The Washington times., 1920-07-26

Mrs. Pickard. who is the wife OF a.
seal trainer, whom she met while she
was a bareback rider with circus,
and who now resides in New York
city with her husband and two chill
dren. does not recall the details of
her kidnapping.
Seated in the home OF her sister,
Mrs. !. Il. DeShazor, of Blackstone.
Va, with a circle of interested
neighbors, she told this story:
THE circus is the first thing I re-
call definitely" she said. II was
brought up as the daughter of a
couple named Earle, who Travelled
with the circus They taught me to
ride bareback and earned good
salary after / became adept and until
] married and retired.
81 did not remember being taken
from my own home. They treated
me fairly well. and up until eight
years ago thought I was their child.
We lived in New York when we were
not with a circus, and it was only
by the mercst chance that ] learned
eight years ago that l was not their
child"
REFUSED TO TELL IDENTITY.
"Thcn | asked them to tell me who
was and who were my parents.
They refused to tell me anything.
Then l left them. | tried every way l
knew to discover my own identity,
but 7 had nothing to work on and
made very little progress. 1t was not
until | received the letter signed In
terested Stranger that | received any
real assistance. Then ! wrote the
Richmond police, and / was put into
communication with my sister"
NJ IL u Ia. l. 81,
with the circus she was known as
Zella Earle, and under this name she
was married to Pickard. who was
with the same circus.
Luna Joyner disappeared from her
home in 1902. She went out to play
one day. She was only missed by her
parents a few minutes when they
went to search for her. but she had
disappeared. She was sought by the
police of Petersburg, Va: then by the
police of all Virginia, and later by
the police of all cities in America.
Her picture was sent broadcast over
the nation, but no tidings Of her were
received. Her parents finally came to
believe their child had been killed and
her body hidden away.
NEIGHBOR SUSPECTED.
At the time Luna Joyner was kid
mapped. a neighbor was suspected. The
entire community was aroused by tho
kidnapping and the suspected man was
seized by mob. He was carried to
tree not far from the Joyner home
and an attempt was made to lynch
him.
The man professed his innocence,
but for the intercession of several
cool-headed citizens, including a min
lister, he would have been lynched.
The rope was actually placed around
his neck.
AS time passed and nothing was
heard of the child, the mother and
some of her friends believed a negro
woman was responsible for Luna's s
disappearance. Now that the disap-
pearance has been solved, belief has
grown again that the child was kid
noped by the negress and turned over
to the show people.
MOTHER NOW DEAD.
Mrs. Joyner is dead. but neighbors
say that at the time her child disap-
peared there was circus at Peters
burg, which is not a great distance
from the old Joyner home The ne
grcss is no longer a resident of the
neighborhood. In fact. 1t is believed
that she died.
Mrs. Pickard and her sister werc
brought together through an ano-
-nymous letter received by Chief Of
Police Sherry of Richmond. Va Mrs.
Pickard said she also had received q
letter signed Interested Stranger"
in which she was informed she was
Luna Joyner and IL she was inter-