The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-07-14
Perils of Sleeping Cars.

| There is Il good deal of interest man.
ifested these days on the part of the
American people relative TO the matter
of separate sleeping ears for the two
sexes. 1t is n move in the right direc-
ton, and we hope it will win. Asiit is
now, no gentleman travelling alone is
! safe. G.4 - l-t
| % Several months ago. entirely alone,
we travelled from Laramie To Chicago
and back, making the round trip with
| no escort whatever. Our wife was de-
tanned ut home, and that ontire journey
| was made with no one to whom we
could look for protection. .... ... ..ft
When we returned our hair had turn
| ed perfectly white with the horror of
those dreadful nights. :
There was one woman from Philadel-
| phia, whose name we will not mention.
and who rode -all the way between
Omaha and Chicago in one car. AL
most the first thing when we started out
of Omaha she began TO make advances
toward us by asking us if we would not
hold her lunch basket While she went
aftcr u drink.
ft She also asked us for our knife to
peel an orange -t'Hf -t5
These things look small anu insig-'
niiicant, but in the light of latter devel-
opments they are Of vital Importance.
That evening we saw with horror that
the woman's section was adjoining our
own. aaisE..,nF
We asked the conductor if this could
not be changed; hut he laughed coldly
aud told us 10 soak our head, or some
such unfeeling remark.
That is one bad feature of the present
system. a man travelling alone gets
no sympathy or assistance from the
conductor. -H.r 4
II would be impossible to describe the
horror and appreciation of that awful
night An through its vigils we snifer-
cd on till near morning. when tired ma
turc yielded. and we fell into u troubled
sleep. .a4 uHra 1p''et-
" There we lay. fair and beautiful, in
the soft gray Of approaching day. thou
sands Of miles from our home. and, less
than ten feet away. a great horrid wo
man from Pennsylvania, to whom we
had not even been introduced.
How we could have slept SO soundly
under the circumstances we are yet un-
able To toll, but after perhaps twenty
minutes of slumber we saw, above the
footboard, of our berth, and pecrng
over Mt us, the face of that woman. |
With wild bound we were on otrr feet |
in the aisle of the car The other berths
had all disappeared but ours. ,,
The other passengers were sitting |
quietly i'm their seats, and it was half !
past niue o'clock. The woman from /
Pennsylvania was in the day coach.
1t was only a horrid dream.
But.supposing it had been n reality !
And any man that travels alone is la-
BILE TO be insulted at any time. We do
not care for luxury in travelling. All
we want is the assurance that we are
safe.
The experience which we have mar
rated above is only one of II thousand.
Did you note the c:iie-worn look of the
man who is travelling alone? The wild,
haunted expression on the countenance
and the horrible apprehension that is
depicted there? -."-' i--ti'# ;
You may talk about the various causes
that are leading men downward to early
graves, but the nervous strain induced
by the fear that while they are taking
out their false teeth or butoning their
suspenders.. prying eyes are looking
over the foot-board of their bertls, is
more new-made graves
than consumption or the Ute war
Nye'S B0O1acJ'd0g. -.,aE- -tft