Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-22
BoItimore's 20-Yeor-
Old Puzzle Of the Real
Life Little Red Ridinq
Hood and the Wolf"
That Killed Her and
Vanished. Without
Leaving a Trace
BY JOSEPH GOLLONIB

This week the ghost of child is agai
troubling Duncans Woods tangle
thicket Of scrub oak, alder trees an
sumac in suburban Baltimore. Not many pee
pie walk in Duncans Woods today though o
all sides Of IL there is busy life, but Away
on Washington's Birthday some will ventur
in it so long as the sunlight lasts. reminded b
Baltimore papers that the day is also the an
niversary of the troubling story of little cir
Clare Stone
Exactly twenty years ago trouble woul
have been mild word TO use for a happenin,
that disturbed the sleep OF millions turned IN
waking hours Of many into a nightmare an
furnished with failure the regulations of cit
and state police and other law
enforcement officers including
two men whose names are
legendary in the history of de-
tcctive skill in this country
] !. !. !. !. !. ]. 4: !. 4
Worst of all was the state OF ~
nerves aroused by that story MI
I hr ugh out the countryside A
when IT needed only slight A6Ry
spark TO set off an explosion of t3ylkS
passion in the largest mob that NrANx
ever thrsted for blood in an
otherwise humdrum American -
community /s
Glare lived with her parents '~i f.
in two-story suburban house
at 1863 Elmora Avenue less -
than a mile from Duncan's
Woods. Although she was only - -.
eight al the time her story cleo 80 < ~
trIficd the world she looked four y
years older bat she had the
charm of kitten especially = ~ y
when she smiled as she did
often and suunIucss TIT her
lips, cheeks and half closed her
Elocful eyes
No matter what schoolbooks the DAYS les
sons called for. clare always took along with
her a much thumbcd volume OF fairy tales and
of All the pages In the book the story Of Little
Red Riding Hood showed the most wear With
pencils and crayons Clare had gone over and
over the colorcd picture OF the little girl IN
that story entranced by the red cape and hood
most youngsters know 50 we'll She had even
nagged her mother into buying her a red cape
and tam-o'-shanter Of the same color for
her mop of glowing yellow curls
To everyday eyes the tallest oak and
tho dcnscst thCkct IN Duncans Woods is only
scrubwood but TO Clare II was authentic fairy
land She used 20 go there in her red cape
and hat and revcl IN her favorite story except
that she seemed 10 give no thought TO the
wolf IN II
It was in her favorl,e costume. too that
February p 1922 She was bit late and hor
mother put pennies IL her hand for Cartarc.
saw her to The door Of their home kissed the
child and told her that after school she you'd
have 10 hurry home II she wanted 20 help IN
the baking Of cherry pie for tho familys
WashlnEtous Birthday dinner.
Pennies Clutchcd IN her hand Clare waved
good-by Al her mother. waved again 90 a
nciehbor who as usual saw her enter Wander
horst Lane and take that shortcut toward
school The ncighhor was Leroy Frey who
had a coalyard in the lane and who liked the
vounCstcr Vauderhorst Lane IS only about
block long But another ucIghhor who always
saw clare emerge from the lane on the way
To school did not see her that morning Sew
eral schoolmates of Clatcs who usually met
her at the end OF the lane. also missed her
that day
Nor did she show up at school by four
thirty in the afternoon Mrs stone went
around making inquiries and b. five she
was franticaly telephoning her husband, "A
stationary engineer in factory nearby BY
SIX the neighbors were searching for Glare
At seven the police went into action.
They had only wild specuations and ny
stcyia 10 80 by. But all Baltimore was az FUSED