News: Colby, Wis. - Lost Girl Found (1887)

Contact: Cheryl (Feind) Janowiak
Email: cheryljano@yahoo.com

Surnames: Margraf, Becherer, Penney, Wilms

----Source: The Phonograph (Colby, Clark Co., WI) 2 June 1887

About half past four, Tuesday afternoon, a little son of John Margraf and a little daughter of Albert Becherer, each about four year old, went into the edge of the woods, south of the village to pick flowers. A few minutes later W. O. Penney heard a crying in the brush and upon going there found the little boy who said that Amelia had gone into the woods. Mr. Penney helped the boy out of the brush but not seeing the girl immediately notified Mr. Becherer. The two searched nearly an hour but finding no trace of the child, called for assistance and in a few moments a large crew of men were searching the woods. The number of searchers kept increasing until dusk when operations were suspended until lanterns could be procured, and at eight o’clock fifty or sixty men started into the woods with lanterns, a great many keeping up the search until morning. Traces were found of the child in the creek bottoms and evidences that she had crossed the creek several times near the residence of B. A. Wilms, so the search was continued farther south, and about six o’clock, the next morning, Mr. Becherer found the little stray asleep in a hollow log, with the top burned off, making a very serviceable crib, fully a mile from town in a direct line, to reach which she must, in her zig zag course, have traveled fully three miles. The child did not seem to be any the worse for her night out but great was the rejoicing throughout the town when it was learned that the lost was found.

 

 


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