The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-23
THE STORY OF AL0ST BOY
500 MEN SEARCHING FOR A CON-
NECTICUT 8 YEAR-CLD.

OE4lQ WIS rOuno-A Ho OOJ he-
covery Celebrated in Mass Meeting
in the Town Hall.
From the Hartford Couront.
SALISBURY, CONN, July 2O-On the
morning Of Memorial day Emil Bonahatel,
not quite three years old, followed his
brothers from the house a short distance
down the road into the timber, where they
were going on their business Of charcoal
making. He was sent back, and was after
ward seen abou; the barn about o'clock.
Presumably he followed them again later.
At any rate he disappeared, aud nothing was
known Of his where ibouts until long after
ward.
At D. m. his brothers returned, and
inquiry was at once made for little Emil.
As he had occasionally gone with them be-
fore, his sister, the only one Of the family
remaining at home for the day. supposed he
had been with them. To the hOrrJr OF all
it was reported that they had seen nothi *
OF him. The child had been lost sight OF
for nine hours.
The Bonahates live on the top Of the
Taconic range, near the line between Mt.
Washington Mas, and Salisbury, Conn.
1t is densely wooded and sparsely inhabited
for miles in every direction. The to ~n Of
Mt. Washington itsef contains neither c.
tor, lawyer. nor mini Ste, 50 few are 1T cit
liens. Salisbury, the nearest village on the
Connecticut 81 lie of the line, is seven miles
away over a rough mountain road W tn
steep climb in many place. The woods
are the home of wildcats, foxes and occa-
sional wolves, which might readil5 mole
a child wandering in those wilds. Tne
writer saw a pile Of forty-eight such pelts
brought down from that region few weeks
ago, the product of winters catch by o 10
man. 1t was il this locality, one OF the
widest in New Engla i'd, that bareheaded
and harefooted child of 2 years and 9
months was lost.
The father and mother were at work two
miles from home in another direction that
day. Tney were at once alarmed, and the
entire family set out upon the search before
the night cl sed in. A mile aud a half from
the house the little footprints male by a
chllds bare feet in the mud by the road
side were found, aid that was the only
trace of h dIScoverable. All night through
the family ought for him with lanterns.
They ha no neIg bors and so were alone
in tine search. IL had rained steadily from
the IN lrning of Memorial day, aud that
night it poured in torrents. What might
Lecome of a child chilled through with
storm at night? Their anxiety increased
with every hour.
Tne following day fifty men were enlisted
in the -earch. The rain continued, a nd q
cold dreary mist hung upon the mountains,
making ana y a strong man numb with the
cold and wet The woods we searched in
every quarter without discovering single
trace further. All night, TOO, the lanterns
were in u-e. Preparations were made for
dragging certain of the m luntan ponds
mo wa,ch the child might hnve fallen.
The third day opened with 80 men in the
field. BY this time tie news mad spreal to
manysettlements and BROAD was lined with
wagons tnat had brought sea ching parties.
The pathetic appeara lcs of that agonized
father and mother touched every heart.
II am a poor man." said NJ. Bonahatel,
but l would rather have my little boz than
$4,000"
The mother could only walk the room In
distr IS. utterly tagged out with grief an
exhaustion. The rain still continued and a
nigh wind accompa lied II. rhe mist hid
every ooj5ct twenty .eet away. Every
road and clea ing wa infinitely sea ched.
Men plunged into swamps that hardly a
wild cat even could penetrate. S5rerat of
the pa ties lost themselves and had climb
trees to lind their way out. The third ia
closed with all hope aba ioned Of finding
the ch Id alive. The on.y Thought now was
of discovering the odY add reievlng the
dying the nsslVes Of suspense and sleepless-
ness.
The fourth day opened with sunshine for
the first time. The mist rolled away at 10
DEL ,ck. Five hundred men were now
assembled. Long lines Of searchers, 10 feet
apart, were formed, ami every foot of
ground was minu ely inspected. The party
satist ID themset yes tn u tue child could not
possibly be Ia the to ritpry t JUS one over.
40, 81,
body would now be fou I'd, no nope being
entertained that the boy could have
survived the storm and hunger for three
DAYS.
On the aftern ION of this day two men
from Salisbury, Martin Harris aud Samuel
r ssiter, were ma ing an ildepe dent
search on the side of Bear molntain. With
a light bucGboard wagon they plunged into
the wood cart patls that lead do Vn into
Salisbury valley. Both were experienced
,yoodsmen and knew every 70 t of the
grou d. Bear mountain is the higoest land
in the state of Connecticut e, 354 fee J. a id
is aside from whore the m u body vas
searching, being al in another direction
fir m whore e footprints were seem About
l o'c ocX Rossiter thought hs discover d
| something moving down the bed of a
stream. 1t almost tjok his breath away,
on conf g nearer, to make ut tho figure OF
a cnild. 1t was the lost boyl
Choked with emotion Ro sitter uttered a
! cry. Evidently tne unusual noise fright
ened the little fellow, for he threw up his
| hands and started on run. Z sister, nov
| thoroug Il; excited, ran after MIN, calling
to him that he would take hi to MS
papa" and finally captured the little fell
| low, more wild with jly THAI the dis
| coverer of the Kohinoor
The bo,'s limbs were swollen with the
rain, resembling parboied flesh; his clothes
| we torn aim ava his flesh was
SC a5ched with any a thorn. His fingers
| were sucked to q DO Mt il his childish eager
ness 70 food. HJw he ever lived through
| those chilly nigh :, all protected as he
was, with only bush for a roof and root
! for a pillow, will never be known. Traces
! of leaves were found in his mouth, and be
| said himself that he ate them. He may
| possibly also have found May apples in his
rambles and lived upon them. The place
of his discovery was two miles from his
| home.
AS soon as Rosstsr held him in his arms,
a shout was raised, ami in a few moments
the cry rang all through the mountains.
THE boy is foundr' Ev 4ry man passed the
words on to HIS neignbor within hearing
! distance, and chen made a break for the
! boys house, where they knew he would be
| brought.
One man said of his partner: HE had
| just told me he was 80 tired that he could
not go another foot, when he heard the
! shout, 'Th, boy is found That tired out
| man Immediately started on the dead ru /.
| he cleared uu,hes, log and rocks on the