The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-02-16


weeks after the boy was lost some
superstitlous person went to Mr.. Ber.
ger and told him to go to New Castle
and consult Billy Gorum, the old for.
tune teller; that he could very likely
tell him about his boy. Mr.. Berger
was ready to catch at every straw and
went an once to consult the fortune
teller. The old fortune teller after con.
sulting his omens, told him that his
boy was all right, and that he would
find him alive and well. He could not
tell him Just where, but he could give
him pointers and directions so that
he could find him. After getting his
instructions from the old fortune tell.
er, Mr.. Berger came home very much
elated. He felt sure he would find his
boy alive and well. He got a large
number Of circulars printed and
brought them to the postoffice. l was
postmaster at Bangs then, and mailed
them to different places all over the
state. l have one of the circulars
now. He never got any return for all
his trouble and expense.
One night, about the middle OF
March, stranger came and opened
the store door and came in. There
were number of men sitting by the
stove, as usual The stranger came
right up to where the men were sit
ting and without any ceremonies said,
81 have found Eddie Berger" Nothing
could have caused more excitement.
Everyone was on his feet in an in
stant. The stranger would answer no
questions. He said he was not ac-
quainted with the Berger family and
did not know where they lived He
was in great hurry to see Mr.. Ber-
ger and wanted some one to go with
him to his house. Charles Casteel a
brother to Rob Casteel, now of Gam
bier, volunteered to go with him, and
they started at once. About nine
o'clock Casteel came into the store,
but the stranger went on the railroad
toward MT. Vernon. Before they sep
arated, he asked Casteel to lend him
his overcoat till he came back with
the boy. The coat was one that had
only been worn few times, but Cas-
'teel had so much confidence in the
man that he loaned him his coat |
asked Casteel if the man wanted mon
ey of Berger. He said, Eyes, he could
not get the boy without money"
told him he would never see his coat
again. In ten days after that If that
man could have been found there
would have been as justiflable lynch
ing as ever occurred anywhere. The
scoundrel got all the money Mr.. Ber.
ger had and was to have more when
he returned with the boy.
Eddie Berger was found on the
18th day of April, just two months to
day after he left home. His body,
a grewsome spectacle, was. found in
a fence corner near the top Of hill,
east of the Robert Miller farm in
Pleasant township and about seven
miles, on an air line, from his home.
He had, it is supposed, died the night
following the day he left home. The
Banner in it's issue of April IS, 1876,
gave an account of the finding of the
boy, and in lengthy article described
his being taken to DR.. Larimore's of
flee, his being prepared for burial
and the scenes that followed when he
was taken to his parents home. A
subscription paper was circulated and
money enough raised to place little
monument over his grave in the Mill
er cemetery.
Eddie Berger was a bright little boy,
but very timid. People that saw him
that day reported that he would go
out of his way to avoid them. The
only conclusion that we can come to
is that he wandered around In the
storm until he found he was lost and
then was so frightened and bewilder-
ed that he was afraid of people and
that he wandered on until sometime
in the night when he became so ex-
hausted that he could go no longer
and then laid down and went to sleep
and never walked up.
w. H. SMITH.
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