Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-23
LOST CHILD WALKS FAR
EIGHT MILES TO HER HOME
THROUGH STRANGE COUNTRY.
Companions Frantically Hunt Vicin.
ity of Picnic Grounds
Not Fatigue, Troubles Her.

Badly burned by the sun, but uncom-
planning of fatigue after her eight-mile
tramp. seven-year-old girl, clad only
in undergarments. with legs and arms
bare, after a series of small adventures,
reached home, her objective point, after
she found herself alone, lost and bewil-
dered in the woods, from q picnic of
which she was a small participant
Her grandmother and sister, from whom
she had been separated at the outing,
were frantically hunting the vicinity, aid
ed by other members of the party; her
father, notified of her disappearance, was
hurrying to the scene, probably passing
her on the way; her mother had just
received the shock of the news at the
home, when the little girl walked in the
house. relieving the natural suspense, and
of her safety could be sent to the picnic
grounds.
Cropping her way out of the tangle of
trees ard blindly following the unknown
road which she came to with the con-
fidence that it would lead home, the
child met on her way soldiers from Fort
Myer, whose uniforms provoked her adj
terror, she walked on safely over q long
trestle. She observed the strange crea-
lures of the barnyards at the farms she
passed and spoke to everybody.
Outing at Clark Station.
An outing was held yesterday at the
camp of the Sunday school of Calvary
Baptist Church at Clark station, about
three miles from the Virginia end of the
Aqueduct bridge. Ruth Brashears, the
seven-year-old daughter Of Shipley
Brashears. jr, became separated from
her sister and grandmother, who were all
at the picnic, while in the woods near
the camp. Her home was at 3414 18th
street northwest, eight miles away. and
she walked that far
The child did not even have a car
ticket She reached home only few
minutes after her mother had learned of
her absence from the camp, about 5
o'clock.
Before going from the camp she had
removed her stockings and outer gar
ments, barring legs and arms. When
Ruth reached home she was terribly
sunburned. She complained of the hurt
Of her burns more than of fatigue.
1t was some time before she found her
way from the woods to the road. Then
she walked on, not knowing surely for
a long time whether she was going in
the right direction. In sight of Rosslyn
she knew her way.
Small Adventures on Way.
The child walked along the road until
she reached the line of the Great Falls
and Old Dominion electric railway. Then
she walked the ties. She passed the vi
cinity of Fort Myer. enjoying the sight
of the soldiers on the road.
She reached a long trestle and started
to walk it. She feared at every step that
she would go through and fall to the
ground. She passed over safely. The re-
mainder of her journey was without ad-
venture of note to her, in the familiar
surroundings of urban life.
While Ruth was journeying homeward
her grandmother and others at the camp
were engaged in a search of the woods
for her. Word was sent to her father,
manager of the Penn Mutual Insurance
Company.
He hurried across the river to assist
in the search, probably passing his
daughter on his way to camp AS soon
as he learned that the child was safe
at home he returned with the grand
mother and sister, from whom Ruth had