Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1917-03-23
IVA M'FhTE IS
LOCATED NEAR
HOLE IN ROCK
Weird Story of Wanderings
Is Told by Young Girl
to Account for Absence
from Home in Phoenix

Worn out by three nights spent away
from home, presumably on the desert
north of Tempe, Iva McFate. the young
nigh school girl, for whom posses have
been searching since Tuesday, was safe
ut the family residence. iii East
Washington street, last night.
After frantic searching of the cOun-
try between Superior and Phoenix,
part of the time fearing that the girl
had met with foul play, the girls fam
lily We're enabled last night to get
little sleep. Every effort possible was
made to locate the girl, constant trips
were made by machine between Phoe-
nix and Superior, the road between
Tempe and Mesa was travelled a half
dozen times and every clue possible
was run down.
AT her home last night. the young
girl appeared to have gone through an
exceedingly trying ordeal. She was
sunburned to a blister, her eyes were
bloodshot, and she appeared tired to eX-
haustion. Her mind was clear, in spite
of the fact she claimed that for the
past three days she had been living in
haze, and unable to account for her
actions. Her shoes were worn out,
scared by rocks and scuffed through
by walking over rough ground.
There is no doubt but what a sudden
illness overlook her, and she was I'M
able to think clearly. to calculate where
she was and ask her way home. She
said last night that when she regained
the use of her faculties Thursday she
was afraid to come home thinking her
parents would be angry on account of
her long absence.
Her Adventures
Policeman Louis Stewart and Deputy
Sheriff Warren, who have been work
ing on the case constantly since it was
reported to them, are of the opinion,
there was no overt act connected in
any manner with the affair 1t was
thouPht for a while that the girl had
made runaway match with some
young man, but this theory has entirely
been exploded.
Iva McFate left her home Sunday
morning for an auto trip to Superior in
company with a man named Halstead-
Ter, his wife, Miss Lucille Fields, a
nurse at the county tubercular hospit-
al; a Mrs. Steel and her daughter, and
young man. The girl carried let
ter of introduction from her father to
man named Coleman of Superior On
the arrival of the party at Superior,
the girl decided to remain in that place
while the rest Of the party made the
trip to Ray. Something happened to
the machine. and the party did not re-
turn. The girl met young man named
Walter Heder. and told him of her
plight He took pity on her. and took
her to the home of man named Frank
Pomeroy, a prominent citizen of Su-
perlor. POmeroy, and his wife felt
sorry Tor the girl, and took her into
their home, to take care of her until
the party with whom she was making
the trip returned. She says she waited
uD until o'clock in the morning for
her friends to come back but they
failed to make their appearance.
On Monday morning she decided it
would be best to return to Phoenix and
asked to be put on a stage. She boarded
a Jones' K1ttle stage car. driven by Jer-
ry Green and made the trip to Tempe
without incident. Upon Ter arrlvai
there, she left the car at Fifth street
and Mill avenue. the last seen of her
by the driver, and the last clue Police
man Stewart had to work on
According to the girls story last
night, she went into a candy shop in
Tempe, bought a cup of coffee, and a
sandwich She claims she put too much
mustard on the sandwich. and that it
made her sick. She left the shop, re-
members clearly of crossing the Tempe
bridge coming in the direction of Phoe-
nix, taking the Scottsdale road. walking
along it for quite a distance. coming to
a flume, feeling drowsy and tired and
laying down and going to sleep.
She says she was awakened by a ma
chine passing, that she got up to walk
some more. stumbled along the road
and over the desert, until she came to
small camp kept by a woman named
O'Brien. Mrs OBrien took her in She
Nov. Tlfavr
nesday nights still in a state of men
tai responsibility and unable to find
out where she was. In fact. her story
is still somewhat hazy, and she seems
TO be unable to link her actions closely
together.
How She Was Found
In the meantime, her sister Florence
had notified the police station and the
sheriffs office of the strange disap-
pearance of the girl, and Policeman
Stewart, in company with Deputy Sher-
iff Warren, started working on the
case. Florence remained constantly
with the officers. working and riding
night and day with them in their eff
forts to locate the missing girl. They
made the trip to Superior in double
quick time. found out there that she
had left on the stage line. hurried back
to Phoenix, located the driver of the
stage, found out where she had left the
ca traced her for a short distance
and finally were forced for a time to
leave the trail
Posses were organized in Mesa and
Tempe to take up the search. Thes
combed the desert found the girls
tracks in the river bottom, but were
unable to follow them to their destina-
ton.
In the meantime. Stewart had heard
that a couple had been seen in Flor
ence, that the girl had worn a veil anC
was trying to hide her identity They
stopped in Florence, obtained mar
riage license, the girl staying in the
machine all the time. in fact the mar
riage ceremony was performed will
the girl sitting in the car. Stewar
followed this clue, until it was fount
they had boarded a train. and left it a
Gilbert He rushed there and sur,
enough he found the couple. anC
thought his search at an end. He wa'
badly disappointed to find it was no
the girl. but the daughter OF a prom,
nent Mesa family in the act of clipping
The trial again led bacll to Temp,
and the search was taken UP. Yester
day afternoon. posse of officer
while circling Hole in the Rock, cam
upon the girl.
What are you doing here grille?
was asked her
WHO wants to know" she replied
What business is it of yours" sh
went on.
She was informed that she was be
ing looked for, and consented to go t
Tempe. She was then brought home.
She claims she cannot remembe
clearly any of the happenings of he