Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-07-08
Lost In a Fath0mless Quagmire.

In Boggs County, on the road leading
from Marshalville to Fruwick, and ten
miles from the former town, resides a
we'll tD.do farmer by the name Of Myrup.
His amiable and loved wife early after
breakfast had taken her infant child,
about eighteen months old, in her arms
and gone off in search Of fine and Ia
vorite mich COW.
On coming home from the field to his
dinner Mr.. NJ. learned that his wife and
sweet little prattler had not made their
appearance. Almost frantic with fear
and excitement for their safety, knowing
that very large bear had been seen in
the swamp near by only few days be-
fore, he put out Immediately in search
Of the missing ones. All the hired men
and women on the place followed, and,
each taking 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 about sinking behind
the western hills when the miserable hus
band was returning up small branch
that had its source at his spring, and, as
he was still anxiously but almost hope
lessly looking in every direction, while
passing along he deserted in patch of
luxuriant grass in a marsh, a few PAGES
off, something like piece OF gingham.
He stood Mortified and motionless for a
moment or two, and his heart almost
stopped pulsating 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 boy might be
| buried in the fathomless auagmire over
| the center of which lay this relic.
Approaching to within safe distance
| of this miry pit he discovered the grass
| turned downward and the surface of the
| slough broken and depressed, showing
/ that some living body had fallen in and
| been struggling greatly TO get out.
| Very soon one of the neighbors and two
| of the freedmen belonging to the farm
came up. Mr.. Nj. had already explored
to the depth of his arm in the mire, but
/ found no further traces of the unfortu-
nate ones. A pole twelve or fifteen feet
long was now obtained and sent down its
| full length, but neither could anything be
| felt nor the bottom touched. Another
rod, longer than the first, was then fas-
| tened TO il, and the same examination
made with a like result. Any further
attempt to recover the dead bodies was
therefore deemed useless. 1t was ac-
cordingly decided to desist; and the
party, which had by this time increased
to thirty-fve or forty persons, all set out
| for their respective homes just as the pail
Of night began to wrap the earth in dark
ness
At this juncture the state of Mr. Ms
mind, who had to be carried away by
| force, can better be imagined than de.
scribed. His agonizing cries and groans
were piteous, indeed, and most painful
| to hear.
This quagmire had been known to all
the occupants Of the farm from its ear
| Hest settlement, but never till then was
any conception formed of its immense
depth. Full thirty feet of it had been
sounded, yet its lowest part, II any i,has,
is still TO be ascertained. The mean di-
ameter of the pit proper for some fifteen
feetdown Is about three and a half feet.
--Posoeitcn (Ga.) Cor. Atlanta Herald.