The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-01-30
MAKES AN INQUIRY
INTO EARLIER LIFE
Relatives Located in Millers.
burg; Story Reads Like
Fiction

DanviIle, Jan. 27-Reading like
pages of imaginative fiction is the
story of Carroll MiIIess, aged 90
years, who has been reunited with his
family in MiIersburg after an alb
sence of 20 years, during which time
his father and stepmother exerted
every effort to locate him.
Through reading in a Columbus
newspaper an account of the death of
his father, Philip MiIless, in hospit-
al of that city several days ago, vague
TecoIlections of childhood were
brought back which finally shaped
themselves into definite memories of
when he, as boy, had played in this
village, living at the time with his
grandmother, now deceased.
With DanviIle vivid in his mind,
Milless sought the history of his early
life from records which traced his
birth back to MiIIersburg. He inves-
tigated further and has become re-
united with members of his family
who have utilized magazines and
newspapers all over the middle states
for years in attempt to locate him.
The story of the boys disappear
the long search and the reunion is
narrated by a relative. 1t follows:
Jacob Carroll Milless' mother, who
was the first wife of Philip Milless,
died at the home in Knox county
when Jacob was an infant. Two
years later the father married Anna
Lentz and gave his children home
at Millersburg. The stepmother be-
came wonderfully attached to the lit
tie fellow and reluctantly consented a
few years later to allow the lad to go
and make his home with his grand
father, Jacob Milless of Danville, who
coveted the company of his name
sake during his declining years.
The little fellow lived happily with
his grandfather until at the age of
nine years financial reverses robbed
the elder Mr.. Milless of his life earn
ings and the youth was obliged to en-
ter an orphans home at Columbus.
About a year later the ten-year-old
boy was adopted from the home by a
dairy farmer, who forced the lad to
do a mans work and otherwise
abused the boy until in desperate re-
volt Jacob ran away.
From that day until last Tuesday
nothing was heard from the boy in
spite of the heroic efforts of the fam
lily to locate him, All hope of ever
locating the lad had been abandoned
by the family and the father died at
st. Francis hospital at Columbus
January 90 without the comfort Of
knowing that his son was a prosper
GUS farmer, we'll and happy within 4
miles of the fathers deathbed.
BY the irony of fate, the death of
the father served as the medium
which united the long-lost son and
the family at Millersburg. Jacob read
the account of the death of Philip
Milless in Columbus paper Monday
and associated the name with the
hazy recollection of his father, of
whom he remembered very little.
Determined to make every effort to
learn whether the deceased man could
have been a relative, Jacob inquired
at the st. Francis hospital concerning
the relatives and former home of the
dead man. He was informed that the
family resides at Millersburg and the
name of a near relative of Philip Mil
less was given him.
In spite OF the many long years o.
separation and their attendant hard
ships Jacob seemed to recall some
thing OF the name, and It sounded
familiar when spoken. Early Tuesday
morning he boarded a train for Mil
lersburg, determined to follow thu
clew to the end in the hope of 10
eating his relatives.
Upon his arrival at Millersburg h,
made inquiry at the American Hous'
for the Milless home, and was inform