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A Child Disappears The disappearance of a child is a traumatic experience for any family or community. Such an event, however, also brings out the best in a town with residents banding together to do what it takes to bring their lost one home. In 1909, Louis Fischer of O’Fallon recalled such a time in the winter of 1870 or 71. A young unnamed lady who lived about one mile south of O’Fallon was visiting on a Saturday the daughters of Benjamin Van Court in the area of what is now North Seven Hills Rd. After her visit she was seen to walk towards her home. Later, her father saw Mr. Van Court in town and asked about her. He became excited when he learned that she had left for home--she never arrived. The alarm was soon sounded that she was lost or kidnapped or worse. That night, hundreds armed with lanterns scoured the woods surrounding the Van Court residence but found no sign of her. On Sunday morning, Mr. Van Court made an impressive speech at the Charles Fischer’s hotel, at present day S. Lincoln and W. 1st St., in front of a large gathering which included the prominent residents of the time. Volunteers were organized into four squads which were to proceed in the four directions of the compass to find the girl dead or alive. It was agreed that the Methodist church bell should be tolled when she was found. Louis Fisher was on the squad searching the territory towards Shiloh. They were armed with sticks and poles which were stuck into every corn shock. Every ditch was looked into and heap of brush upturned. His group reached old Shiloh hill by nightfall. It was then that the bell tolled.
This story, thankfully, had a happy ending. The girl was found at her uncle’s house northwest of O’Fallon near Bethel. Instead of going home, she went with one of her uncle’s family she accidentally met in town.
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