Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-25
Lost in the Desert

Inc FAMILY OF Mr.. Godfrey Hughes, a
member of the firm Of assayers owning
the customs assay office, recently went to
spend the summer months visiting friends
who own a large ranch about seventeen
miles above Albuquerque, reports the Ell
Paso Times. The family consists Of the
mother, two sons and a daughter. Re-
Gently the children asked permission of
their mother to go to a corral some three
hundred yards away from the house and
on the other side OF a knoll that obscured
the corral from view to play. Permission
was given and the youngsters bounded
away for their afternoon frolic. Soon the
little sister wearied and the elder brother
proposed that they take her to the house
To this the younger brother, Emerson, who
was only 6 years old, demurred, as he
wished to play more. So the older brother
took his sister to the house. Upon the ar
rival there the mother asked, Where is
brother?" I'VE left him playing at the
corral" said the boy.
The mother then sent him back FOR the
little truant. Shortly the messenger came
back, painting from the hurry Of running,
and exclaimed that his brother was no
where to be found; that he was not at the
corral. The frightened mother hurried
over to the corral and there found the re-
port OF her boy to be true. She searched
and searched, but could find no trace Of
the missing child. Az last she came upon
some little footprints showing that the
child had taken a direction the opposite
to what he should have taken, and the ha-
raised mother became more and more
alarmed as the fact that her child had
strayed and was in all probability lost be-
came apparent. She followed the footprints
for three miles and only ceased because
darkness was approaching and she was
powerless and had to call for aid. As rap
Idly as her nervous and exhausted state
would permit she retraced her steps to the
house and alarmed the household. Imme-
diately a search party was organized and
despite the oncoming night started out in
quest OF the helpless child.
Through that disheartening night the
weary search continued. And the next day
the trained services OF seventy-fve Indians
were impressed and all that long and try
Ing day the search went on and yet no clue
to the wanderer. The grief and agony of
the poor afflicted mother were beyond con-
ISOLATION. The continued dlscouraging ra.
ports that were from time to time brought
her only added to accentuate her suffering.
Tn tracks could be followed for a distance
OF twelve miles and then seemed to double
upon themselves and finally became lost.
without rest the searchers continued in
what seemed their hopeless quest. The
thought OF the poor little tot being out
upon the dreary plains alone, without
shelter or food, wandering on with the
helplessness OF the lost, crying possibly
with fright, tormented by the pangs OF
hunger and thirst. was simply maddening
to the poor mother and friends seeming so
helpless to terminate the trying situation
All of Sunday night the search continued
and early Monday morning the father, who
had been ignorant OF the tragedy. was
wired. He arrived that day and added his
untiring efforts to those OF the large party
already out.
To think OF the dreadful pathos Of it all!
The poor child was not found until
Wednesday morning. 1t was then found by
a Mexican. who carried the exhausted lit
tie form to his cabin, where the child lin
gered for three hours and then passed
way. The ordeal had been beyond the
little ones endurance. The remains were
taken back to the ranch and next day were
Inferred in the cemetery OF the neighboring
village.