Union Labor Bulletin

LOST GIRL MURDERED

The little body of Floella McDonald which had been missing from home nearly three weeks and for whom a search had been made that extended into several states was found in the belfry of the First Presbyterian church at Eighth and Scott streets, Little Rock, last Saturday afternoon.

Investigation showed that the afternoon rain of April 12th caused her to take shelter in the door of the church and this was discovered by Lonnie Dixon, the 16-year-old son of Frank Dixon, Mulatto, who was the janitor of the church who had been away for the afternoon attending a ball game. Lonnie opened the door for the girl and either forced her or lured her to the belfry of the church where he committed an assault, and probably terrified at the thought of what would follow his action, crushed her skull with a brick causing instant death. He fled leaving her body laying where the crime was committed and it lay there for nearly three weeks and was only discovered when Frank Dixon, janitor of the building discovered it in a search he was making for the source of the odor which came from the decomposed body.

The first real clue to the murderer was given by another white girl who told her parents that she had gone by the church early in the afternoon Floella was murdered and that a negro boy had told her as she was passing the church that if she would come back at 5 o'clock she could get some toys, that they were to be distributed at that hour in the basement of the church, but she did not return and it was shortly after this hour that accident caused Floella to be at the church. As soon as the second little girl's parents heard of the murder they notified the police of the attempt that had been made to allure their daughter to the church and she readily identified Lonnie Dixon as the boy who had told her of the proposed distribution of toys. 24 hours later Lonnie confessed to the police that he was the guilty party and confessed the details of the crime.

That night several thousand people met with the intention of lynching the negro, part of the crowd attacking the city jail while others forced an entrance into the penitentiary, but anticipating an attempt of lynching, the police had taken the murderer out of the city and all efforts to locate his whereabouts were futile.

We believe that this is conceived to be one of the most brutal and atrocious crimes committed in Little Rock and if swift justice is not given the guilty party by the law, it will go far to cause the public to take the punishment for such crimes into their own hands.