The San Francisco call., 1905-06-28
DEATH REEVES
OLD MYSTERY
Passing of J. Mooney Recalls
Disappearance of Baby
Daughter Many Years Ago
CASE is NEVER SOLVED
Memory Of Little Girl Was
Ever Kept Fresh in Minds
Of the Distracted Parents
CASE IS NEVER SOLVED

Saddened by the sudden loss Of his
baby daughter twenty-five years ago.
whose fate he never knew, James Moo
ney, an aged resident of San Francisco,
died at his home at 1921 Twenty fifth
street on Monday afternoon He is sur
vived by widow. The funeral will
be held this morning from st. Paul's
Church, where high mass Will be sung
over the remains.
The death of James Mooney calls to
mind the sad story Of a man who has
borne burden such as is forced upon
few of Gods creatures. Many will re-
member the disappearance OF his little
daughter Annie from the Belmont pic
mic grounds on July 10, 1888. It is
one of the most remarkable cases ON
record, even more puzzling than that
of the famous Charley Ross, for there
it was known how the boy was stolen
from his parents. but what became of
little Annie Mooney is a mystery which
has never been solved The father
never quite recovered from the blow,
and the memory of the child was fresh
in his mind until the moment of his
death. Everything that the wee tot
had owned was treasured up and care
fully kept, only to be brought out at
times to be mourned over by the grief
stricken parents.
On that day in 1883 James Mooney,
accompanied by his wife and two chill
dren, one of them, Annie, a bright little
one four and half years of age, went
to the picnic at Belmont given by the
Carpenters Union. While the mother,
with babe in her arms, was seated
at a table talking to some fellow ex-
cursionists, she noticed that there was
trouble at the place where races were
being run Seeing her husband going
In that direction. she went toward him
to ask him to not go in the crowd, ana
as she left she permitted little Annie to
remain with a child of her own age,
Ida Nav. When the mother returned
she found the May girl where she had
left her. but Annie was not there. "A
search was made for her without sue
cess. The May child could not tell
where Annie had gone nor had any of
the people in the vicinity seen her leave
the grounds.
Half an hour after the disappearance
of little Annie the alarm was given
and 200 or more of the picnickers
secured the country for miles around
until dark, but none brought glad It'd
ings to the distracted parents. The
search was then abandoned. but re-
sumed at daylight the following morn
ing by the officers of the county and
the father The search was kept up tor
days, but there were no tidings OF the
missing Annie. The father spent many
weeks in searching the country around
with Sheriff Hatch and Constable Grim
menstein. but there was no trace of the
child.
The Call sent reporter to the place
from which the little one disappeared,
and he was the first one to discover
that she had passed out of the grounds
through a hole in the northern fence
and when last seen was toddling down
the county road leading to La Honda.
The belief was strong at the time
that the child disappeared that she was
picked up by a band of gypsies that
were camped near Belmont and who
moved three days after the picnic.