EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series on this topic. The final part will appear imn The Mining Journal in two weeks.

NEGAUNEE — “Last evening about half-past five o’clock, Edith, the little five-year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Lafonier, who lives upstairs over Prolulx’s grocery store, was found to be missing from her home. A search was at once instituted for her by the family and neighbors, but she could not be found. The fire bell was then rung to summon the people generally and when a crowd had been got together a large searching party was organized and scoured the city searching for the little wanderer. Up to a late hour last night she had not been found. The parents were distracted by the fear that something untoward had happened to her and deep sympathy was felt for them.” (Mining Journal, June 25, 1895)

The girl’s name was actually Eva LaFreniere and by the next day, more details emerged.

“The little girl was last seen at the home of Mrs. C.L. Wendel on Main street, a half block from her home, at 5:20 Monday evening. Mrs. Lafenier and one of her children was at Mrs. Wendel’s when the little girl called. She asked for her little sister (the child was with her mother), and was told that she was asleep. The girl went away and has not since been seen. A few minutes later Mrs. Lafenier took her child from the bed and returned home, expecting to find her little girl there. She was not at home, so her mother went out on the street to look for her. Although Mr. Lafenier’s home is in the center of the city the child very seldom left the house. She hardly ever went out unless accompanied by a larger person. In case the child is not found this morning other searching parties will be organized and a more thorough search will be instituted today.” (Mining Journal, June 26, 1895)

That French Canadian surname seemed to be problematic for those covering the event, as each story featured a different spelling of LaFreniere.

“Rumors of various kinds were in circulation about town yesterday. One was to the effect that the child had been seen Monday evening near the cemetery and another was that she had been seen at the New York (mine). A girl and a woman living at the Cleveland location reported that they had seen the girl going toward the Cleveland grove where a picnic was held Monday. There is a possibility of there being some foundation to their story, as they gave a fair description of the girl and also told what kind of dress she had on. Several men scoured the woods in the vicinity of the picnic grounds yesterday but no traces of the little one was found. Various other rumors were current, but very little attention was paid to them.” (Mining Journal, June 27, 1895)

A $25 ($930) reward was offered to the person who would restore the child to her parents. Handbills were printed in English, Swedish and Finnish and circulated in Ishpeming and Negaunee.

“The whole city is stirred up over the girl’s strange disappearance. Any where from twenty-five to one hundred persons could be found standing near Lafenier’s place talking it over at anytime during the day since the child vanished so mysteriously. Many are of the opinion that the girl has been kidnapped. This, however, does not seen probable. That she has fallen into an opening of some kind seems most likely.” (Mining Journal, June 27, 1895)

The next mention of Eva LaFreiniere came in October when her body was found.

“The body of Adolph Lafreniere’s little daughter, who disappeared so mysteriously on the evening of June 24, was found yesterday shortly before noon in the garret of Mrs. C.L. Wendel’s residence on Main Street. The facts leading to the discovery are quite singular. It will be remembered that the child was last seen at Mrs. Wendel’s and while it was thought she might have fallen into the closet at the rear of the house or some other such place in that vicinity no one ever thought of looking in the garret for her.

Mrs. Lafreniere was at Mrs. Wendel’s place Sunday afternoon, when the latter suggested that Mrs. Lafreniere might go up to her garret and take some rags suitable for making a carpet, which she would find there. While sorting the rags Mrs. Lafreniere found a pair of child’s shoes, which she thought resembled those worn by her child the night she disappeared. She took the shoes downstairs and showed them to Mrs. Wendel, asserting that she was quite sure they were those worn by Eva, her little girl. Mrs. Wendel was rather surprised and said she thought the shoes had been in the garret a number of years. Both women then went into the garret to make a more through investigation, when they found the cap which the child wore the night of her disappearance.” (Mining Journal, October 16, 1895)

“Monday afternoon she (Mrs. Lafreniere) made known her discovery to Marshal Carlson and Deputy Marshal Nolan, but they did not institute a search until yesterday morning.

The body was found lying alongside the chimney on the south side of the building. The child had gone through an opening leading to the chimney and was lying face downward between two roofs — that of the main building and one covering an addition which was put up after the main structure had been built. The hole leading to the outer garret was evidently made to admit of the chimney being built. After searching through some rubbish in the east end of the garret the officers came to the hole in the roof. Nolan, being the smaller man, was able to get through the hole more easily than Carlson and found the body, partially exposed, lying against the west side of the chimney.

The officers then called on Mayor Johnston, Prosecuting Attorney Young and Coroner Rodgers. The coroner empaneled a jury in the case and at 2 o’clock, after the members of the jury had examined the body, it was placed in charge of an undertaker. The body was somewhat decomposed. The jury will meet today to take testimony in the case.

The body was subjected to an examination by physicians here subsequently, but owing to the advanced state of decomposition it was impossible to ascertain what was the cause of the child’s death. It was discovered that the skull was fractured, and there were stains of blood on the clothing, which was also somewhat disarranged — very suspicious circumstances in connection with the others surrounding the case – but little that will be of use to the coroner’s jury was discovered by the medical men who made the examination.” (Mining Journal, October 16, 1895)