The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-11-22
Remarkable Adventure


pick berries. They wandered along
the highway for about a quarter 81
mile, and then turned on new
road, which leads through the thick
woods to the new mine called the
wolverine All went well until the
youngest, mite of a girl, and yerv
small tor her age, being but seven
years old, complained of being tired
and wanted to go home. Then, for
the first time. in their efforts 10 re-
trace their steps, they discovered that
tney had strayed from the path and
were lost in the thick woods, where
the trees In many places are but a
a foot apart, and the underbrush
grows as high as FIVE feet. Vainlv
they sought the right path till night
tall closed around them-tbep
bruised and scratched by the bushes.
with head, face and limbs bitten and
badly swollen by the nip of the
wicket black hy, the two older chill
dren, belonging to the Finn settle
ment beyond the Allouez proper.
tired and frightened, lay down and
cried themselves to sleep, and were
found by anxious searchers the next
day in a woeful condition. When
these children were asked for their
little companions, they replied:
We begged them to stay with Us.
but. the boy said he would 30 and
find the way to the road, and then
come back for u, but his little sister
would not stay without him." and
they pointed the way they had gone.
In that direction a party of men
searched all day, aided by the half
crazed Norwegian father and Finn
mother Of the lost little ones, and all
day the whistles of Allouez and
Wolverine mines blew at intervals
OF ten minutes to guide them to the
settlements.
Saturday night came and no chill
dren found. The weary mother must
return to her babe, but the father
with few men spent the night in
trultless search. Sunday we found
the road full OF Sweeds. Norwegians
and Firms, while large parties were
in the woods, and the whistles blew
all day. Monday came and tho Cal
umet and Heela Joined in the search.
sending about four hundred men.
Toward night a little footprint was
discovered, and a piece of the little
girls dress Tuesday more men
went out and success was thought to
be certain, but alas no children
were found. At evening the sky was
full of dense black clouds. The
thunder was awful-never before do
| remember such a rainfall and
tempest as ragged for a few hours.
while the night and succeeding dav
was sultry with drizzling rain. and
Wednesday night another tempest.
Still the search was continued. Ev-
cry day the shouts of six hundred
men or more We're making the woods
alive. Friday morning-One week
from the chlldren's Disappearance
came, and the Calumet and Hecla
mines were closed and the whole
force together with the Allouez men
were stationed along the road front.
five feet apart, with orders to break
through the woods in that line as
best they could, to search every hol-
low stump, to remove underbrush.
to examine holes and TO make sure
of leaving no spot unexplored, and
yet night brought nearly every man
back with no traces OF the children.
Some stayed all night at theiralmost
hopeless task, and some. party Of
four Sweedes, were themselves lost.
and here is their wonderful story:
"Atthree o'clock. Friday afternoon.
we sat down BY a brook TO rest. We
We're tired and bewildered and shout
ed for our companions to cOmeto US,
when from q heap of bushes came 4
boy saying: Where are you2 Who
is it?' We, thinking he belonged to
some party of searchers, asked: Who
are you with p His answer came :
My sister Up we sprang to our
feet, and knew, even in our amaze
ment, that the lost children were
found. and alive, and in their right
senses, although they had been alone
in the wood, amid lightning and
tempest for eight days, with nothing
TO eat but berries. And the boy of
but nine years had built huts of
brush to cover them at night. and
gathered and loaded both himself
and sister with great branches Of
blue-berries where they were to be
found, and were trying to follow the
tortuous course of the brook, which,
he remembered, emptied into Torch
Lake. He was still brave. We gave
them small pieces OF bread at inter
walls during the afternoon and night,
as we walked in or by the sides Of
the streams as best we could with
our joyful burden, or lay down for a
little needed rest. each two men with
Il Cliiib DtLWttlt tbttli " EiNt "tAi AtAeAA
TO the little chilled frame"
Saturday morning some one in the
street shouted to me: They are
foundw | threw up the sash, and a
party of men were right in front of
the house. They had the children
with them. They refused food and
drink, saying they had Just fed them
and did not dare to give them any
more. Both children's eyes looked
wild and rolled restlessly a. they
clung tightly to the necks of their
reseuers; their bodies seemed COW
cred with bruises and their little feet
were badly blistered they were be-
ing taken to the hospital for exami-
nation. DIR. d., the Assistant Super
intendent OF the mine, rode with
headlong speed to tell the parents.
The mother wildly clung to him
and tainted away, while the father,
who had spent every day and part Of
every night in the woods, was nearly
overcome.