The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-13
NiRROWLY ESCiPING RUIN.
Three Runaway Girls Finding New York not
just what they Fancied.

The little girls who left their homes in
Toronto Canada. to become actresses in n vnrie-
ty theatre in New York. spent the day yesterday
with Matron Webb mt the Police Central Once.
The eyes Of the elder girls were red with weep
ing. hut the black ones OF little Theresa Rafferty,
sparklcd. and she chcwed pine gum happily. os
the others told their story. Theresa Ia only 10
ycnrs VI age. She wore n black dress. which
matched her hair perfectly. Minnie Dixon and
Lille Graham arc IA years OF age, and they
wore dresses Of plain mcrino, letting their light
hair fall in n single braid down their backs
Minnie is dark eyed and sharp featured and
SAYS she is Scotch girl but she has lived with
her uncle in Toronto for long time.
81 am scotch. English and African" Lille
Graham said. My father is Scotchman. my
mother is English. and was born on the Cape
NJ Good Hope. in Airca, And II was awful the
/ way those policemen locked me up. What right
Lave they 10 lock us w III cells and keep US all
nightY They put me in n cell AWAY on from
these girls and / screamed so that they came in
and said II didn't shut up they'd put mo down
below in tho cells wherr drunken men were.
Have they any right to arrest us and lock us up
IN cells all night? We haven't done any crime"
1t appears that after the girls hnd been taken
gcant. after barring their story. instead Of send
ing them to Mntron Webb or the Inspector ut
tho Central Onlce locked them in the cells.
Yesterday they were scnt to Mntron Webb.
Those cells were awful said Minnie. We
had To sleep on boards and we couldn 7 sleep
because there WAS so much vermin there" And
!" Why did you come 10 New York ?" the girls
why" lille said her buckeyes stretching
wide open. " lots Of girls in Toronto told US
that in New York there were plenty OF chances
for girls To get to bc actresses, and we thought
we'd come. Minnie got the money She got
80 from her uncle. and we took all our things
n n@ pa, , M2 G" bNr wPo,n a s 70 q
our houses and met at the depot To- take the
train that lcnves ut II o'clock at n ght for New
York. Our tickets cost US s1S. and what we ate
and spent cost sl2 more, and we had $40 whom
rgot here. That was about o'clock Thurs
and went through some tunnels. The man who
took the money charged us eight cents apiece
Tell him about the old woman" Minnie
=" Yrs. we go, of tho car somewhere. and we
! didn't know whore we were going did we. Min
nie?" Minnie shook her head and cured her
feet under her on the sofa Then she chcwcd
pine gum vigorously.
Mo-" Lille continued. We didn't know
! whcre we were going. but we were looking for "a
! boarding house. Theresa wanted to get n pair
Of shoes and went into shoe store. An. Old
woman came along and saw us. and asked us
| where we were going. ! suppose because she
saw had carpet bag. | told herwe were look :
! me. my dear. she said. know a nice board
ing house. II take YOU to the cnnvent' Then
the clerk in the shoe store II he knew any place
| whore W" could get board. and he sad next
uu ,, we were H',nE tnrrr When ine DOLCE
! going, and We told him. Then he said he'd get
/ us n boarding place. and only think, that was a
/ trick - arrest US. wasn't IL. MinnieY'
Again Minnie nodded her hcnd and then she
| indeed. rs tie tears began TO trckle down her
/ cheeks. on. we'll be 50 glad To- get home nga in.
/ We didn't think 1t WINS anything like this. amt
we'll tell Fanny and the other girls home thnt
/ they can't gct no place here. won't we. Lille p
| Yes. we will. It's AL lie. We thought all
/ wed have 20 do would be- to come to New York.
/ and we'd hc actresses right on Lille said.
| Superintendent Walling tcegruphcd yester-
! day 10 the childrcn's friends in Toronto.