Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-05-19
GREAT SENSATION AT THE
COUNTY SEAT AND VICINITY.

willard Bently Thorp, Aged Years
Lost in the Wilderness Near Loyal
Sock ON Saturday and Found ON
Monday Evening.
Chas. Thorp, father of the lost
boy Willard, resides at Celestia,
about one and one-half mile from
Laporte. Mr. Thorp in company
with Mr.. Lutkamaer has contracted
to peel quantity of bark for James
Nc Farlane & Co., on the Post tract
along the banks Of Pole Bridge
creek, and near the residence of
Mr.. Thorp. The father and Mr..
Lutkamaer went to the peeling TO
cut roads etc., on Saturday noon and
before leaving the house the father re-
quested his older son Earnestto bring
them pail of water about o'clock.
At this hour the mother gave Earnest
pail and told him to fill it with water
at the spring, and carry it to his
father. Earnest requested little
Willard to accompany him, to the
spring which he did and while there
Earnest insisted that he (Willard)
should take the water to the father
and he would fish down Pole Bridge
and that Willard should cut across
the forest aud meet him on the
creek. This, the little fellow at
tempted to do. He reached his
father few minutes after o'clock
and it was about $50 when he left
the peeling on his return home. The
father watched him that he took the
right road and paid no more atten-
ton, believing that he would go di-
rect to the house. At night when
the two men returned the mother in
ouired after the boy and was told in
substance as we give it above. The
father did not feel alarmed until
near dusk, when he returned to the
woods in search of the little fellow,
but with no avail. Word was
brought to Laporte on Sunday
morning and body OF nearly fifty
men started in pursuit. They
searched until night time and all the
trace they found of the boy, were
tracks of his little bare feet in the
sand bar along the creek. On Mon
day morning the hunt was resumed
and word was also sent to Eagles
Mere and Forksville. The citizens
in these vicinities turned out in
large number. The people of tue
Mere making search from near
the headwaters of fShanersburg Greek
to Cooper's Retreat and the thirty
or forty people of Forksville coming
up Loyal Sock. Our people fell in
liue on either side of Pole Bridge
and made a clean sweep to Loyal
Sock. This search was continued
until 4:05 P. NJ. when the signal
nine successive shots were fired that
the boy had been found. All in
hearing distance of the report of the
gun returned to the house and in
short time the boy was brought to
his mother, and a more pleased
mother would be hard to find. The
father returned later and vas much
elated over the finding of his son
and thanked the people for their
generosity in assisting him in the
search.
George Edwards of EaglesMere
found the little fellow sitting on a
log in the cyclone ON the Eagles.
Mere side of Shanersburg, about
three miles from where lie left his
iather on Saturday evening. Ihe
little fellow was in good spirits, and
when questioned, remarked that he
had slept on bank the first night
and in a hollow log the second
night. He still clung to the little
water pail and it was filed with wild
onions and in his pocket was found
quantity of hemlock gum. He said
that his father and mother came to
him on Sunday night, but would
not take him home. This evidently
was a dream.
Department Commander sample.
Department Commander Thomas
@. Sample has issued from State
headquarters, No. 1925 Arch Street,