The gold leaf., 1910-10-20
LITTLE CHILD LOST.
Thrilling and Exciting Experience
Near Bobbltt Last Week-Twenty.
Two-r1onths-OId Child Wauders
Away and Gets Lost.

Mr.. A. b. Clements tells US thrill
ing and pathetic incident that oc-
CURED near Bobbitt on Tuesday af-
ternoon OF last week, which for a
time stirred the whole neighborhood
as only such u thing could do. A
little daughter OF Mr.. Charles F.
Moss, aged % months, who was at
the home OF Mrs. ID. j. kearney left
the house during the temporary alb
sence OF the inmates or unnoticed by
them and wandered away. This was
about 5 O'Clock and the child was
asleep on a bed when last seen in the
house. The alarm was soon given
and search was instituted.
1t was ascertained that the little
one had not reached home and the
state OF the feelings of the family and
friends can better be imagined than
told
Soon the entire neighborhood was
aroused and searchers were going in
every direction. BY the time it was
dark good 36 men and a dozen boys
on horseback and afoot, were en-
gagged in the hunt. Several negro
men joined the hunting party, and
for half a mile in each direction every
corn and cotton row in the adjacent
fields and every bush in the woods
around was searched. 1t was not
until eighteen minutes after ten
O'Clock at night that the anxious
searchers were rewarded. In the cot
ton field OF Mr.. Hugh Hight, more
than half mile from Mrs. Kearney's,
the little child was found asleep In
the midst OF a tangled mass OF high
grass. Wet with dew and thoroughly
benumbe1 she was unconscious from
fatigue and exposure and it was
some time before she was revived
alter being wrapped up and taken
home.
Awaking from sleep at Mrs. kear-
ney's and finding herself alone the
child had evidently started home
half mile distant. Reaching the
point where the road forks near ST.
| Mary's church she turned to the left
instead OF the right which took her
further away from home. Going the
main road a short distance the lit
tie wanderer followed path toward
Mr.. Hugh Nights. AS if in doubt
about the direction or where she
was the tracks which had been dis
covered near the church giving the
| first clue as to the course the :hild
had taken, stopped, tampped the
ground in several places, turned and
went in circle, then proceeded down
the path. After awhile they left the
path and followed a cotton row
about $50 yards down into the field.
| Another stop and sharp turn to
the left about 30 yards they went
over a sharp incline formed by the
land being terraced. About so
yards further and over another ter
race where she fell, nature overcome
and sleep enfolding her in its en-
brace.
AS the little tracks came nearer to
the place where the child was found
they were closer together showing
that her movement was slower as a
result of exhaustion and the ap-
proach of sleep and being chilled by
the cold
1t is needless to say that there was
genuine rejoicing on the part of the
anguished parents and loved ones
which was shared by the band OF
searchers and neighborhood friends
when word went around that the lost
child was found.
A little while longer and different
story would have been told. The
baby form would have been cold In
death ere the morning sun rose.