Mexborough & Swinton Times, February 9
Denaby Girl´s Adventure
Tramp to York in a “Pet”
“Beattie” in York”. So read a telegram handed to Mrs Wilcox, at 60, Cliff View, Denaby Main, yesterday afternoon, at thirteen minutes past two. Mrs Wilcox, on hearing the news, collapsed with relief, for, since the disappearance of her step-daughter, on Monday, she had had very little rest.
On Monday, after dinner, Beatrice Wilcox, aged 10, was helping her mother in some domestic duty. The mother scolded the girl about some little thing. She “flushed up” and her mother had some difficulty in persuading her to get ready for school. About 1.40 the girl left the house, but she did not go to school and until yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Wilcox was unable to find any trace of her whereabouts. The police scoured the district but without success.
The girl had an elder sister in lodgings at York, and Mrs. Wilcox believed and hoped that the girl had gone there. Such was the case, though the girl left home without hat or coat, money or food, and must have tramped the whole distance, about 45 miles.
Beatrice, a very intelligent and sensitive girl, is very fond of walking. Just before Christmas she set out with a younger sister to visit the Conisborough cemetery – where her father, who was a regimental Sergeant-major in the York and Lancaster Regiment, is buried, and as she did not return, after some hours, inquiries were made at the Conisborough Police Station, where information was just to hand that the girl and her sister had been found wandering at Hatfield fourteen miles away. The child had often asked how far it was to York and the best means of getting there.
A representative of the “Times” visited the house yesterday afternoon before any information had been received. Mrs Wilcox was almost distracted, fearing that the girl had come to harm. The police had concluded that the girl´s objective was York, but as their inquiries were fruitless, they made a thorough and exhaustive search of the locality. It was known that she had set off for Doncaster for she was seen walking along the main road in that direction, and one of the labourers on the road questioned her but she ran away.
Mrs. Wilcox is naturally relieved to hear that the girl is safe, and arrangements were made at once for her return.