The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-04-08
CREEK GIVES
Up BODY OF
Slain Child
Edith Mae Dierdorf Had
Been Missing Since
Jan. 27.
TERRE HAUTE M0URNS
Entire City Shares in Grief
Over Fate of Little
NeWSgirI.
TERRE HAUTE M0URNS
BIZ Ttited Press

BIZ United Press
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, April g.
All Terre Haute today mourned the
death of its favorite little news girl,
Edith Mae Dierdorf, 10, whose badly
decomposed body with her feet tied
together and bearing a wound on
the head was found Sunday west
Of Paxton in BuSSeron creek after
the child had been missing since
Jan. 27.
The chiId'S body, partly sub
merged in the murky waters of the
creek, was discovered by Nimrod
Slaven, principal of the school at
PleaSantville and family while gath
ering flowers in the vicinity of the
creek.
One of Slaven's children was fish
ing when he saw something he de-
scribed to his father as being
funny" The principal hurried to
the scene and discovered the child's
body, half submerged and lodged in
the branches of tree.
He Immediately went to the near
est town and notified authorities
who went to the creek and recov-
cred the body.
Identified by Parents
The parents Of the child were
called and identified the body as it
lay in an undertaking establishment
at Sullivan.
The little girls feet had been
wired together and she apparently
had been clubbed on the head be-
| fore being tossed into the stream,
indicating that she had been MUIR
dered elsewhere and the body dis
posed of in the creek.
Edith Mae disappeared Sunday,
Jan. 27, after selling newspapers.
She sold her supply early on that
| date and returned to the news
dealer, saying: ''I would like to have
an extra copy, I have a new GUS
| toner" She was given the extra
paper and disappeared on street.
She next appeared at a grocery
store, where she purchased a pack
| age Of chewing gum, and, accord
ing to the proprietor, drove away
with man in an automobile. She
was never seen after leaving the
store.
Several days after her disappear
ance, a bloody newspaper bag, iden-
titled as Edith Macs, was found
under a bridge over Busseron creek.
The body was found just six miles
from where the bag was discovered.
Possess, hundreds in numbers,
had searched the creek bottoms for
several weeks after the little girl
disappeared, but to no avail.
Ends Nation-W Wide Search
Then national hunt was insti-
tuted with the belief that the little
girl had been taken from the state.
Radio appeals we're made, rewards
offered and nothing was left undone
in an effort to find Edith Mae.
Various clews were given author
tiles, but the grief stricken parents
saw each fade, and additional
searches were made of the Buss-
eron creek section.
Authorities we're unable to say
how long the body had been in the
stream. The creek is believed to
have been at flood stage when the
body was thrown into it. Then the
water was froze. Police pointed
out that had it been in the creek
while frozen with ice it would have
been better preserved.
The body still bore clothing and
the parents made Identification
through coat and ring which she
wore.
Police announced that a country
wide search would be made for the
girls slayer, admitting, however,
that clews we're very slight.
Today hundreds of persons paused
in front of the undertaking estab-
lishment that held the body. Many
being those who had purchased
newspapers from her Although
funeral services have not been an
nounced it was considered likely
that they would be held Tuesday.