The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-06-24
THE LOST CHILD.
Long Continued and Earnest search.

from home at 8 o'clock inthe morning, a
week ago last Sunday, instead of three in the
afternoon as we were Incorrectly informed
The absence of the child was noticed abont
an hour later and search commenced imn.e-
>diately. From the house she was tracked
a long 4 trail leading to a calf corral about a
quarter of a mile west of the house, but the
trail ending here The little footsteps could be
traced no further. The neighbors, fourteen
in all, were at once summoned and a
vigorous search Immediately instituted but
the only trace discovered was the imprint of
a small foot believed to be that Of the missing
child. This foot print was found in a stock
trail running along the range at the head of
the house in which her parents live. This
was the last trace Of the child. From that
spot it could have wandered of along the
ridge of three or four spur ranges leading out
towards widely divergent points of the COM
pass, or she could have descended into either
one of as many sulches, separating those
ridges and making a swift descent to narrow
~ravines. Failing to take to either mountain
or gulch she could have turned into a wide
expanse of dense forest III places thicklv COT
cred with fallen timber or almost impenetra-
BILE tor brushwood. The search was kept up
through Sunday and Sunday night, and Mon
day morning the call for volunteers reached
town. 1t met with no half-hearted response.
The business men tried to hire the job wag-
ons and vehicles of different kinds about
town, but they were given to understand by
their owners that transportation to the ground
was free for all who wished to go. 1t was the
same in WalkeIyille where the Alice mine
was closed and the miners sent of tdjoin
in the search, with a days rations following
them. in a light wagon. 1t was about noon
before the van guard of the Butte contingent
left town but they pushed their way by a
forced march to the ground and hunted faith
fully until ~nightall. No sight nor sign ofthe
lost child. When the Butte men returned
to town Monday night it was with the inten-
ton of going back to the hunt early next
morning while the descriptions they gave of
the broken, heavily wooded district in which
( Gl!c StlEtn NhS CpIihuCLcu COilNllCCu SCUIcS
of others that aid was needed in earnest and
there was no lack of new volunteers. Dur
ing Monday evening forty saddled horses
were ordered at one livery stable. Tuesday
set in will a drenching rain but this did not
count as anything. At the stables all was
hustle and hurry. AS fast as horses could
be saddled and delivered horsemen in groups
Or in pairs strung out in one long line to-
wards Vaudeville, taking the shortest route
to the head Of Yankee Doodle gulch. With
out waterproof clothing or any other protec-
ton from the pouring rain they splashed
along al a gallop over the muddy roads each
clierishing the secret wish that it might be
his fortune to find and restore to the arms of
her parents the child for whom SO many had
vainIy looked. Tie Butte mel had been pre-
ceded by the Walkerville boys, the Alice and
Lexington mines being both closed and their
tull force enlisted in the work. Arriving at
the ground the search was at once begun,and
such a search. Each individual followed his
own Judgement and proceeded strictly on his
own hook, SO every possible superstition and
e"N"'s "'S 49, Nl'Ai' 'oh'S SE|N ''S''N'
the submits of tie ridges others descended
into the gulches and followed for miles the
swiftly flowing streams. Others again couised
through the brlshwood, secured the hillsides%
clamhered around among the rocks. pcered
under logs and under rocks, any place where
hiding place even for ii rabbit might he found.
About $50 men were scattered over the gound
and throughout the day no one could have
taken Il position anywhere within a radius OF
five on six miles of Mr.. Godfrey's house with,
out seeing men passing every few minutes, il
one direction or the other. Emerging sud
denly from ;he gloom of the forest and a:
suddenly disappearing they would fit by 81
lent as shadows, their footballs on the satul'
ated ground yielding no sound to break the
soft patter Of the rain. But it was all to nc
purpose. Towards evening, the searcher:
began collecting at the house, each coming il
to see if some other had not been more for
tunate than he. Every new conner received
the same answer to his question " is slit
found ?" and as the various groups masset
together, the sight of that sorrowfuls looking
squadron Of horsemen will not readily be for
gotten by any who observed them as, drench
ed by the rain and with teeth chattering from
cold, they sat modify in the saddle, forgetting
their discomfort in the disappointment of the
~fruitless search.
Wednesday was but a repetition ofthe SAINT
experience, less the rain, for the day was
clear and warm. Early i'll the morning
s~elf-appointed committee of citizens secured