The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-08-31
New Clue Found In Case
Missing Maiden
NOTE TO MOTHER
Believed That Pine City Lassie
Is Being Held In
st. Paul
Associated Press Dispatch

Minneapolis, August zE-oelieying
A that Helen Marie Francis. fourteen
year old girl, who disappeared
while or her way to Minneapolis
SUNDAY, Is held IN st. Paul by an
insa2s woman. q party OF searchers
led by the girls father today check
ed q clue in st. Paul Trey hope will
lead 70 the girl, while Minneapolis
police watched trains and bus lines
in the belief she may be brought In
20 the city.
A letter mailed at Shakopee ad-
dressed to her mother, Mrs. Hugh
Francis of Pine City, by the girl,
but containing q typewriter copy
OF q letter signed by q Mrs. Myrtle
DeMondis, convinced searchers the
girl Is held by an unbalanced wo-
man and is afraid TO seek help.
The letter, an incoherent attack
addressed TO authorities OF Wash
ington state asylum was not the
letter the girl meant to send, police
declared.
II am convinced that Helen wrote
TO tell me where she was but that
the women opened the letter and put
In this thing instead" Mrs. Francis
said. The letter shows marks OF
having been opened"
Sheriff Edward Ario of Mankato,
leading the hunt for the girl, said
he had information which might
iced to the girls whereabouts in
st. Paul. st. Paul and Minneapolis
police turned the direction OF search
over to Sheriff Ario. and patrolmen
were furnished with descriptions
and orders to keep watch on all
trains and buses.
May Be In Shakopee
The ST. Paul Pioneer Press this
morning contained the following
story: Helen Francis, fourteen
year old Pine City girl, who disap-
peared in st. Paul Saturday while
en- route to visit Minneapolis rela-
tives, was seen In Shapopee by sew
eral persons Tuesday, police, wno
have been searching for the girl,
said Tuesday night.
"A letter, the postmark OF which
indicated 1t had been mailed in
Shakopee at 10 A. NJ, Monday, was
received in Minneapolis Tuesday by
the girls father. The letter was
addressed 70 Mrs. Francis at Pine
City and was forwarQsu to Min
neapolis by the girls mother.
The envelope was addressed in
their daughters hand writing, Mr..
and Mrs. Francis told police. No
message was written In the enve-
HOp6, however. All that COuiu uS
found In the envelope was COM
typed paper, apparently part Of
some novel. The parents were at a
loss to explain the meaning Of the
strange message.
Communicating with the sheriff
at Shakopee, police OF the twin
cities learned that the girl had been
seen wandering about the streets OF
The town Monday night and as late
4 IS Tuesday noon, they said"
Story From shakopee.
This afternoon The Free Press re-
ceived the following information
from Shakopee:
"A young girl, thought to be Helen
Francis. ate breakfast in a Shakopee
cafe, last Sunday morning between
1880 and eight o'clock. She was &C
companied by two young men and
the party, declared they were en-
route for the twin cities. This same
girl was seen roaming about the
Shakopee streets alone Monday
forenoon.
Sheriff Ario of Mankato was in
Shakopee last night, comforting with
the sheriff there"
From another source It was re-
ported that the same girl who was
seen in Shakopee on Monday was
again on the streets of Shakopee
this morning. Sheriff Ario was to
return to that city this afternoon.
The Francis girl left Vernon Cen
ter Saturday morning at seven
o'clock, her destination being Min
neapolis where she was to visit rel
atives. It was her original intention
to leave Vernon Center on the aft
ernoon train Saturday, but parties
in the Flour City were not notified
of the change In travel arrange
ments. When she did not reach
Minneapolis that evening relatives
who were at the depot to meet her,
notified relatives at Vernon Center
Of her non arrival.
Sheriff Ario made inquiries for
the missing girl in every town be-
tween Mankato and the twin cities.