The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-03-30
WINTERS GIRL MAY
Be WITH RELATIVES
Report Saturday Afternoon
Says Child May Be With
Grandmother.
TOM RITTERS TALKS
Says Reason For Kidnapping
Theory Because Gypsies
Were There.

NEWCASTLE. Ind. March 30.-The
people of this city have about exhaust
ed all means in the search for Cathe-
rine Winters and they are now wait
ing for some word that will encourage
them in their belief that the child is
alive and in the hands of her friends.
A very few are afraid the little one
has met with foul play.
Others, very small in number, stick
to the first idea that the gypsies stole
her DR.. Winters. the child's father.
is one of these. He is in receipt of
letter from Mr.. and Mrs. Nicholas
Smith, Rural Route 25, Webster,
Wayne county, who describe a gypsy
outfit and the father is on the trail
of it.
Thomas Ritter's Work.
"The only reason for thinking the
gypsies stole the child is because they
were here the day she disappeared"
said Thomas Ritter, brother of Mrs.
Winters, who is devoting his time and
money to the search. I'VE have run
down every clew along that line and
l
we have overhauled did not have her.
On the day she 10 said to have dis
appeared from a spot where the gyp-
sizes were in Newcastle continued
Mr. Ritter, "an average of one person
was passing every minute. 1t would
have been impossible for any one to
take the child at that spot. And in
addition to that we have only two or
three children who say they saw
Catherine in the vicinity of the gypsy
wagons. l don't think she was any
where near the gypsy camp at the
time they were in town. Either the
child has been murdered, and l do
| not believe that, or she is with friends
| and safe, and I am inclined to believe
the latter
Talk With Mrs. Winters.
Mrs. Winters, while sharing with
her husband the belief that the gyp-
sizes may have the child, does not be-
lieve that Catherine was in the vicin-
ity of the place where the gypsy
wagons stood. She feels that it might
be possible that Catherine is with her
relatives In Wisconsin. but she ia not
very strong in that belief, either.
Many times Miss Chalfant warned
| DR.. Winters that she was afraid some
one would kidnap Catherine" said
Mrs. Winters, and often have l heard
her caution the child to be very care
full and not talk to strangers or have
anything to do with any person she
did not know real we'll. She seemed
afraid all the time that some one
would carry the little girl away"
You and grandmother and Miss
Chalfant were on good terms?"
| THE very best
Both Fond of Children.
| THE grandmother and Miss Chal-
fant were fond of the children" Mrs.
Winters was asked.
| Extremely SO, almost to a degree
of infatuation, and that is what
makes it appear so strange to me.
l telegraphed to them that Catherine
had been stolen and asked il they
had any clew. l got back an answer
that there was no clew there. Then
we got a letter. half a page of note
paper, and about all it said was to
ask if frankie, the little boy, was
present when Catherine was taken
They are used to travelling and had
plenty of time to get here before the
floods, after l told them Catherine was
stolen but none of them came, nor
have they sent any word, and this
make me think they know where the
child Is. They loved the child sc
dearly, it looks to me as if they would
come or send word when they found
Catherine had so mysteriously disap
peared."