THE LOST CHILD. Two sisters living in Williamsburg-Lydia Osborn, aged eleven years, and Matilda Osborn, aged seven years-started on the afternoon of July 13, 1804, to drive home the cows, following the paths which led to the "big field," about a mile from the village, where the cattle were wont to range. They were guided in their movements by the tinkling of the cow-bells, and perhaps were led off from the main path by this means and lost their way. The elder girl, Lydia, supposed the cows were going away from home, and left her little sister, Matilda, to make a detour and head them off, but without success. So she returned to where she had left her sister, but could not find her; after wandering about for a long time and crying out her name she started for home, as she supposed, but took the wrong direction, wandered on, and was lost in the wilderness. The younger sister followed the sound of the cow-bells and arrived safe at home. The following is from the touching account of the Rev. J. B. Finley, who was with the party in the search for her: Bells Night came on, casting its darkened shadows over the forest, but she came not to greet the anxious eyes of her parents; their child was in the woods exposed to the savages and wild beasts. The neighborhood was aroused with the alarm of "lost child!"' Every heart was touched, and soon in every direction torches were seen flashing their lights into the darkness of the forest. were rung, horns were blown, and guns were fired, if perchance the sound might reach the ear of the lost one. The news reached the settlement where we resided, and as many as could leave home turned out to seek for the lost child. Some signs of her tracks were discovered crossing branches and miry places; all indicating, however, that she was going farther into the wilderness. On the third day Cornelius Washburn, the famous backwoodsman and hunter, arrived with about five hundred others and accompanied by his noted hunting dog. We were now deep in the wilderness and made preparations for camping out that night. At daybreak we were again ready for our search, but as the collection of people was so numerous we formed into companies taking different directions and meeting at night at a place designated. Money was collected and sent to the settlements to buy provisions. numbers increased so that on the seventh day there were more than a thousand persons, many from Kentucky. Our Washburn discovered the place where she had slept for several nights. He also saw where she had plucked and eaten foxgrapes and whortle-berries. The place she had selected was where one tree had fallen across another, which was lying down and afforded a good protection. To this place the whole crowd hurried. Nothing could restrain them so eager were they to find the lost child. In all these journeyings the father was present, so absorbed in grief that he could neither eat nor sleep. Sorrow drank up his spirits, and he refused to be comforted. When hope was kindled he seemed like one frantic, and flew in every direction, calling most piteously the name of his child, "Lydia!" "Lydia The eighth morning the company started out abreast, about three rods apart, with a man in the middle and one at each end of the line, whose duty it was to blow horns at intervals to keep the line in order. The line extended for several miles. On the morning of the fifteenth day we found on the north fork of the Whiteoak her footprints in the sand where she had crossed that stream. These footprints greatly revived our hopes, as they appeared fresh. Sending back a man to notify the main body we proceeded up the creek until we came to a large blackberry patch. Near this patch we found a neat little house built of sticks over which were placed, in regular layers, pieces of moss. In the centre was a little door, and in the interior was a bed made of leaves, covered with moss and decorated with wild flowers. All could see at once that it was the work of a child, and as we gazed upon it the tears stole freely down our cheeks. Here away in the wilderness, far from human habitation, had this child constructed this miniature house, and thus recalled the scenes of home, sister, mother and father. The child must have been here several days, for from her little house to the blackberry patch she had beaten quite a path. Discovering no fresh signs of her presence we determined to return to the main creek and wait the coming of the company, and prevent, if possible, the eager crowd from rushing on and destroying the signs. More than a thousand men camped along the creek that night. Fearing the consequences of disclosing our discovery that night we kept it secret until morning, when, forming the company into military order, we marched them out into the opening flanking out right and left. They surrounded the entire space, forming a hollow square. At the sight of the little bower a scene occurred which it would be impossible to describe. Here were brave stalwart men, who had been subjected to the perils of the wilderness, contending for every inch with savages and wild beasts, whose hearts were never known to quail with fear, who at the sight of that little bower were melted to tears. But when the father came up to the little dwelling his own dear child had built, and exclaimed, "Oh! Lydia, Lydia, my dear child, are you yet alive?" a thousand hearts broke forth in uncontrollable grief. The result of investigation showed that the tracks were several days old. Horse tracks were also found, and the conclusion was that she had been carried away by the Indians. Two miles from "Lydia's camp," for so it is called to this day, they found her bonnet, and farther on an Indian camp several days old. Further pursuit being considered useless the company disbanded and returned to their homes. The father never gave up the search, but penetrated the wildest solitudes and sought her among the Indians till the day of his death. The lost was never found. The spot of Lydia's bower is pointed out to this day in Perry township, Brown county; a citizen of that township, Mr. L. W. Claypool, in speaking of this occurrence, has given some additional