The Hillsborough Recorder

Melancholy Accident—On Thursday the 14th ult. a boy 7 years of age, the son of Mr. Ladd of Holderness, living near Sandwich road, went from home in the afternoon, and was seen with some other children, about sunset near a dwelling house distant about three quarters of a mile. He probably soon after, set out to return home, got bewildered and strayed into the woods.

Finding that he did not return, the family early in the evening went in pursuit of him, assisted by some of the neighbours. Their search proving wholly fruitless, they next day summoned to their aid a large party, and scoured the woods to a considerable distance. They continued the search, reinforced by numbers from other towns, till the Tuesday night following,—but all in vain. Nothing was heard of the child, and the patience and perseverance of the company, as we may well suppose, was pretty nearly exhausted.

But as nothing is so agonizing to the heart of a parent as such a dreadful uncertainty of the fate of a child—more distressing far than even the positive assurance of his death—the company, with feelings alike honourable to them, and consoling to the bosoms of the afflicted parents, agreed, at their solicitation, to continue the search one day longer. They did so—and in the afternoon of Wednesday the child was found by col. Shepard of Holderness, in the woods not more than half a mile from his father's house. He had apparently been dead about twenty-four hours—having subsisted as long as he was able, on the leaves and herbage within his reach. The little circle around him, within which, as struggling nature gave way, he had laid himself down to his last and silent repose, bore witness to his feeble attempts to support life by plucking every green thing within its narrow limits.