The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-11-07


A Horseman's Adventure in an
Illinois. SWamp-The Deepest
Quagmire in the World is in
Southern Illinois-Filled With
Dead Mems Bones and Masto-
don Skeletons.
Some few evenings since a St. Louis
Post reporter made the acquaintance
at the Lindell Hotel of James Latfron,
an old resident of Detroit who related
to him a curious incident. Mr.. Latfron
is a man about fOrty-five years of age.
of fine, imposing appearance, and
having a physique indicating frequent
and continued exercise. Mr.. LatfrOn,
without being "a mighty hunter Is
nevertheless very fond OF making
journeys on horseback throughout the
country of Illinois and Missouri, and
with his gun by his side, passes many
hours in picking off the smaller game,
in which pursuit he very frequently
wanders quite a distance from the
regular highways of travel. He says
that in the spring. having occasion to
make a visit to Cairo upon business, he
determined TO proceed thither IN his
favorite manne and mounting a good
strong horse, he started upon a jour
ney through the bottom lands of Hi
nois. Nothing of consequence hap
pened until within about forty-two
miles of Cairo there, IN a swamp
overgrown with jungles of blackber-
rieS and ~shrubbery common to such
spots, he espied a flock of birds, a few
of which he determined to carry into
Cairo as specimens of his skill IN shoot
ing. The birds, however, We're shy,
and the ANXIOUS sportsman pc Severlng
in the ardor of the pursuit, penetrated
further and further INTO the swamp.
Presently he came upon a spot u
more open than the reSt-no shruD.
berry Of any size grew upon It,, but a
kind of coarse grass, interspersed with
clumpS of bullrushes, covered the en-
tire surface. The birds had settled
upon the most remote point of this
open space, upon which he urged his
horse, SO as to approach near enough
to he within gOou range. NO sooner
had the horses feet touched the sod
than he sank Immediately above his
fetlocks ~FlOundering out of what
his rider supposed to be only a mud
hole, the animal leaped forward with
considerable force. and this time sank
almost to his knees. His rider touched
the beast with the whip to hurry him
out of the bad place. The horse raised
himself by main force from the mlre
and leaped forward again, apparently
as anxious as his rider to get out OF
the bog, This time, however. he sank
almost to his girth, and the most pow
erful efforts on his part could not re-
suit in eXtricating his feet from the
mud. The more he struggled the fur
Their he sank, and i'll a few seconds
ceased altogether to make any effort to
release himself, but remained perfectly
quiet, trembling in every joint. Mr..
Laffron now began to feel considerable
alarm ; he was obliged to extend his
own legs out parallel with the body of
his horse to keep them from sinking
in the bog. His mind instantly rever-
ted to all the tales of quagmlres and
quicksandS that he had ever read, and
began to suspect that he had struck
something OF the kind himself. The
situation was gloomy he must do
something so he spoke 10 his horse
again, to induce him to make one more
effort, but the poor beast was beyond
the power of helping himself. Al
ready a part of his body was III the
black, jelly-like mass of mud, which
everywhere surrounded him. And
Mr.. Latfron discovered to his horror,
that he was slowly but surely getting
nearer on a level with the ground. He
felt certain now hat unless help came
he must surely disappear.
Determined not to give way to des-
pair, he glanced once more n OI5ly
around, and this time noticed, no more