blow. lie was not prepared for the
d.,.lopmsnt that followed. however
CHANGING about him he made The un'
/ pleasant discovery that he hal intr,ided
III place preempted By a colony q rattle.
I snakes: IN short, lie Was ia adei OF deadly
reptiles. frum creyices and creases on
III. rucks and on the ground he saw mum.
bcrs OF then, lyiug IN various Positions,
+ bathing their slinf proportions ~ lllesln-
/ shiue.-The man made up his mind That
tl,e place had no particular charms Tor him,
aud was shout to beat in,siy retreat,
when nBtyes tclt w a1SNsS
fixed lii.n witll horror.
/ ON aiow Hat rick, not more than six ieet
from whem the man stood, lay tue M
pare,,tly lfeless fnrm 81 the little hoy ihey
had been looking for 10 long. Slrclcired
by his side, not more than three inches
away from him, wasa huge rattlesnake,
while near :,is feel two more lay coiled np,
i all evidently undisturbed ny the presence
IL tile chIld.--while the mandid mol sup
m,.e for an instant that the boy was alive,
i IL, d.ternlI.,l 10 rescue the bUdy from 20
horrible sepulcher. and witl. well dircc.
,,.,l bIows from his club killed three sIia>
kcs that held possession Of The clllu.
Every blow was rcspondedtoby the blood
.,rdlinr din IL rattles from the snakes
t,,,t h,y pesr the rck. While he Was
,xan,i,,I,ss the tsrOund between him aud
lie child 10 see " any 81 the reptiles lay
on that slide lis WIS startled sosec the sup
,n.ed dead i,sfsnt r.se with nm effort 10 .
si,unr posture, stare wildly about with
eraze,l. haggar,l hook, aud then slnk back
upon tile rock. The next instant ihesl"l'.
hearted woodman lad sprung upon the
rwk and seized tile child. bore him away
quickly from the lnathsome den, aud ina
few minutes placed him in the arms oI
his distracted mother, amid the general
rejoicing of the whole village. The c,'hu
was ,,upnscIous, aud Is yet lying ~ y
...l,,,,aI condition. being delirlvus WIN