| Hatch Family Folklore | |||||||
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TOLD BY AN UNSPECIFIED RELATIVE John and Jane Hatch lived very happy together for 61 years, and at the end of that time have 57 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Twelve grandchildren served in the armed services in World War II. The great sorrow of their lives came to them on July 16, 1905, when the family and other relatives went to the White Mountains (in Arizona) on a fishing trip. While camping for lunch, and as it was being prepared, the children went around a hill in search of water, and Katie, the little seven-year-old daughter, became separated from the others and was lost. She was missed in a very few minutes and the search began. Men came from every town and villiage. They searched all day and night, when others joined the search which was kept up for 20 days, when at about the same hour of the day that she was lost she was found by her father under a pine tree. She had traveled a distance of some nine or 10 miles. This severe trial had cost father and mother many sleepless nights--and days, months, and years of untold sorrow. But through it all they have always been on hand to help those who were in sorrow. At the time the little girl was lost, our outfit was in Cedar Canyon rounding up the horses, knowing nothing of the awful disaster that was taking place a comparatively few miles to the east. The next day we corralled at the Hopen Ranch about sundown. We had been there but a short time when John Adair rode in and told us what had happened and implored Mr. Hopen to bring his dogs and try to get them to take her trail and find the lost child. Mr. Hopen thought there would be little chance for the dogs to do anything after so many people had been wading and riding over all the country they could for over 30 hours, but he said he would go and gave several blasts on his horn to call his dogs from the Hops, as only one was at the ranch. An hour passed and the dogs did not come, so he started for the the mountain camp with the one dog, so as to get there by daylight. The next morning we cut out our stuff and drove home and then fitted out our brother Andrew with two saddle horses, a bed and some provisions, and sent him to the hunting camp to stay until the little girl was found, which he did. When Andrew arrived at the searching party's camp he found George Bailey in charge, and he continued to direct the search unto the last. They scoured the countryside on the start, everyone going his own way. But after hopes of finding her alive were gone, they rode systematically in lines, but they searched only the north side of the river, as everyone seemed sure that she would not cross the river, and they drug the river until they were sure that she was not in it. But one day Charlie Savage, riding for cows on the south side, found one of the little girl's shoes, and he immediately reported, and the search began on the south side, and she was found a few days later. They were riding in line after Andrew found a lock of her hair. He passed it to the one next to him, and told him to pass it on to her father. When the father received this lock of hair, he spurred up and rode ahead of the others as if he knew where she was, for he rode straight to her, bared his head, dismounted and kneeled beside his child. Andrew and the others said it was the most touching scene they had ever witnessed. There were no covered heads and few dry eyes in that band of rugged westerners.
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INDEX OF STORIES
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