Mexborough & Swinton Times August 10
Child´s Experience
A search extending almost 20 hours was necessary at Conisborough last weekend before a four-year-old girl, Cynthia Collinson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Gladwin of 78, Daylands Avenue, who had been reported missing on Saturday evening was found.
Cynthia had gone out to play in the Welfare Park with older companions, but when they returned she was not with them and subsequently more than 100 local folk including the police, special constables, the Home Guard and Scouts joined in combing a wide area.
Relays of search parties were engaged throughout the night and up to late Sunday afternoon when the child was discovered in a cornfield in the Old road district, not far from her home. She was found by three members of the Home guard and was without clothes. She stated later that they had been taken from her in a game in which “she was put to bed”.
Cynthia was taken to Fullerton Hospital suffering from exposure but her condition was not serious and she was later allowed to go home.
Her mother told a “Times” reporter that enquiries she made revealed that the child had been allowed to return home alone after playing on Saturday evening but failed to arrive. “I did not get anxious straightaway”, Mrs. Gladwin added “but when she did not come home I immediately went to the house of one of the girls who had last seen her. She could not have got very far, as one of her shoes had a button missing and it would have been hard for her to walk.
The police were informed about 11.15pm and in the meantime my neighbours helped me to search the road and the hedges near our home”. Fresh hope came about 4 a.m. when a report was received that a child´s cry had been heard in the Lady´s Bower of the Northcliff House, but although the mother went with the search party no trace could be found of her.
Among the searchers was the child´s uncle, Mr. J. Spafford and the area covered by the parties included the Craggs, the cliffs, Firsby, Denaby Thick wood, and the area nearer home