Sarah Whitcher, the Lost Little Girl Protected by a Bear

2024.11.26 00:40 DetectiveFork Sarah Whitcher, the Lost Little Girl Protected by a Bear

Did a friendly black bear watch over a 3-year-old child who went missing in a New Hampshire forest for several days in 1783?
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By Kevin J. Guhl
When 3-year-old Sarah Whitcher wandered off into the extensive forests of Warren, a mountain hamlet nestled among the White Mountains of New Hampshire, she was awed by the brand new world in which she found herself. The ancient trees seemed to reach into the heavens as strange birds sang their harmonious calls. Squirrels chattered and scolded one another. Sarah gleefully picked a handful of deep red wild peony and continued her jaunt along the forest path. It was a balmy Sabbath in June 1783. The mills had ceased their chatter, carts paused their rumbling down stony village paths, and ploughs and axes stood still in their sheds. As mellow sunbeams and a gentle breeze caressed the landscape, all nature seemed to join in worship. Sarah's parents, taking advantage of the day, had decided to enjoy a pleasant stroll through the woods on their way to visit a relative who lived an hour distant up the mountain summit. Not content to remain at their cabin with her siblings as instructed, Sarah had snuck away in pursuit of her parents. As the day wore on, Sarah kept moving, flowers still grasped in her hand, driven by the constant hope that her mother and father would be just around the next bend in the trail. An eagle screeched past Sarah, and a wildcat sprang across her path. Sarah's bare feet were bleeding, scratched up by the underbrush. As the sun fizzled out and raindrops began to pour, the young girl sank down onto a thick patch of moss, despairing and exhausted. That's when Sarah heard a crackle in the underbrush, and a large, black form appeared from the darkness...
John and the elder Sarah Whitcher arrived home that night to the realization that no parent wants to endure—their youngest was missing and possibly alone in the untamed New Hampshire wilderness. They sounded the alarm and neighbors gathered to find the lost girl, shouting her name and building large fires to light their way through the night. As word spread, residents from surrounding communities hurried to join the search effort. The Whitchers agonized as the week wore on. Tuesday night came the unsettling news that a child's footprints had been found in the sand and mud along Berry Brook, alongside the tracks of a bear. "She is torn in pieces! She is eaten up!" people cried.
By Thursday, searchers resigned themselves to the fact that if Sarah was not recovered by sundown, it would be apropos to quit and accept the girl's sad fate. Around noon, a Mr. Heath, who had walked the long distance from Plymouth, arrived at the Whitcher's cabin. "Give me some dinner," he requested of a pair of local women who were cooking a bushel of beans for hungry searchers, "then show me the bridle-path to the north, and I will find the child." Bemused but hopeful, the ladies listened to Heath as he ate and described a dream that had come to him three times the previous night. In each dream, Heath had found young Sarah "lying under a great pine top, a few rods to the southeast of the spot where the path crossed Berry Brook, guarded by a bear." Heath finished his lunch and set off with another neighbor, Joseph Patch, to find the girl. Patch held the distinction of being the first white settler in Warren, arriving in 1767.
The first framed dwelling in Warren, New Hampshire was built by Joseph Patch, the first white settler who had arrived there in 1767, by the roadside on the northerly bank of Patch Brook. Illustration from \"The History of Warren; A Mountain Hamlet, Located Along the White Hills of New Hampshire\" by William Little, 1870.
