Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-13
LAUREL EXCITED WHEN
YOUNG CHILD DISAPPEARS
Two-Year Old Daughter of Ernest
l.. Bailey, Missing Several
Hours, Found by Negroes.

spesisi Correspondence OF Evsry Evening
Laurel, July l3,-Nothing IN years has
thrown this town into greater eNclteineht
than the news, Sunday evening, oil the
disappearance of Mclba, the 2-ycar-old
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Ernest H.;
BAILEY. The little girl had Just returned
from Milford, where, IN company with her
parents and brother. she had been visit
ing relatives, returning To Laurel about
+. u. m. Whilc MIR. Bailey and the older
son went TO return the machine 10 tne
garage, Mrs. Bailey went up STAIRS TO
change her clothing, preparatory 70 eo,hs
90 church, leaving the chlld oowhstaiIs'
When the mother returned ~ Inc iowol
floor Mclba WAS not there. thinking 'naC
the little girl had toddlcd out af'er hcr
father she dismissed the matter from ncr
mind until Mr.. Bailey came INTO the
house and said he had not seen her' aiIer ~
searching every nook and corner oi inc
dwelling and the grounds surrounding "
the parents began asking the nelghpors
II they had seen the child, but without
obtaining a clue.
Darkness had settled by this time, but
many friends and neighbors began 10
assist in the search and with lanterns
they visited All parts Of the town ana the
adjacent country, going INTO every uars
corner and searching every wharf ana
hank Of streams and ponds, but no clue
20 tho little girl's whereabouts could DC
found.
About O'Clock Rev T. Allen Parsons
and Row, William l.. Hoffman secured
permission "a Mayor Harry Is. fooks ior
the sending in "a a general fire alarm, the
whole town and countryside heng aroused
shortly after 1890 Harvey NJ. fmllips'
who lives on the west sldc ol town. teie-
phoned that be had the chlld, relieving
thu tremendous tension of the hundreds
uf Tcaplc who were AIDING IN the search
md bringing JOY 60 the mother, VINO was
almnst craycd with fear and apprehension
POUND ny NEGROES.
Charles Green and his wife, oolorod
farmers hvtng near laurel, had been
'preachina ia the lower church IN
suburb, the colorod section IN the eN-
trema west end oi the town, and MS
thunder storm seemed to TIC rapidly ap-
pronchmg. they we're hurrylng down
patch acruss the farm Of Miss Annie
Macon. near Rig Mills to the New
bridge across Little Creek.
When almost To the road leading over
the hridpc Green noticed, 10y the flashes
~ lightning, something white living IN the
edrc 81 the branch which AZ first he Thought
was bundle uf paper Touching y with
hls foot he SAYS he was frightened nigh
unto death" when the child erred out ~
fear. Mhilc his wife. who had stumbled
over the child the next instant. gathered
u az IN her arms, Green struck light and
seeing that II was white child they car
red her across the field to the home OF
Mir and Mrs William II Phoebus, who
llves.hack m n field near the Laurel I'M
cemetery and they took her 20 Mr.. Philips
on West street Mr. Phillips and neigh
hhr, Elmer James. then carried the lost
child 90 the waiting mother.
ALARMED ny FIRE sIREN.
When Green and his wife found the little
gr thcv were listening 10 the moaning
and shriekInr ~ the fire siren and wonder
inq wherc tho fire was Had not the storm
come an. causing the Negroes 20 60 homo
~ thls lonely path u rs possible that the
hill would have hccn dead when found
Ppoplr here are wondering how the small
rirl Who Was > wears old last April and is
small for her dec. could have wandered
the mann residential part nf the town and
out INTO the country without anyone
seeing her. as most anyone seeing tiny
TT like Mclha toddlinG along the street
alone. would have taken her and tired To
find her parents.
EV-Nayor ;. /. kcnney recalled ycs-
tcrday having seen a rough looking man
slightly STOPPED whom he thought he
recognized rs a laborer and tenant on a
nearby farm, walking along West street
with a small child dressed IN white in his
arns As he knew his man had no chill
dren he wondered where he was going with
u.
II. s..x-c,,,.,,, ,l.rs 20 4bo Ix-or. Exa-
nina visited this man Yesterday and ascer
tanned, according Ia hIs wife and neigh
hor he had been 10 George and did not
arrive home until o clock and then they
had gone directly ID tent meeting Of the
Holiness Church IN North laurel
As the child has been found It is prob
able that the mystery OF It's disappear
ance will never be solved