The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-26
COUNT Them ALL
Interesting Incident During
Identity of Girl.
Every Effort to Account for
Catholic Children.

Just what efforts were made to
identify little Edna Dinsmore by po-
lice, county officials and the State
Journal? Here is the story:
The first intimation of the crime
was procured by the State Journals
city hall reporter. He was watching
the indicator in the fire station head
quarters that notifies the department
that the fire pressure is off. He had
just gone to a telephone to notify the
city desk in the State Journal office
that the pressure had been on for 10
minutes and that the fire should be
covered" or watched for develop
ments and had just picked up the
phone in the fire chiefs office when
the voice of the fire chief came in
over the wire calling for the office of
the chief of police.
This is the State Journal man, Joe;
what's wrong up there" he was asked.
There has been foul play up here"
the fire chief said.
That was enough. The reporter
dashed out of the fire chiefs office
for a telephone. not wishing to oc-
cupy the telephone in the fire chiefs
office and thereby delay getting word
to both city and county officials.
He called the State Journal office
and notified them that there was a
crime committed at the scene of the
fire and received orders to report at
the office at once which he did.
In the meantime the State Journal
had sent a man to the house to "cov-
er" the actual scene of the crime and
from that moment an attempt was
made definitely to establish the iden-
tity of the child.
Both Catholic schools were called
by phone and notified of the crime
and asked to check up the missing
children which they did. Two of the
fathers imm ediately started for the
scene of the crime in an auto but first
left orders that all sisters make an
immediate list of all children missing
from school that morning.
Thought She Was Irish.
On account of the strong cast of
Irish countenance of the little child
it was thought she was a Catholic by
all those who viewed the remains and
as soon as Father McInerney saw the
little face he. too, thought she was a
member of his congregation and said
that he seemed to recognize the little
one but could not exactly place her
When the priests returned to the
school at the corner of Eighth and
Jackson an immediate list was made
of all children who regularly attended
school but were missing yesterday
morning From this time on the auto
mobile was busy and a State Journal
eliminating all the missing children
from the list until the last one had
been accounted for. In all 81 missing
children were accounted for in the
rapid calls made.
In the meantime county and city
officials were busy in autos calling at
all schools in the north and western
part of the city in an endeavor to
| identify the missing child. Summer
school received special attention be-
cause 1t was thought the child was on
her way to school there. it being 20
close. and both children and teachers
| Joined in an earnest endeavor to
identify the little dead child and
dozens of clues were followed only to
find that they were mere rumors.
1t was not till the child was brought
to the undertaking parlors that a clue
! was obtained on which any hope was
| based that positive Identification
would be made. Hundreds of telephone
! calls were received and answered by
! the State Journal from persons all
over the city. all anxious to help clear
| up the identity of the little Dinsmore
| child but it remained for Mrs Mary
Milvern, 235 Jefferson street, to view
| the body and make the statement that
| it was the body of little Edna Dins-
| more