As nightfall began to overcome the community, multiple gunshots echoed out across the countryside. It thankfully signaled a happy moment. Sarah had been found exactly where Heath's dreams had predicted, although no bear was in sight. "Carry me to mother," the groggy and famished child pleaded to Patch, who swept her up in his arms. When Sarah was asked if she had seen anyone during her ordeal, she said that "a great black dog" had stayed with her every night. Patch carried the girl back to her family's cabin, searchers hurrahing and waving their hats. Upon seeing her daughter, Mrs. Whitcher fainted. Mr. Whitcher smoked his pipe as hard as he could, attempting to tamp down his surge of emotion. For the rest of his days, Heath was revered for his prophetic dream. Historian William Little included testimony from residents who were present for Sarah's ordeal in his book, "The History of Warren; A Mountain Hamlet, Located Along the White Hills of New Hampshire," published in 1870.
Sarah herself told the story of her harrowing week during her adult years. That first night, as she sat in the darkness with tears rolling down her cheeks, a "great shaggy black bear" had approached her. It sniffed her face and hands and licked the blood from her feet. Sarah was no more afraid of him than of her own large dog at home. She dared to stroke the bear's long, brown nose, and rested an arm across his neck. The bear lay down beside her, and Sarah placed her head upon his shoulder. Snuggled up in the inky night amongst the dense woods, the unlikely pair quickly drifted off to sleep. Townspeople would later suggest that the bear had guided Sarah to the path Heath had dreamed about, where she was soon after located.
Sarah grew up and married Richardson "Dick" French on Oct. 16, 1800. The couple settled on French's farm on Brier Hill in nearby Haverhill, near the pond which would later bear his name. Dick was a famed trapper and hunter who, in a terrible irony, did much to rid Haverhill and the surrounding country of bears. Dick and Sarah French had 11 children, and Sarah passed away Apr. 5, 1858, at age 78.
Children's fiction author and New Hampshire resident Elizabeth Yates immortalized the tale with the publication of her 1971 book, "Sarah Whitcher's Story," a classic still popular with young readers. In 2022, the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources installed a highway marker in honor of "Sarah Whitcher and the Bear" at the intersection of N.H. Route 25 and Swain Hill Road in Warren. The marker was proposed by Holly Christensen’s class of first and second grade students at Dublin Christian Academy, who had read “Sarah Whitcher’s Story” and then gathered the required signatures for a highway marker application.
Black bears were historically abundant in Grafton County, which contains Warren, so it is not unlikely that little Sarah encountered one during her nature trek in the post-Colonial era. But could a black bear have actually befriended and cared for her, or was that just a heartwarming tall tale?
Though capable of killing a human, black bears are typically timid and more likely to run away than attack. A 1924 survey of black bears by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department noted the animals as "the most sly and retiring," and that they had never been known to attack a man unless in defense of their young. Black bears are primarily vegetarian aside from such prey as insects, fish and young or sickly deer, so humans are not on the menu. Perhaps Sarah's black bear didn't see her as a threat or as prey, but as a friendly companion and source of bodily warmth during cool nights in the forest? It would be easier to assign the bear as a figment of the frightened girl's imagination, conjured to comfort her, if searchers hadn't found their footprints side by side along the creek.
"Feral children" who become lost in the wilderness only to be rescued and raised by wolves, apes or bears is a common motif in myth and folklore. There have been documented cases of feral children raised by animals throughout history, although most of them have turned out to be hoaxes. Reports exist of feral children being discovered in the vicinity of wild animals, but there is an absence of credible witness reports of these animals actually caring for lost children.