items: Cornelius Washburn engaged in it with the keen perceptive intelligence which only a noted hunter possesses, and that it was wonderful to see him calm and thoughtful walking slowly along noting a leaf upturned, pea vine, brush or anything disturbed, while others could see nothing except at a time when he would point out to them tracks of the child on the sand bars, beds of leaves or the like. Some of the searchers made so much noise, hollowing, blowing horns, etc., that Washburn begged of them to desist, and he would find the child, insisting that after she had been lost so long that she would hide from man as quick as she would from a wild animal. They would not heed him but dashed ahead. Mr. Claypool continued: I was once lost when eight or nine years of age with Jake Ashton, a year younger, and can fully realize Washburn's assertion of fright. We went out early in the morning to hunt the cows; soon the path gave out and we were lost in the flat beech swamps between Glady and Glassy Runs. We wandered about until night, coming out at a new road recently underbrushed just at the time that an infair party of about a dozen couple on horseback were passing. Although knowing most of them we hid until they passed. NEW RICHMOND, founded about 1816, is the largest and most important business village in the county. It is on the Ohio, twenty miles above Cincinnati, with which it is also connected by railroad, and three miles below the birthplace of Gen. Grant. It has newspapers: Clermont Independent, B. L. Winans, editor; The News, A. Townsley, editor. Churches: 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Colored Metho dist, 1 Colored Baptist, 1 Baptist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Christian, 1 Catholic, and 1 Lutheran. Bank: First National, Franklin Friedman, president, D. E. Fee, .cashier. Manufactures.-J. & H. Clasgens, woollen yarns, 97 hands; Friedman, Roberts & Co., planing-mill, 20. Tables and carriages are also made here. Population in 1880, 2,545. School census in 1886, 675; George W. Fetter, superintendent. The Philanthropist.-In 1834 James G. Birney began the publication of his noted anti-slavery publication, The Philanthropist, in New Richmond, under the assurance of the Donaldson brothers and other well-known anti-slavery men that he should be protected from mob violence. A native of Kentucky, he could not even attempt the issue of his paper there, much as he wished. In 1836 he removed his paper to Cincinnati, where, on the night of July 30, a mob having the countenance of the leading citizens broke into the printing-office, and destroyed the press and scattered the type. While at New Richmond lawless men threatened to sack the office; but, at a signal of danger, the people of the village at a public meeting resolved to stand by Mr. Birney at the peril of their lives. In 1844 Mr. Birney was the "Liberty Party's" candidate for President, with Thomas Morris for Vice-President. They received 62,163 votes. THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY. Anti-Slavery Settlers.-Clermont county, and indeed the Ohio river border, was largely settled by men from Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky to escape the baleful institution of slavery. These men became the strongest of anti-slavery men, and the position of Clermont was pre-eminent in the great struggle that ended in the emancipation. Judge Burnet, in his "Notes," in his account of the delegates who framed the first Constitution, says "that Gatch and Sargent from Clermont were among the honored men who successfully labored in the construction of the State Constitution and the early legislation of Ohio; that they were elected because they were anti-slavery men, and they were Virginians, and both practical emancipators." Obed Denham, a Virginian, the founder of Bethel, in his conveyance, wrote as follows: "I also give two lots in said town for the use of the regular Baptist church-who do not hold slaves, nor commune at the Lord's table with those who do practise such tyranny over their fellow-creatures." Fleeing Slaves. The position of Clermont on the border made it the first place of refuge for fleeing slaves. Byron Williams in the history of the county gives these facts: "Nothing was done to entice slaves from Kentucky; only as they came were they sped on their way. True men never refused bread to the beseeching negro fleeing from chains and with his face toward the North Star." The owners pursuing the negroes were informed who were most likely to have assisted the fugitives, and, returning in baffled rage, heaped curses loud and deep on names of persons and localities in hearing of slaves, who reverently preserved the stealthy knowledge for their own time of need. The late Robert E. Fee, of Moscow, was, it is true, charged with abducting slaves, and at one time was under requisition for the same. Robert Fee and the Kidnappers.—About the year 1840 a family of blacks, living for years in the south part of the county, were, except the father, kidnapped at night and carried into Kentucky, under the plea that the mother was a runaway slave, and her children, though born out of bondage, must share her lot. Robert Fee devoted himself to their rescue by legal means. He followed them into a distant State into which they had been sold, and narrowly escaped death. The mob, raging for his blood, actually passed through the room adjoining his hidingplace. The affair produced much excitement, and caused many hitherto neutral people to join the opposition to slavery. The family was hopelessly lost and separated, but Fee repaid his wrongs many-fold. A light was said to have burned in his house all night to guide travellers across LORENZO DOW, in the United States, Canada, England &Ireland. [So important a person was Lorenzo Dow in the religious history of Ohio and the "new countries" generally that the pioneers largely named their boy babes from him. We saw him when on June 30, 1832, the drawing in the lower picture was made by our old friend, Mr. John W. Barber, and it agrees with our memory as to his swaying attitude. He was in truth a wild-looking creature.] |