Milford chronicle., 1920-07-16
LAUREL EXCITED WHEN
CHILD DISAPPEARS
TW0-YEAR-0LD DAUGHTER OF ERNEST
|. BAILEY CAUSED MUCH
EXCITEMENT
MISSING SEVERAL HOURS
FIRE SIREN SOUNDED GENERAL ALARM
LITTLE ONE FOUND BY NEGROES
IN The EVENING

Nothing in years has thrown the
town of Laurel into greater excite
ment than the news, Sunday evening,
Of the disappearance of Melba, the =
year-old daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Ernest l.. Bailey. The little girl
had just returned from Milford,
where. in company with her parents
and a brother, She had been visiting
relatives. returning to Laurel about
: D. m. While Mr.. Bailey ana the
other son went to return the machine
to the garage, Mrs. Bailey went up
stairs 10 change her clothing, pre-
paratory to going to church, leaving
the child downstairs. When the mo-
ther returned to the lower floor Mel
ha was not there. Thinking that the
little girl had toddled out after her
father she dismissed the matter
from her mind until Mr.. Bailey came
into the house and said he had not
seen her. After searching every nook
and corner of the dwelling and the
grounds surrounding it the parents
began asking the neighbors if they
had seen the child but without obtain
ing a clue.
Darkness had settled by this time
but many friends and neighbors began
TO assist in the search and with Ian
terms they visited all parts of the
town and the adjacent country, going
into every dark corner and search
ing every wharf and bank Of streams
and ponds but no clue of the little
girls whereabouts could be found.
About . o'clock Rev. F. Allen Par
sons and Rev. William l.. Hoffman
secured permission of Mayor Harry
X. Fooks for the sending in of a
general fire alarm. the whole town
and countryside being aroused.
shortly after 10 80 Harvey NJ. Phil
lips, who lives on the west side of
town. telephoned that he had the
child. relieving the tremendous ten
sion of the hundreds of people who
we're aiding in the search and bring
ing joy to the mother, who was al
most crazed with fear and apprehen
sion.
Charles Green and his WIFE colored
farmers living near Laurel, had been
preaching in the lower church in
suburb" the cOlored section in the
extreme west end of Laurel, and as
approaching they were hurrying
down patch across the farm of Miss
Annie Bacon, near Big Mills to the
New Bridge" across Little Creek.
When almost TO the road leading
over the bridge Green noticed, by the
flashes of lightning, something white
lying in the edge of the branch, which
at first he thought was bundle of
paper. Touching it with his foot. ne
says, he was frightened nigh unto
death" when the child cried out in
fear. While his wife. who had stumb-
led over the child the next instant,
gathered it M i'm her arms, Green
struck a light and seeing that it was
a white child they carried her across
the field to the home of Mr.. and Mrs. I
William H. PhOebus. who lives back |
in a field near the Laurel Hill ceme- /
terry and they took her to Mr.. Phil I
lips on West street. Mr.. Phillips and |
a neighbOr, Elmer James. then carried I
the lost child to the waiting mother. /
When Green and his wife found The I
little girl they were listening TO the /
and Shrieking of the fire /
siren and wondering where the fire .
was. Had not the storm come up. /
,ausing the negroes to go home by |
this lonely path. it is possible that /
he child would have been dead when 4
,ound.