However, an incident from as recently as 2019 closely mirrors Sarah's story from 236 years earlier. Three-year-old Casey Hathaway was playing with two friends in his grandmother's backyard in Ernul, North Carolina on a frigid Tuesday in January. When he didn't come inside with the other kids, the adults began to panic. Casey was nowhere to be found and was not dressed for the frozen conditions, with temperatures plunging into the 20s Fahrenheit. Hundreds of volunteers combed the woods for the next two days, aided by helicopters, drones, K-9 units and divers. On Thursday night, the wind and rain became so powerful that searchers were warned to halt their efforts. Just in time, rescuers responded to Casey's cries and waded through waist-high water to reach the boy, who was tangled up in thorn bushes. Uninjured aside from some scrapes, Casey just wanted water and his mother. Once safe, the boy made a remarkable claim—that he was helped by a friendly black bear who remained with him and protected him the whole time.
Chris Lasher, a North Carolina wildlife expert, told Inside Edition it was certainly possible that Casey saw a black bear, endemic to the state. But he doubted that a bear, while nurturing to it own species, would have recognized a human child in distress as something it needed to assist. Nevertheless, Casey's family took the boy at his word that a black bear was his savior during his trial in the frozen forest.
There is one fascinating inconsistency in Sarah's story, in that when first recovered the girl didn't claim it was a bear that had cared for her but "a great black dog." The most plausible explanation is that at only 3 years old, Sarah wasn't as yet that familiar with bears and associated the creature with her family's pet dog. By the time she grew into an adult, Sarah would have correctly understood that the animal she encountered was a bear.
However, this was the late 18th century and there's a disquieting fact that might shock modern residents of New Hampshire—wolves were an enormous presence during this era. The predators were prevalent throughout New England when Europeans first arrived, and continued to be a factor at the time Sarah was lost in the woods. Wolfpacks roamed throughout the region, great numbers of the animals storming New Hampshire in 1744, 1764 and 1784. During the Revolutionary War, with most men away fighting, women and children in Plymouth were often frightened by wolves howling throughout the night. In neighboring Warren, wolves prowled outside houses in the dark, standing with their paws against windows to peer inside. Many local towns issues hefty bounties on wolves, and they were extirpated in the state by about 1880. Dick French, Sarah's husband and apparently the big game Terminator, gained local fame as a wolf hunter. The wolves that were endemic to New Hampshire displayed diverse coloring, including black fur, with the latter pelts being highly valued by the area's indigenous people.
So, could it be possible that the "great black dog" which protected Sarah was not a bear at all but a black wolf? While it may be hard to believe that a carnivorous wolf would see a small child as a helpless being to be nurtured and not devoured, it fits a tradition going all the way back to Romulus and Remus in ancient Rome.
Or perhaps this was some ursine variation of the third man factor, the phenomenon in which people enduring mortal peril, like stranded mountaineers and shipwrecked sailors, report an unseen presence that comforts and supports them. Notably, the rescuers of Sarah and Casey never saw the bear that the children said was with them constantly, although it is probable that the animal fled upon hearing the approach of adult humans. Still, one ponders if the invisible "guardian angel" reported in third man cases could be visualized as a warm, friendly bear in the naturally imaginative minds of children who are undergoing traumatic experiences.
The story of Sarah Whitcher and the bear has timeless appeal. It suggests that even in the savage recesses of the natural world, there is room for empathy and caring, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable members of our society. And let's be honest, who deep down in their desires doesn't want to snuggle a bear?
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2024.11.26 00:40 InitialSock7187 Dm wer über meine Mutter Schreiben will (40)

