The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-03-16

ested in the story in the Herald Of
the two boys who were lost while hik
ing from Melrose to Sank Centre
Get copy of the American Boy mag
azine and read what happened to two
boys near here who were lost in the
snow. 1 covered the story for the
magazine. In view of the recent
near tragedy in the old town it oc'
ours to me that possibly you coule
use this story, or parts of it in the
Herald. If so, go to it. hereby re-
lease to you the second serial right
gratis. If you can't find copy Of
the American Boy in Sank Centre
drop line to Walter P. Mcclure
Editor of the American Boy, Detroit
and tell him I said to mail you {
copy"
With this suggestion of Mr.. Hen
dryx the Herald wrote the editor fol
the American Boy and this intensel!
interesting, story by Mr.. Hendryx a:
it appeared in the American Boy il
published in full herewith.
This story is not fiction. Every
word Of it is true, just as it was
told to Mr.. Hendryx by Charles
LaBar, who found the bodies Of
John and Willie Glide, by several
others of the searchers, and by the
mother and older brother OF the
boys themselves. For, upon hear
ing of this tragedy. the American
Boy, realizing that something had
/ gone wrong, sent Mr.. Hendrix
to Fife Lake to find out what that
something was; sent MI. Henoryx
because most of his time in the
last thirty years has been spent in
the wilderness.
Mr.. Hendryx did find out. In a
letter accompanying the manu-
script he writes: Il have told
about it in this story, and I hope
that every boy who goes hunting,
or who expects that he will ever
60 out into wild unfamiliar coun-
try will read it. 1t isn't any SER
mon, as you will see: couldn't
preach a sermon if l wanted to.
But it does point out the mistakes
these two boys made-the mis-
takes that cost them their lives
and tells how other boys can
avoid them."-The Editors Amer
lean Boy.
a
18th of December, 1921, to be exact
the little village of Fife Lake, in
Grand Traverse County, Michigan
awoke to dig itself out Of foot and
a half Of drifted snow. Shovelers call,
ed cheerily across the snow-cnokeo
laughingly wallowed knee-deep upon
their early morning errands-for Fife
Lake laughs at snow.
Then suddenly the shoveling ceased
Quick, hoarse words passed from man
to man. The shovels were hurrledly
thrust in to the drifts and abandoned
The pedestrians halted and, their err
rands forgotten, turned and plunged
back to their homes. For word had
come from little farm house -four
miles to the northward that two boys
were lost in the snow
Like magic the news travelled from
lip to lip. And Fife Lake answered
shovelers and pedestrians, as they
surriedly dressed for the snow trail
md whiteeyed and silent were the
Women as with trembling fingers they
the street was filled with men shifting
their guns from hand to hand as they
donned mackinaws and mittens, sink
ing to their knees in the soft snow al
they crowded paper wrapped lunches
into wide pockets. Teams hitched t.
swarmed the men. The horses were
headed northward toward a point some
five miles distant where little travel'
ed road crosses great cedar swamp
For the word had passed that the boys
were lost in this swamp.
And at the same moment other teams
carrying sledloads Of men were con
verging upon the swamp from the
northeastward, for the men of Soutf
Boardman, eight or ten miles away
were also answering the call, as were
all the farmers between.
The Search and It's End
1t was slow and heavy going, this
breaking trail through the soft, new
fallen snow-slow and heavy. for the
first three miles and worse for the
remainder Of the distance, for the lit
tle-used road through the swamp holds
to the north, while the main road width
it's hard packed bottom under the new
snow turned to the east.
$3.50 last the swamp was reached. the
b1anketed and made fast tc
and the men, agreeing upon the
NJ al of a shot when the boys were
found, began a systematic, search OF
the swamp.
Only those have traversed a cedar
swamp in winter can have any idea Of
the gruelling work such a search en-
tails. SnowshOes were of no use what
ever because the ground was tangle
OF 1allSn logs anu SdpllIlSS 'JudS 1dy
buried under the snow, or protruded
from it to lean against the standing
timber at every conceivable angle.
And between these logs the feet Of tn,
Svarchers sank every now and chen in
to spring holes whose ice encr.i sted
water was concealed by the new fallen
snow Add to this the circums. ln:e s
of every twig and limb of the denst
evergreen thicket being bent low with
q burden of snow which like heavy
white screen, shut off the view beyon
q very few feet, and at each ste /
brought down deluge of sno upOI
the heads and shoulders of thu search
crs. Nor was this ALL for word hao
passed that the boys had be n missing
since Saturday afternoon, and not a
man in the party who did not shl
deringly hesitate to set his foot doWr
upon one Of these OMNIBUS looking
white mounds that covered the logs
on the ground.
The morning passed. Slowly, me
thodically, with the utmost care. tn.
men explored a section oFthe swamp
while other men secured the desolate
and uninhabited pine plains tina
stretch to the northward.
q Noon. Two of the searchers, Charc.
aBar and Arthur Hodges. pause al
e foot OF q tree that has somehow
capped axman and fire to rear its mob
Shead high above the snow buriec
Jain thickly dotted with f1re-black
med stumps that once were Norwa.
pines. Thrusting his gun. butt down
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