The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-03-17
KIDNAPPING SMYSTERY
YEAR AGO CATHERINE WINTERS
DISAPPEARED FROM HOME.
Continuous Search Has Been Made
For Lost Child. Not the Slight
est Clue to Whereabouts.

Last Half Century.
1874-Charles Ross, German
town, Pa; child and kid
naper never discovered.
1SS2-Walter Sanders, Atchi-
son, Kan; never heard of ="
again.
1SS3-Johhnie Navin, Boston, II
disappeared April 10, and
never reappeared.
1S94-Sophia Hasenon, Phila-
delphia; never recovered. =
1S96-Sadie and Martin Jami- =
son, Newark; kidnapped on #
way to school; unbound.
19O3-Edward Cudahy, Omaha;
kidnapped and returned for
ransom.
+ 1909-"Billie' Whitla, Sharon, \
Pa; kidnapped and return
ed for ransom. =
1913-Catherin Winters, New =
castle, Ind; kidnapped and
NEWCASTLE, 1nd.-On the twen-
tieth day of this month one year will
have rolled around since little Cath
crime Winters disappeared from her
home in this city, leaving not the
slightest clue to her whereabouts.
And although photographs of the
missing child have been sent to prac-
ticaiiy every city in America and
have appeared in newspapers and on
moving picture screens from one end
of the land to the other her disap-
pearance is the mystery it was on the
day her parents began the search.
Catherine Winters was nine years
old at the time of her disappearance
and was declared by all who knew
her to be unusually intelligent for
child of her years. She was the
daughter of DR.. and Mrs. w. A. Win
tiers, we'll known and respected resi-
dents of Newcastle. The child was
last seen in the vicinity or her home
at about noon on March 20, 1913. At
that time she dropped out of sight as
mysteriously as if the earth had
opened up and swallowed her.
For an entire year DR.. Winters has
been engaged in a continuous search
for his lost child. He has travelled
over a large section of the country
and has visited every place whence
came reports of anything that re-
sembled clue to the whereabouts of
the little girl. Only a week ago he
returned to his home here after
fruitless trip to Arkansas, where it
was reported that child resembling
Catherine Winters had been found.
A peculiar feature of the case is
that neither the parents nor the
friends of the family have ever enter
tanned any other than the kidnapping
theory as a solution of the mystery.
Their first belief that the child was
kidnapped seems to be shared also
by the authorities who have investi-
gated the case, despite the fact that
a motive as we'll as evidence of kid
mapping appears to be lacking.
But those who hold to the kid
mapping theory argue that the little
girl must either have been kidnapped
or killed And it is incredible that
a child who was known to nearly
every person in town could have met
death in any manner in broad day
light without leaving trace of the
tragedy. The kidnapping theory seems
to offer the only reasonable explana-
ton of the disappearance.
On the other hand there was no
apparent motive for kidnapping the
child. While DR.. Winters is possessed
of moderate means his wealth is
scarcely sufficient to attract seeker
after ransom. Furthermore, there
has never been any demand made
upon him for ransom money since
the child disappeared, excepting by
persons who sought a little quick
money and whom it was easily
shown by investigation that they had
no knowledge of little GATHERINGS
whereabouts or the cause of her dis
appearance.
The gypsy theory has been refuted
by the certain knowledge that no
gypsies were in Newcastle or its vi
cinity last March. A theory at first
entertained that the grandmother or
.41.--. -.o1n+ i..nc Of +hn nhild Twin in