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2024.11.26 00:40 Fit-Raspberry-8606 Just finished the TPOT team swap teams :)

My hand hurts…
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2024.11.26 00:40 De_la_Dead The 3-way BSDJ split, Fall, ABSOLUTELY fucks

3-way split via Tokyo label BSDJ
-As the Grass Withers the Flower Fades -Homewrecker. -Losing Today
Released September 3, 2024
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2024.11.26 00:40 On_Break_1738 Y'all know what's worse than your f/o being shipped with another character?

THEM BEING SHIPPED WITH A MINOR BRUH.
Okay, so lock in:
I haven't made my fictional other official, yet. Her name is Yukino and she's from Persona 2, and it's bad enough she's shipped with a character named Shunsuke who's an adult character. Should go without saying why I don't like the ship, but it gets worse cause people ship Yukino with a character who's a minor named Anna Yoshizaka... Anna is 17 and Yukino is 20.
I've gotten shit on because I've said it's weird, one fella on Tumblr was like "oH jUsT lEt PeOpLe ShIp WhAt ThEy WaNt, AnD sHuT uP aNd KeEp YoUr OpInIoN tO yOuRsElF!!"
God, give me the strength to not go up to this person and remind them about what opinions actually are. If you ship it, then fine (still weird!). You can be vocal about why, and I can say the opposite. No censorship, k? :)
Even when getting art of Yukino, it's pretty uncomfy getting it from folks who ship her with Anna, but it's just art, anyway, I guess. I try not to overthink it, plus you could reclaim it, I guess? Anywho—
With Anna's character, she's in canon told to have a crush on Yukino, me personally? I'd like to think the crush fades and since there's another character named Noriko who likes Anna, I'd like to think they get together.
I'm 100% sure Yukino wouldn't date a high schooler, period. It's just so creepy why folks parade this especially as part of her bisexuality, because in Persona 1, Yukino's a high schooler and likes a female teacher — that's like way better than suggesting she's trying to get with a teenager as a grown woman.
Anyway, please pray that I don't delete my Yukino pics collection because some folks whom probably made or reposted the arts may like the ship (Cause it's rare finding pics and I stumbled across someone who likes the ship and was reposting Yukino art; I mean, they are just reposting something not theirs, so... And there was someone who was making art of Yukino and did like the ship — and I just didn't feel comfy saving their art). Oh well.
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2024.11.26 00:40 juniormingo Goodbye, love.

All my fears and insecurities did come true. My (or rather our) worst nightmare. Neither of us meant for it to happen but it just did.
I feel abandoned. The pain is just too much to bear. I’ve come to realisation, I’ll never be THE one. But I’ll not go on rambling about my feelings here, as they don’t matter. I’ll bring an end.
I don’t know if you still follow me here. Probably not anymore; you like to keep things clean. But if you are reading this, fare thee well, love.
Fact is, I would never be able to forgive myself if I turn out to be the reason for your unhappiness in life, ever. I still love you, after all. And somewhere deep inside, I still do hope for some magic and miracle. But this is just real-and-shitty life, isn’t it.
I don’t have it in me to not give in, if we were to reconnect, again. (If I know you at all, I can tell it’s never going to happen. I am just far too distraught to digest it, yet). So, I’m writing this to let you know that I’ll be burning down all our remaining connecting bridges. I’ll be deleting every SM account we ever shared. Every single one. A part of you would want that from me and would be proud of me, I assume.
Take care, my love. It’s rather dramatic, but hey, it’s me.
Cheers to our friendship that didn’t last long enough!
Have a great family vacation.
Wish you the best in life.
Goodbye, stranger.
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2024.11.26 00:40 GTACOD [COD] What games had the most guns that were unlocked *way* earlier than guns they were much better than?

Black Ops 6 is what got me thinking about it, but I'm sure there's other, better examples. Off the top of my head, you unlock the best weapon in each primary class by level 10 in Advanced Warfare - Half of them by default when you start the game. Black Ops 3 had the Kuda and KN-44 as default guns and they were some of the best in the class, I remember seeing more Remington's than any other shotgun when playing Black Ops 2, any other examples?
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2024.11.26 00:40 QueenKora18 Guess my husbands sun sign based on this picture

Him as a 6th grader at a wedding reception.
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2024.11.26 00:40 mustarddfish LF supervisor and windfall. And what i have to teade for itn

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2024.11.26 00:40 Big_Foot310 Let’s Go

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2024.11.26 00:40 PurdueBoiler92 Gas Furnace Sequence of Operation

Gas Furnace Sequence of Operation https://youtube.com/shorts/FiQ9dCEWCEc?si=grVLkQQF2FNBEn2q
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2024.11.26 00:40 Mr_Sia10 Rant

