LOST IN THE BUSH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 56, 4 February 1884, Page 2

LOST IN THE BUSH.

The Kopuru correspondent of tlw Auckland Herald writes : — News of a melancholy occurrence has been received from the Otuhu, djgbrict. On IVfonday, the 21st instant, a gumdigger named Thompson, with his wife and three children, had been on a visit to another gumdigger named Jolly, who lives at a distance of five miles from them. About midday the fothpr smarted tP return h.ome. The youngest of the children, a lijitle bqy two years and $hr.cc months old, was seen by the other children to go along the track after its father. la about halfan-hour, the child being missed, search was made for it, but it could not be gcen. As, however, it was the usual custom of the child to sleep during the afternoon, but little anxiety was felt uutil about four p.m., as it was thought very likely that the child was asleep somewhere m the fern. After that hour, however, alarm began to be felt, and all the men m the neighbourhood turned out to aid m the search, which

was continued actively till dark, without the slightest trace being found. Even all through the night, men were out, m the hope that the child's cry might be heard. All next day the search was continued with an increased ; number of men, but not the faintest trace, or slightest clue, could be found, which would enable any opinion to be formed as to the whereabouts of the chiKl. The .search has been continued without* inter mission since, and every bush and every hole within a radius of three miles has been carefully searched. On Tuesday the distracted father catne over to the Kopuru, and fetched Constable Scott to aid m the search, but all efforts have met with the same fruitless result. The child had a white felt hat on at the time of its disappearance. Even this has vanished as mysteriously as the rest. So total a disappearance of a child of such a tender age is altogether unaccountable. There is imlee'l an idea that the child may have been devoured by pigs, as a very vicious sow with two young ones is known to have been m the neighboui'hood ; but some truce would almost certainly have been left if this had happened. There is no waterhole into which the child could have got without leaving evident traces. Of course there is now no hope of finding it alive unless it has been abducted, of which there is no evidence at present. No trace has been found of the old gentleman, Mr McGregor, who was lost m the bush some months ago.