Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-20
ETH YN REED, Il YEARS OLD, Is
SPIRITED OFF BY STRANGER WHO.
HAD TAKEN HER ON MOTOR TRIP
She Was One Of -Four Wilmington Girls Who Had Been
Invited 10 Take Sunday Spng The Other Three Had
Become Frightened and Jumped Out Of the Car Below
Ektog Ethlw Returned Late at Night

Annoyed by advances made by a
man who volunteered to take her and
three companions to Marshallton In
his auto yesterday afternoon, Ethlyn
Reed, IL years old, of 404 North -.Ad-
ans street. was forced to kick tho door
OF the auto open and leap to the road
while the machine was still in motion.
The girl told this story this morn
ing to her grandmother, Mrs. l.. l..
Rollison. repudiating story which
she told to her parents and police last
night after score of motorists and
motorcycle police had searched all
roads leading from this city to points
many miles distant in search of her
after three girl companions returned TO
their homes.
The four girls said that while walk
ing near Union Gardens early yes
terday afternoon they were approached
by an elderly looking man who Of
fered to give them a lift" when he
was told they We're walking to Mar
shallton where relatives of one of the
girls lived.
The man, they said. drove through
Newark and then to Ell<tkon where he
stopped on the roadway asking them
sc they wanted to go in the woods
II hunt for walnuts. They demand
cd that he bring them back To Will
mington. He refused and three of the
girls got out of the machine which
had a small delivery body on it and
beckoned Ethlyn who was on the seat
OF the driver. to follow them. But
she still remained in her seat. They
then found a man and his wife with
a child, to bring them back TO the
city in their auto.
In her story last night Ethyn de-
MED that she kept on riding with
the man, except for a short distance.
She insisted that she he returned to
her companions but after an argu-
ment over which was the right road tu
Wilmington left them and WAS lost.
This morning her grandmother at
the urge of an Every Evening reporter
questioned the girl at length and final
ly obtained coherent account OF yes
terday's happenings.
The girl said that the rea son she
did not follow her companions when
they left the auto was because she
could not get the door opened, the
man, apparently, having locked It in
come manner.
How much further on she rode with
the man or where he took her she
does not remember, she said. But at
some distance from a town the man
made advances toward her and in ter
ror she kicked the door open with her
foot and then jumped, she told her
grandmother.
a few minutes later, according to
her new story, she said that a man and
Q woman brought her back to the city,
leaving her at Fourth and Union
streets and giving her carfare to go
the rest of the distance home.
Mrs. Rollison said that from the
complete story her granddaughter told,
she has reached the conclusion that
the autoist who drove the children
into Maryland was a "sordid brute"
Police are working on the case and
have instituted a search for the man
who is believed TO be a farmer in the
vicinity of Wilmington. They lack
clues however, because they have as
yet not received a true and complete
account from the Reed girl, Super
lntendent OF Police Black said that de-
tectives will question the girl today
and endeavor to gain some informs tion
that will aid them in clearing up the
matter.
The party which was sent in search
for the Reed girl after her companions
returned home and told their story
were recruited from st. Pauls Nj. T.
Church of which the Rev DIR. Carlisle
J.. Hubbard is the pastor. An appeal
for motorists to Join the searching
party was made by DR. Hubbard when
Informed of the facts by Mrs. Reed
who is member of his church.
The three girls who were with
Ethiyn on the trip are Mary Newell
IL years old, 400 North Adams street
Sophie McVey, 13 years old, 11l2 West
Sixth street and Margaret Haney, 12
years old. Front and jackson streets.
Continued on page 10.