Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-07-20
DINN|DD|E WOMAN,
STOLEN IN YOUTH,
FINDS HOME AGAIN
Luna Joyner, Spirited
Away When Little Child,
Discovers Relatives.
HER MOTHER DIED OF GRIEF,
AFTER LONG, FUTILE QUEST
Chief of Police Sherry Aided in
Locating Family-Girl Was
Once Rider in Circus.

After years Of frui;lcss search by
relatives. thousands OF dollars hav-
ins been spent in the quest. Luna
virginia Joyncr, the beautiful. yell
; blue-cyed girl who so
mystcriously disappeared as q little
ch!ld eighteen years ago. has return
ed 10 her relatives al Blackstone. Va
During the years she tried to locate
them. she was doing feature riding
Tor "a circus.
The little r!rl, whose home was
near Church Hili. Dinwldd!c County.
suddenly disappeared. and was
thought 20 have atrayed into tn.
miles NJ woods and swamps called
Hurricane Branch E!oodhounds
Were put on her trail and the fact
was established that she had been
stolen The search for the girl ken,
u2 for months ana years. but without
results. After she had been gone
"igh; months her mother died OF a
broken A.art. /, was though, that a
negro woman had stolen the child
and sold her to rypsics
Made World Wide Search
Ahou; seven years ago. a Northern
woman heard of tho case. She be-
came much Interested and spent
thousands %: dollars trying To lncate
the s!rl. making the search world
vide. No results canrc OF this effort.
ON January IS. chief OF Police &. 4.
sherry, OF the Richmond force.
received letter from Mrs. Zclla Earl
ricka-d. 80 Franklin Street. Tona-
wanda, y. Y, asking that he give her
any Information he could about the
case, saying that she had received a
letter from AN Interested Stranger.
advising that "if you are Interested
write To Police Headquarters. Rich
nond. Va"
In her letter Mrs. P!ckard says: II
WAS hrouGh; up by a woman circus
rider and up 10 .!ght years ago
thought She was my mother After
she told me She MAS not | left her.
J have often asl.cI her who my pa
rents were. hu; she never told me-"
Chief Sherry. knowing of the case
IN Church nm. sent the letter TO tho
newspapers, and through them located
"a brother and sister OF the missing
girl. They became interested in the
matter and arranged TO meet the
woman who thought she was Luna
Joyner.
Joins Sister In Blackstone.
Mrs. flchard came from New York
TO Blackstone. Va. where he. sister
was !i".ns, and has proven her !dcn-
THY.
Ii appears that The child was taken
North ana there turned over 10 a
show woman. She was taught 10 be
a performer and was a, one time a
feature rider with the Robinson Cir
Gus
While a rider she met W. 7. Pick
ard. famous rs a sea lion trainer, and
after courtship they were married.
Mrs lichard IS q beautiful woman n
and has two golden-haircd children,
one OF whom is almost perfect re-
production OF Luna Joyner as she ap-
pearcd before she was stolen
Chief sherry said last night that he
thought the woman who wrote the
letter. signed AN Interested Stran-
ger. was a show woman who really
knew the story from the bcCinnin..
and who Was with the show when
the child was sold TO them. The let
ter is headed. New York City" ana
is dated January l3.
Some Of the old men on the Rich
mond police force remember the ease
Continued on Second PagcJ