I don’t know how many of you have dealt with BMW with regards to their extended warranty but today I brought my car in for service under their “Platinum” extended warranty to have a bunch of issues fixed that should’ve been addressed before the factory warranty expired. They were really hesitant to even accept my car because as they put it “its tire change season and we’re really busy”. Well sorry you didn’t seem busy when you were quoting me 10k for a two year plan. I said it’s fine as I really wanted the problems fixed. They then gave me an agreement that said the issues may not be covered under warranty but they won’t know until they do their diagnostics. And if it isn’t, I’ll be held liable for them. Idk about you but to me this seems like the biggest scam they could be running against the customer. I don’t have an issue with a warranty agreement not covering something (to an extent; not the exclusions list to be longer than what’s covered) but you can’t tell me you’re gonna do diagnostics and then could potentially hold me responsible for the costs. Then what’s the point of getting an extended warranty? I’ve dealt with other companies on this matter and they say if something isn’t covered, they’ll give me a call and ask for consent to work on it, not hand me a $200 bill for every issue and give me the middle finger while they’re at it. I’m wondering if I’m getting fucked by the dealer or if this is something you guys find normal or reasonable.
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2024.11.26 00:40 taengoo4life [WTS] Christopher Ward "The Twelve" Basalt Grey C12 LNIB - $950

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2024.11.26 00:40 tsotsoo [Hospital Playlist]: That one person who's friends with everyone in the company

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2024.11.26 00:40 ConflictImpressive79 real

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2024.11.26 00:40 BillyBadgerDad What is this?

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post
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2024.11.26 00:40 Main_Energy3525 2002 Mazda Tribute Replacement

Saturday, my 2002 Mazda Tribute (ES V6, diff lock) was totaled while parked. Expecting an insurance check of roughly $5000. I enjoyed the utility of light off-roading, car-camping, and fairly good reliability. For my next car, I'm looking for something relatively close to that in price, with the same utility. I had been desiring more interior space to car camp, and wish to preserve 4wd so I can go up the mountain in the snow w/o chains. My family is pushing me towards a newer CX-9 or similar (~$15k, just below 100k miles), but that would entail me pulling out a sizable loan as a college student. I was wondering; would a 180-190k mile well-maintained 05-07ish Sequoia w/ 4wd be a good option? If not, what spacious 4wd reliable offerings can I find somewhere in the neighborhood of $5-10k that may last 4-6 years?
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2024.11.26 00:40 SnoocaperGhost Can we agree that the random dancing scenes are peak cringe

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2024.11.26 00:40 Tanktopsleves Theme Park Survey for fun (for anyone that has been to an Orlando theme park in the last year)

Hello, I’m a aspirational theme park management student and just want this information for my own usage and worldview shaping.
I want it badly enough that I’m going to give away a $100 Amazon gift card for every 500 responses I get on this form. (NOTE: if you fill out the form but don’t put your email, you will not be eligible to win)
It would be awesome if you guys would fill this out and share your experience.
Please only answer if you have been to Disney or Universal Park (preferably both that’s how the survey is designed) in the last year.
Thanks in advance!
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2024.11.26 00:40 CuChulainn74 Compass Rose or A Sudden Death

ooking to run a shotgun in the energy slot for Crucible, but I can't really decide between these two. The roll on A Sudden Death is a really solid roll, but that stats on the Compass Rose! Which one is going to more consistently get the one-hits in close encounters?
https://preview.redd.it/xxhr9g6d653e1.jpg?width=476&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa0489eb0a469a068c62e3dfb938574e7610a772
https://preview.redd.it/gb5wj3ch653e1.jpg?width=477&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f560e4d768d1eda061818bbc42455c60129b08b
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2024.11.26 00:40 Zestyclose_Race2753 links/description in profil.

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2024.11.26 00:40 law73890 are there ways to import or copy people's decks?

self explanatory
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2024.11.26 00:40 GarbageAdvisory Anyone noticed any changes to Tolzar?

After EC earning ended I was able to grab treats instead right after 14 UTC which was a different timing from my dc and gem ads. Just saw tolzar pop up with dc and gems, but treats were green instead of greyed out. I assumed it was the regular few ads so i went to watch gem and dc, but after watching 2 gems and 2 ot 3 dc ads the treat offer was gone and tolzar didnt indicate ads. Wondering if its now a pick your reward and have x amount of ads deal now?
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2024.11.26 00:40 UnknownBmw Team ideas ?

Im f2p so i got very lucky, what teams should i build ?
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2024.11.26 00:40 meme_man9420 Yes

Yes
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https://yandex.ru/