Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1902-05-29
LOST IN
THE, DESERT

The family of Mr.. Godfrey Hughes,
member of the firm of assayers owning
the Customs assay office. recently went
to spend the summer months visiting
friends who own q large ranch about
seventeen miles above Albuquerque.
The family consists of the mother, two
sons and daughter. Last Saturday
the children asked permission of their
mother to go to a corral some 300 yards
away from the house and on the other
side of a knoll that obscured the corral
from view to play. Permission was
granted 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 broth
er, Emerson, who was only years old.
demurred. as he wished to play more.
SO the elder brother took his sister to
the house. Upon arrival there tho
mother asked, Where is brother?"
We left him playing at the corral.
said the boy.
The mother then sent him back for
the little truant. Shortly the messen-
ger came back. painting from his hur-
ried running, and exclaimed that his
brother was nowhere to be found; that
he was not at the corral. The fright
ened mother hurried over to the corral
and there found the report Of her boy
to be true. She searched and searched,
but could find no trace OF the missing
child.
At 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 har-
raised mother became more and more
alarmed as the fact that her child had
strayed and was in all proba bility lost
became apparent. She followed the
footprints for three miles and only
ceased because darkness was approach
ing and she was pOwerless and had to
call for aid AS rapidly as her nervous
and exhausted state would permit she
retraced her steps to the house and
alarmed the household. Immediately a
search party was organized and despite
the oncoming of 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-fiVe
Indians We're impressed. and all that
long and trying day the search went on
and yet nc clew to the wanderer. The
grief and agony of the poor afflicted
mother were beyond consolation. The
continued discouraging reports that
were from time to time brought her
| only added to accentuate her suffering
| The tracks could be followed for dis
lance of twelve miles and then seemed
tc double upon themselves and finally
became lost. Without rest the search
| erS continued in what seemed their
| hopeless quest. The thought Of the
poor little tot being out upon the
| dreary plains alone, without shelter CT
food, wandering on with the helpless
ness of the lost, crying possibly with
fright tOrmented by the pangs of hun
| ger and thirst was simply maddening
to the poor mother and friends seeming
so helpless to terminate the trying sit
uation.
All of Sunday night the Search con-
tinued. and early Monday morning the
father. who had ben ignorant of the
| tragedy, was wired. He arrived that
day and added his untiring efforts to
those of the large party already cut.
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 little form to his cabin,
where the child fingered for three hours
and then passed away. The ordeal had
been beyond the little ones endurance
The remains We're taken back to the
ranch and the next day were inferred
in the cemetery of the neighboring
| villa ge.-El Paso Times.