The Cairo bulletin., 1912-12-02
Wanted as Main Witness
Against Step Father in
white Slave" Charge.
MAN ARRESTED In CAIRO
Child Spirited Away Nino
Days Later From Chill
dren's Home.

feueFdi SlcutnS, keen OF scent ana
very astute, are searching for May
Dunning, girl aged 13, who was
placed in the children Home here
III Nov, and was either spirited
away Nov II from the institution by
parties deeply interested, or she
walked away on her own accord. in
preference to testifying in a case in
which her step father, John Balm
bridge alias Bill Holmes is defend
ant
The particular charge upon which
Bainbridge is awaiting trial in the
Federal court is for "White Slavery
1t is alleged that Bainbridge vio-
lated the Mann Act, in this particu-
lar instance, by taking his step
daughter from Harrisburg, H., to
Bardwell, Ky, and thence to Cairo,
for the purpose of having illicit rela-
tions with her.
Bainbridge, it is charged, began
his infamy at home at Harrisburg
nearly a year ago, following the in
generation of his wife, the child's
mother, in an asylum for the insane.
He stole the girl from an aunt, with
whom she was living, and fed to
BardWell, where he sought and OBJ
tanned work OH the railroad as a sec-
tion hand. He shortly came to
Cairo and went to work on the Big
Four. He, and the child, boarded at
209 Washington avenue, he sleeping
in a room alone and the child down
stairs. 1t was upon his return from
work each day that the child came to
his room and submitted to his en-
braces
Suspicion being aroused Nov. 2,
just four days after the pair arrived
in Cairo, the matter was reported to
Probation Officer Mrs. A. Comings,
who called Chief Egan into requisi-
ton. The pair were arrested and
taken to headquarters, where the girl
confessed 10 all the details o. ttc
horrible affair.
Bainbridge gave an alias, but ad-
mitted that he came FROM Harris
burg, The Harrisburg authorities
were told of the arrest and they re-
quested that he be held for an officer
as he was then wanted to answer an
Indictment returned after Bainbridge
had fled with the girl charging rape
under the age-of-consent act, the
case referring to his actions with
his step daughter,
The deputy sheriff af Saline coun-
ty was granted custody of the man,
and the child was Immediately placed
in the Children's Home. Nine days
later, the child mysteriously disap-
peared during the noon hour and
no trace of her has been found so
far, although the Cairo police made
active search for her Immediately
upon being informed of the disap-
pearance, but as the girl, and who
ever aided her sequestration, had a
full two hours start before she was
missed no traces were found.
From letters addressed to the girl
while at the Home, it is assumed that
parties deeply interested in her dis
appearance had hand in her abduc-
tion following the arrest of her step
father.
The Federal authorities having
been made acquainted with the facts
in the premises and the grave nature
OF the charge against cambridge,
made demand on the Saline county
authorities for the person of Balm
bridge and he was surrendered to L.
,. Depuly mdfsidI cuuli' Ilc was
then placed in Jail, either at Danville
or Believille, to answer to the
greater charge following prelimi-
nary hearing before U. s. commits
sioner.
May Dunning, the girl in tho case,
although exhibiting no semblance OF
.incorrigibility, was very solicitious
regarding the possible punishment
that would be meted out to her un-
natural stepfather, pleading that the
Officers release him. She stated
that cambridge had first outraged
her when she was living with an aunt
8