Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-10-30
Perils Of Sleeping Cars.

There is good deal of interest nlnn-
ifested these days on the part of the
American people relative to the matter
of separate sleeping cars for the two
sexes. 1t is q move in the right direc-
ton, and we hope it will win. As it is
now, no gentleman travelling alone is
safe.
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 at home, and that..entire journey
was made with no one to whom we
could look for protection.
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
after drink.
She also asked us for our knife to
peel an orange.
These things look small and insig-
nifcant, 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.
We asked the conductor if this could
not be changed; but he laughed coldly
and told us to 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.
1t would be impossible to describe the
horror and appreciation of that awful
night. All through its vigils we suffer-
ed on till near morning, when tired ma
ture yielded, and we fell into troubled
sleep.
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 I'M
able to tell, but after perhaps twenty
minutes of slumber we saw, above the
footboard of our berth, and peering
over at us, the face of that woman.
With wild bound we were on our feet
in the aisle of the car. The other berths
had all disappeared but ours.
The other passengers were sitting
quietly in their seats, and it was half
past nine o'clock. The woman from
Pennsylvania was in the day coach.
1t was only horrid dream.
But supposing it had been reality
And any man that travels alone is liza
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 a thousand.
Did you note the care-worn look of the
man who is travelling alone? The wild,
haunted expression on the countenance
and the horrible apprehension that is
depicted there?
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 buttoning their
suspenders, prying eyes are looking
over the foot-board of their berths, is
constructing more new-made graves
than consumption or the Ute war.-
Mes Boomerang.