Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-09-02
THE LOST BoY RETURNED

FOUND AND DROUGHT BACK UNNAMED.
The Putney boy, Ollie Blood, whose mv,.
terious disappearance and supposed finding
was reported last week, was brought boms
safe and sound last Saturday, from Eaol,
Bridge, N. Y, in the vicinity Of which h,
was picked up Wednesday in half clad ana
apparently lost condition. The circumstapee,
Of this rather singular case, as ascertained bv
a personal visit to the boys home, arc as fol-
lows
Mr.. Oliver Blood, the father of the wan.
derinR youth, is q somewhat eccentric Inn,
well.to.do farmer of Putney, who owns
large farm located on a high hill in the north.
west part Of the town. Mrs. Blood il An
aunt Of Col. II. Z. Hill, an enterprising and
well.known cotton broker Of Boston, who
with his family, has been spending two Or
three weeks at the farm.
About O'Clock ON Sunday evening, Auo
21st, Col. Hill, in company with Mr. Boods
two Sons living at home Reuben aud Ollie
and Charles Reed, the son of a neighborin0
farmer, started out for a walk, taking tbs
road leading in a northerly direction Reach.
ing a point at the foot of Windmill hill, about
a mile from the house, the party discovered
some stray sheep in a pasture owned by Mr.
Blood First one and then the other Of The
Blood boys offered to go and drive them out
but finally Ollie, the youngest, who is 10
years Of age, started to attend to the sheen
while Reuben, with young Reed, went on IL
another direction to the residence OF an elder
brother Adams Blood, and Mr.. Hill, being
somewhat out of health and not caring 10
walk farther, returned to the house, which be
reached about O'Clock. Mr.. Hill thinks II
was about half-past when the party separat.
- L..N al
family beginning 10 feel some anxiety. Mr.
Blood and Reuben (who by this time had re.
turned) started out about half-pas to find
what had become of him. 1t was thought
not unlikely that in getting over a stone wall
the stones had fallen on him and broken one
Of his limbs, or that some such accident had
happened All night the father wandered
over the hills and through the woods, search.
ing and calling for his boy, but in vain.
On Monday the search was continued by
the family and such of the neighbors as had
learned OF the event. In following the line
of the pasture fence the discovery was made
of some writing ON barway and on rock
near by, apparently written with a small
stone, which read Dear mother, this will
be all right sometime. Good bye. Ollie 0.
Blood" Here was a clue, certainly, and an
important one but the character Of the writ
ing made it difficult of identification and the
question arose, was the writing that Of Ollie
or of somebody else and all sorts Of conjec.
lures were made spiritual medium" re.
siding in town is said to have declared that
the boy had been kidnapped by two rufisns,
who had taken him to New York city, that
their purpose was to obtain a ransom. aud
that in a certain spot where the boy was
seized would be found some broken twigs
and piece of coat lining torn from the cloth.
ing of one of the party. A medium at Lake
Pleasant Zone James by name) was also con.
suited, who announced that the boy had run
away, that after first leaving he had returned
to the house and procured some money that
he had gone to Albany and thence to New
York city, and that in going he had been aid
ed and abetted by his mother This last
statement was so preposterous that nobody
gave credit to Jamess story. Many, Of course
thought the boy had made way with himself
in some manner, and on Tuesday about l2j
persons joined in thorough search of tue
surrounding region, but without avail. On
Wednesday another medium appeared upon
the scene who, after going through certain
maueuvres with wand" exhibited what
purported to be the piece of cloth REFEREED to
by medium No. l. This apparent confrma-
ton Of the kidnapping theory tended to dis
courage further effort TO trace the boys
COuTbts huu lOE u iiluo luhhc ~ Tdiuct uu-
pleasant for Col. Hill, who was the person
last seen with Ollie. and who, we are told,
was declared by one of the mediums to have
had some connection with the kidnappers.
Wednesday afternoon a report came that
person answering the description of the miss.
ing boy had been seen in the adjoining town
of Brookline, and Reuben Blood, in company
with Oliver Wood, drove over there and sat
isfied themselves that Ollie had been seen
about dusk on the evening of his disappear
ance, near the West river bridge, going to.
ward Fayetteville, They returned home that
night and on Thursday morning started again
with the determination to take up the trail
and follow it. That afternoon a despatch
came, via Brattleboro, from Eagle Bridge,
n. Y, signed by w. II. Viets, announcing
the finding of boy who answered the de.
scription. DIR. ID. p Webster at once tele-
graphed to a physician of his acquaintance
living in the vicinity to have the boy exam
ined, and received reply which left no
doubt as to his identity. On the receipt Of
the telegram Mr.. Adams Blood at once start
ed with his team for Eagle Bridge and re-
turned with Ollie Saturday night. Reuben
Blood having started to follow the boys trail
did not learn of the receipt of the despatch
until he had traced him as far as Arlington
returned, reaching home Sunday night.
From Ollie's account of himself il appears
that after starting for the sheep he was seized
with an unaccountable impulse to run away,
He can give no reason why he did SO. only be
felt an impression that he must His cloth
ing consisted of coat and pants of mixed gray
He wore no vest, and hadn't a cent of money,
After writing the farewell message to his
mother, he started in the direction of Brook
line, crossing the bridge toward Fayetteville,
| going thence TO Williamsville and Pondvlle,
and slept for an hour or two Sunday night in
| a barn on the place formerly occupied by his
aunt, Col. Hills mother. Then he started
on again, going through East Dover, Wards
boro, West Wardsboro, on to Boyle noun
tain and over into Arlington, where he slept
the second night in a shed. The next day,
| Tuesday, and part of Wednesday, he kept
on in westerly course. The incidents Of
his journey are not very clear in his mind,
and he had no very definite idea of his des-
tination. So far as he recollects, the only
food he ate was the berries, apples, etc,
which he picked up on the way. He says
that he arrived at point some twenty miles
beyond Eagle Bridge, in the vicinity of Still
water, when, on coming to river, he thought
he would drown himself. Accordingly he
stripped of his clothing filled it with stones,
threw it into the water, and then jumped in
himself. On returning to consciousness he
| found himself ashore upon rock some DIS
lance down stream from where he went in
and it was then, he says, that he first fully
realized where he was and what he had been
about His next thought was the desire to
return home and with such portion of bis
clothing as he could recover he took the
backward track for Bennington, but was
| picked up on tue road by man who carried
him to Eagle Bridge. Here, at sort of no
TEL he was kept over night. The next day. a
man who had arrived on the eastern train
heard about the lad, and remembering that
he had just read in Boston paper an account
of the boy missing from Putney made the
facts known and despatch was sent as
| stated.
The boy now appears to be all right. The
family are, of course, greatly reioieed over
his recovery, and deeply thankful to Their
neighbors and all others who assisted in the
search. The boy has the reputation of being