The Louisiana Democrat., 1880-07-28
FOUND At LAST.
THE MISSING CAIN BABY Is REcovERsn
UNDER HORRIBLE c1RcuM-
STANCES.

The missing baby, Johnnie Cain h..
been found at last. His little hoa.
was recovered yesterday, under ma.. as
horrible and shocking circumstance
AT about S o'clock last evening IL.
employees of an excavating comnanv
commenced work on the vault attachad
to the premises of the parents Of .Is
child. In short time after the wors
was under way the suction pine ~.
tached to the pump which was beino
used became clogged, and pole was
brought into service to free it from tLa
obstruction, and then it was that tIo
missing boy WAS found.
Time, and the corruption in which i
had been enveloped, had done dread =
work to the little form. and it was mast ,s
all semblance Of the bright and win.
some boy it once was. 81
The news of the finding of the bodv
spread rapidly, and in short time an
immense crowd Of people had gathered
on the neutral ground in front Of tha
cottage, No. SO Claiborne Street, where
the parents of the baby reside.
Curiosity and thatinexplicable NOR.
bid appetite for the horrible got the
better of many, and the house and
yard were soon filled with pale, excl.
ted people.
A squad of policemen were, however.
promptly or the ground, and from the
time Of their arrival mono bat the
friends of the family were admitted.
The Democrat reporter arrived short.
ly after the finding of the body. He
was ushered through an alleyway into
the yard in the rear, and there, lying
on rough plank, was a figure shroud.
ed in a sheet, which was wrapped
round and round about it. 1t rested
off in one corner, while at some dis
tance away was gathered small group
of men, aud all of them silently point
ed to the shrouded figure as ali that
remained of Johnnie Cain.
Those who saw the body state that
the little hands were clenched aud tls
limbs rigid, and that the flesh had
fallen away from the face and legs.
while other portions were horribly
swollen and distorted. :
The discovery of the body in the
place in which it was found was unex-
pected by every one acquainted with
the circumstances under which the
child disappeared.
Mrs. Cain was positive thi.t the baby
had left the yard, and the vault had
been repeatedly sounded and examined
with pole. Many thought it not im-
probable that the child might have
fallen into we'll or vault in one or anr
Of the neighboring yards, but no Que
thought to fnd it on the premises Of
the parents.
Least of all did the father Of the ba-
by look for the ending of his anxious,
weary search in such place, for at the
very moment that the little form was
discovered lie was on his way to the
Mobile train with the intention Of
making another attempt to reach West
Point, Georgia. He was about to step
aboard the car when the terrible,
blightins news was brought to him.
The shock was too great to be borne,
for he had never once given up the
baby as dead, and has always had the
hope OF finding it, and he went down
beneath the blow. On reaching his
home he was actually wild. and it was
found necessary to put him under re-
straint to prevent him doing injury to
himself or others. A doctor was sum
m0ned and opiates were administered.
At late hour last night, however, tile
opiates had taken effect, and the io,ce
of his grief had spent itself and lie
WAS quiet.
Coroner Markey viewed the body o1
the child and gave a certificate ol
death from suffncation.
! An examination of the vault showed
that it connected with four premises
and this fact explains the other one
that sounding in the portion in tlls
yard of the Cain residence failed {,
find the body. No doubt in his strug.
giles the little fellow got into portion
OF the vault in one of the other yards
Further examination showed thai
the child could easily have fallen In
l-(New Orleans Democrat.