Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-06-08

Wnpse- rock while to the west
and north lay the wild and boundlcss
prairie.
One night, late in October, l was
aroused by n cry of "Hello, Hello !!
The house !"
1t was about ten o'clock at night.
Springing out of bea raised q win.
dow and sang out: "Hellol"
"a child is William Hender-
sons little Lizzie. They missed her
about shutdown, aud since then we
have been searching everywhere.
Come, and bring all the help you can.
l nm going to carry the news to the
other ncighbors in this direction, +"
and the man, n neighbor, whose voice
ut once recognized, galloped on.
The farm OF William Henderson was
two miles away, ON the edge of the
boundlcss prniric lying to the north
ward. My brothers and every man
about the house turned out and begnn
dressing, for all had heard the alarm
ing news and NIL knew the lost child
little four yenr-old. Without wait
ing to go out upon the prairie to catch
up horses, we all struck out on foot for
the Henderson farm. When we ar
rived at Henderson's house We found
1t filed with women. Mrs. Henderson
was Wild. She was determined to rush
forth into the prairie, despite the
darkness of the night. "The wolves !
the wolycs!" was her constant crv.
The wolves will kill my poor child j.
Twenty women were present, and all
nearly rs frantic rs the mother. The
house was II perfect betlam.
1t was not without rcnson thnt the
mind Of the mother was filled with
fear of wolves. At that time the
prairics were full of coyotes, bands of
which nightly prowled about the out
lying farms, ready to slip in and carry
OIL lambs or fowls. When intent upon
such, thieying they arc quiet enough,
but IL baked by tho flashing of lights
OF nm unusual commotion, they stand
on Mt n distance and yelp out their
disappointment and anger. This
evening the hungry brutes, owing to
the stir about the farm, had been par
ticulnrly noisy aud indignant. The
howls and yelps were torture TO the
poor mother. Some boys had two or
three times gone out into the prairie
bnck OF the fields with dogs, but the
wolves were is such force that they
each time turned and followed the
dogs Ill MS soon as the boys turned
about. Whenever the wolves began
yelping, the poor mother would make
rush for the door, but four or five
women, who had resolved themselves
INTO sort of ody-guard, always
piled upon her and dragged her bnck.
AS the mother was an unusually large
nnd strong woman, these struggles
were so fierce rs TO brighten the fifteen
nr twenty youngsters collected Mt the
house md set them all to screechine
Mt the top Of their voices
After witnessing skirmish or two
OF the kind mentioned, and being I'M
able to obtain my useful information
at the house, we beat retreat. The
men were nil out in stretch of prairie
that lay cast Of the farm. Toward them
we hastened. Before us was IL beautiful
sight. Not only all the farmers but
all the residents of the little village of
West Liberty had taken the field.
About sixty men on horseback, each
with huge torch, were seen moving
slowly in line across the prairie. The
horsemen were about fifty feet apart,
ana between each pair was footman
They swept over a wide swath, and
when outa mile from tho fields would
turn, form again and move back again
over new ground. In order net to
trample the child under the feet of
their horses, they did not move out of
n walk. AT the fields number of old
men were splitting up fence rails and
making torches. Thus they we're going
over the prairie nearest the house, al
most foot by foot.
This unusual sight stirred up the
impish coyotes, and they could be fire.
quently heard yelping in the prairie
to the northward of the farm, quite
needless of the gun and pistol shots
when they raised their internal howl.
The father of the lost child was
among the mounted men. He was
calm, but his face looked like that of
a dead man in the glare of his torch.
We had failed to obtain any useful in
formation Mt the house, and when
the father came to the fence where the
torches were renewed, cousin who
was with me approached him. .sMr.
Henderson" he said, keep ND your
courage. Your child will be found ;
if not tonight, then surely very soon
after daylight. What kind of shoes
did she have on?"
ga pair of little buckskin mecca.
sins, - said the father
''That is all 1 wanted to learn, y
said my cousin. 'Take courage, Mr..
Henderson"
My cousin then went to man from
the village who had bulls-eye Ian.
tern, and borrowing it, started Of
alone in the direction of the house.
This cousin-Milton Moore by name
had recently returned from the
prairies of Wisconsin, where for three
years he had been numbering on the
Chippewa River. He was great
hunter, and had been much among the