MISSING CHILDREN

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 172, 22 June 1926, Page 7

MISSING CHILDREN

FOUND AFTER SEVENTEEN HOURS’ ABSENCE.

IN VACANT HOUSE NEAR HOME.

While playing in Taonui street near their homes yesterday afternoon three little children, Betty and Eric Pragnell aged five and three years respectively, and Olive Satherley, aged three, in the adventurous spirit of the very young, decided to explore a vacant house—a small two or three roomed white building adjacent to the Palmerston North Bowling Club’s green, and situated only a few chains from the homes of their respective parents. It was _ an exploit attended with misfortune and one which they will not readily forget, for when they wandered into a lavatory and the door slammed and jambed they could not open it. While parents, friends and police scoured the neighbourhood until’ after midnight, the three Bttle prisoners, supperless, cold, and tfioroughly frightened cried the weary hours away until found about nine o’clock this morning. SEARCH THROUGH NIGHT. Alarm at the disappearance of their children ■ was felt by Mr and Mrs S. E. Pragnell, of 26 Taonui street, and Mr and Mrs Satherley, of 40 Taonui street, about 4 p.m. All three children, it was known, had been playing together during the afternoon, Mr Satherley having seen them at the junction of Taonui and Maire streets, while a borough bus driver reported having observed three young children wandering in Campbell street. Another report was that they had been seen near to the Showgrounds. All sorts of conjectures were hazarded and it was generally feared that they had wandered some distance and taken refuge in a shed or other building, but when search parties failed to find any trace of them by midnight the matter assumed a more serious aspect. Adjacent streets and the Showgrounds were searched but all without avail. CRIES OF CHILDREN HEARD.

In the interim, during the evening a woman in the house adjacent to that where the children were imprisoned had heard cries, but assumed that they were those of tl*e children of a family which might be moving into the unoccupied dwelling. When, however, the cries persisted this morning, inquiries were made, it being at first thought that perhaps some children had wandered into the bowling green. It was then found that tho three young adventurers had spent the night as described. Overjoyed at their release, they were none the worse for their experience, although extremely hungry. When a reporter called at the residence of one of the parents this morning he found the children “at home” playing happily on the verandah and evincing no desire to go out and play. All’s well that ends well, but_ last night was an anxious time for quite a number of people and in particular for tho parents and also for tho throe youngsters who unwittingly caused all the trouble.