New-York tribune., 1900-03-05
QUARTER CENTURY QUEST ENDED.
MOTHERS UNAvAILING SEARCH FOR HER
MISSING DAUGHTER.


Indianapolis March (SpeciaD.-A life history pc
cularly repete with pathos and furnishing strik-
ing parallel that of the tabled Ceres in her
wanderngs long for her daughter
Proserpine was closed al Linton, Greene County,
early last week by the death Of Mrs. Polly Bar
nett the advanced age Of seventy-two years
twenty-i of which spent in almost ceaseless
search for a missing daughter. Mrs. Barnett was
a sister of Smith Miller, who represented the 1st
Indiana District in the XXXIIId and XXXIVth
congresses, and another brother was a lawyer or
note back in the ffties and was an honored Judge
on the circuit bench. Like her brothers. Mrs Bar
was possessed of talents. and her In
teigence and vvacty made her a general favorite
in half dozen counties, where she was known
both in early and later life and admired alike for
the graces Of her person and the beauty or her
Christian character.
She married an enterprising farmer and settled
down to a life of domesticity in her country home
Two daughters were born to her. there being hVe
years difference in their ages. and in the infancy
of the younger the father died. The widow carried
the farm with the assistance of hired help, and
considered wealthy, when the elder daughter
Grace, attained her eighteenth year. One morning
twenty-five years ago, when Grace was called to
breakfast. she failed to respond, and going 10
her room II found that It had not been occu-
pied In the night. None of the girls clothing was
missing, except the suit she wore the night before
and IT surmised that she had passed out at the
rear of the house, instead of going 70 her room
when the family separated for the night.
Be this as IT may. from that day TO this nothing
has been heard of the missing daughter. Rumors
were circulated after her mysterious disap
pearance that she had been decoyed from home
and murdered by young man who had paid her
some attention, but he formally accused
Of being concerned in her disappearance and the
tongue OF gossip ceased connect him with
the case for his high character dsarmed what ap-
peared to be unwarranted suspicion.
The best detective talent in the West was en-
ployed IN the search for the missing daughter and
the mother spent thousands OF dollars in feeling de-
tectives and following UP what appeared in end
to have been false clews. Then the farm was
mortgaged. the stock sold off and even the house
hold furniture was parted with in order TO raise
money with which to continue the search. When
all OF her means had been exhausted the mother
herself crazed with grief. began hopeless search
in person. Month after month It was continued
through all the surrounding counties. and the Geld
of winter and neat of summer alike braved
without one word Of complaint. the mystery
rounding the daughters disappearance having ap-
parently shut everything else OF the parents
mind. 1t was soon plain to the friends of Mrs
Barnett that her mind had given way under the
strain. but she gentle and kind, SO intent
upon finding her daughter that none of her friends
could bring themselves to deprive her of the
melancholy satisfaction of seeking the lost one by
having her restrained of her liberty. On the
trary they threw open their homes ONES to her when
supplying d. her Reeessities e
accompanied by her second daughter. but exposure
TO all kinds OF weather told ultimately upon the
mother seemed Wholly unconscious of this sec &c.
ond loss. and soon the daughter was buried
Of her FIRST bern oae nothing an
The mother was questioned, and admitted that she
to some other resting place She 'i refused to say
where the body was buried. and the secret died
to remove the daughers A rs body and It is believed &
in her arms to the place where she had prepared
After the death of the daughter the mother con-
tinued her wanderings for many years alone, but
more recently she has been attended by an old
black cat, which always trudged along at her
heels. and to which she talked almost incessantly
night, and seemed to have taken hold of her af-
fections to the exclusion Of everything except the
she requested Mrs Cook the friend at whose house
that it might continue the search for the daughter
When Mrs. Barnett first began her strange quest
tory, but in recent years she confined herself to a
smaller circle. and was thus expected at certain
TaIn VA falling the weathsT a5 unusually
to find Grandma Barnett" as she had come to be
M and & she br I a. be9 bass
she passed along the same roads hundreds Of
she had prosecuted her search in that locality be
fore for she would stop at intervals and cali out
voice to come ont Of the woods. Then she would
repeated @ year AFTER YEAR at the Same paces S ony
to find that no voice came back to her call.
Mrs. Barnett endowed with a remarkable
constitution, and through twenty-five years OF ex-
posure to all kinds of weather she was never
the home of Mrs. Cook where she died she was
literally to have worn hersef cut and passed away
who falls to sleep after long period of
hausting physical exercise. She conscious her
self, however, that the end near, but this was
indicated only by the that the cat be turned
out to continue the search.
REARRESTED IN COURT AND PAROLED
MAN FOIIND UNCONSCIOUS WITH A DEAD WON N