Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-17
DIG DEEP FORB
OF VAN|SHEDCH|LD
Searchers Continue Excava-
tions at Hammonton, Think
ing kidnappers Buried Boy
EXPERTS EXAMINE LETTER

Digging in the vicinity Of the de-
serted house near Hammonton. y. j..
where it is thought kidnappers may
have buried the body of Billy Darfsey,
two and a half years old. who has
been missing nine days. was resumed
today by searching parties.
The digging started yesterday when
searehers noticed that the ground had
been disturbed in several places close
to the abandoned building, in which
it is believed the Dansey child was held
captive on the afternoon and night after
he was stolen.
While the digging is going on today
Walter Venier, head Of the Hammonton
volunteer fire department, will try to
pump water from the bogs close to the
Dapsey home, so that the ground may
be examined. Some of the residents
of Hammonton believe the child may
have fallen into a pool of water.
Experts Examine Letter
Experts in handwriting in Atlantic
City examined the letter received by
Mrs Hercules Dansey. mother of Billy
writing was that of a woman who had
evidently attempted to make it appear
as though it had been written by n
man. The letter, which was mailed in
Newark, y. j., stated that the child
was safe and would be west of the
Rockies" in five days, where he would
be given an education and "more
brilliant future than the child's own
parents could give him.
The mother of little Bunny" White.
grandson of Councilman Edward II
White. of Hammonton, is still in fear
that there may be some attempt TO
,steal her little boy. In the letter to
Mrs. Dansey the writer declared the
Dansey boy had been taken in mistake
| for the white brat.
Other Child Guarded
/ Because of these statements the par
ents of the White child are taking every
precaution to guard the boy against
harm. The White child bears an un-
usual resemblance to the Dansey boy.
and as some persons say they saw Billy
7 rDansey playing in front of the White
home on the day of his disappearance,
the authorities in Ilammonton attach
| Importance to the letter writer's state
ment that the missing child was stolen
| by mistake.
John n. Wilson, chief of the At
lantic county detectives, questioned
White in an effort to learn the, names
of persons who might have had enough
i'll feeling against him to avenge them
selves by kidnapping his child. White
is chairman of the law and order com
mittee of Hammonton and his recent
activities in prosecuting disorderly
strikers and bootleggers are attributed
by many IS possible reason for the
attempt Bssteal his child.
Try TO Trace Papers
Detectives are making an effort to
trace the origin of the paper on which
the letter to Mrs. Dansey was writ
ten, as the paper is of a peculiar
texture.
Following telephone call said to
have been received from the Philadel
phia police department, Hercules Dan
sey, the father of the boy, hurried to
Palermo, small village on the road
to Cape May, to investigate a report
that a boy answering the description
of his child had been abandoned by
The autoists who left the child. the
report said, answered the description
of four foreigners seen in HammontOn
! by Miss Ruth Gardiner with a child
answering the description of the Dan
sey child in that town on the day the
| boy disa sappeared.