Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-03-19
SGlfGtr0 StOrp.
DOHERT Y.
The story Of a Woman Who Never Had a
Chance.

Chance.
Ii you want 10 see the inside OF sta
tion, you'd ought to have been here last
night. l, isn't often, ma'am, there is 8
nigh, that would be suitable tor You l
90 not think there's been half y dozen
this winter that Id want youToun il YOU
was my daughter or ny sister-beggiug
your pardon, ma'am. SIS the bes, Wsy l
Can pa, i, 20 you to express my meaning
and the feeling = man hAs about such
things.
Ever see our books3 No, Jus; YOU
look here. ii you please. jos. count
those pages. Viii yo1? From there to
there. We took in all those ia Deem
Der. In the month OF December, 1876,
We had IN this one station iwo thousand
two hundred and h.;y-,wo men and
women. o. course there's the usual
share OF arrests. There's Mahoney and
Jones snd Sullivan. and Pete Cartwright
aad Julia Henderson right under my
hnger, s,i arrests. Al. drunk But must
o. them are yagrancjes in the winter
time You see il was pretty cold last
December. especially nights. And then
we are careful aoou, our officers. Don't
sllow kicking. snd no more swearing AZ
'em than circumstances require. These
cree,urs get such things round among
themselves. They have fancy for this
station, may be. don't know how that
is. We mean % be humane on this corps.
That's our theory. Some Of our officers
have very gentlemsnly way. Not that
we think it mskes much difference, tell
you, madam (you may better understand
it At the outset) don't know wha. your
intentions are, OF c0urse-but ladies
come with so ma0y charitable and curious
designs which 1t seems pity 10 disaP-
point; but tell you the folks that &c, into
these places are q hopeless lot. They 5
o.ks without chance. Most OF Us have q
chance, l reckon, in this world, some
time or nuther; even them poor devils.
But By the time they get here their
chance is as dead as John Browns body.
don't say there's never sn exception.
Now, there was that creetur last night.
Mayte il somebody'd taken her in hand
several years sgo-ii q lady with the way
you seem to hage-Q hope You'll excuse
me, ma am, but there is u difference in $
lady 5 way, such SIS l think you'd have 10
be a mau, aud % pretty tough mans
work, ike niue, for instance, 10 under
stand so clearly IS you migLt) | wished
last night, l will confess, that there'd
been lady here. Il did occur to me 10
20 home tor NY wife. Bat never bring
nv vile into the station house.
Here's the en,ry-the last one, mean.
See
"D-D5berty, Ellen. February % 3,
1871. YagraBcy." When | get time I'm
going to count up how oit,A .L-- man
name has been on these books. Il would
take a good deal Of time. lis some
years.
Iremember very well the first lime she
came. Don't know how | happen to,
Tuere is such 10; OF yonng girls. and
pretty cnes, too. This one was more
than commonly good looking-sn Irish
girl. SBe hsd dark style and was psi,
than NOS: ot EN-. i think it must have
bseu tye years ago. II was the first time
she'd ever been arrested. She took OF
dreAdiuiy aJOut IL. Sac had not begun
r drink then. and Whist she vs.:
taken Up for bsd never happened be-
fore. IL was Inc first time, she said
SOmeways. | remember, | believed her
Seemed as it she'd break her beart.-
Hadn't auy folks. she said. Hem were
dead. 5 c coOped up in a little heap il
f the corner on the floor that night, and sa
crying al the night, Il wasn't till morn
ing thsJ the other women could get (
word out OF her Il remember straight
We had su uncOmmOnly rough lot o
womenfo.ks on that night. l wouldn'
have put her in among 'em. but thereh
no other way. never get quite used t
ihat-shuttiDg up young thing with al
old one.
Well. so she wss sent 10 the house f.,
thirty days; and oy and bY she was bsel
sgain. Sbe came Of her own accord tina
time. Said she couldn't get anything Il
do. Seems 10 me she said she wsnteC
I IL, ~, .