St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-13
MRS. THOMAS JOURNEY
A Ride of 800 Miles by Woman in
Search Of Food and Clothing for
Her Family.
She Puts Her Seven Children in Farm
Wagon and Starts for
Florida.
Charitable Gentlemen of st. Louis
Present Her With Purse OF
About $50.
She Announces That She Has Written
for the Papers and Indfted
Poetry.

tOcITgs
Yesterday afternoon while the auction
eers were swapping their whips and crying
the horses that negro boys were racing up
and down the block between Carr and
Wash streets, on Broadway says the ST.
Louis Post Dispatch, span OF lll-kept
pones-tired. yet determined TO do their
work if it killed them-SlOuched into the
excitement. drawing a movers wagon. Inc
big, burly fellow on the east side OF the
street stopped short in the midst of howl;
the plug-hatted, whip-cracking ring master
on the west side caught the lash up short
before it cracked, and all gaZed
at the Tapping, ragged cover of the
vehicle, seeing beneath the frame
a load of unclad misery. A woman
was driving the ponies. She guided them
to the door of the Star" stables on the
west side and calling one OF the traders,
said she wished to sell the team. Looking
inside the wagon the traders who gathered
about saw seven nearly naked children,
few blankets and stew pan. the wOman's
entire possessions. Wanted to sell her
team? Well. where did she come from and
where was she going? Some questions not
weighted with delicacy brought out her
story. Mrs Laura l.. Thomas. that was
the woman's name She had come all the
wav from Pierce county. Wis, in that
wagon, farmers wagon that had
FORGOTTEN YEARS AGO
that it had ever been painted. She is a
widow. her husband having died over a
year ago. leaving for her support farm OF
eighty acres. only seven of which had been
cultivated and on which debt of $500
Law. The log house was not much OF
home, and, after struggling year to pay
the interest ON the mortgage. Mrs Thomas
sold the place. invested part of the pro-
ceeds through friends IN home in ST. Am
drews. Fla, and started out with the team,
wagon and children for that new land
where summer all the year round might al
low her an existence. In thirty-one
DAYS she con1rived to reach
ST. Louis. Her money was ex-
hausted then. and the weather had become
cold. 1t was impossible to go further with
the team, so she had resolved to sell. This
story was told in fewer words than it is here
set forth. 1t opened tap OF eloQuence i'll
the auctoneer. He abandoned all other
occupation to cry this woman's Outht She
remained in the wagon holding the lines.
her children huddled about her. The en-
tire outfit was to be sold. everything there
except the woman and children. What was
he offered? theauctioneer cried. Sam Della
PLANE said S45. Some one raised him a
dollar. Sam stuck to the trade, raising the
other bidder.
ANOTHER SYNPATHIZER
I'm the crowd raised Sam, and so it went
until at S53 so the entire outfit, hardly
worth half that sum. was knocked down
TO Delapaiue. AS the bidding went on
the women hardly seemed interested, and
the children were more Observant. This
hardy woman is about thirty years old, her
oldest of five boys is IA. and the youngest
girl is lust thirteen months old. She was
used to a life of work before they were
born, and every one of the children is a
picture of vigorous health Have they
suffered" she was asked
Not a bit. There are children and chill
dren, you know. Mine never had much. They
have always been used to a rough life, and
this trip has been picnic to them-riding all
day and camping out at nights. The weather
was very pleasant until tue last few da5 S,
but even the cold did not bother US much.
No: they did not look like children to be
bothered with anything. They were not
accustomed to many luXuries, and living in
a wagon is not the kind of discomfort chill
dIen object to. But their nakedneSs eX-
cited the sympathy of every one about the
stables while the wOmanS determination
and self-reiance even in her misery excited
their admiration. Fifty-three dollars would
not take her through to Florida. and there
was colder weather coming. Those shoe
less feet would find that last fact out before
the money became exhausted,
A SUBSCRIPTION PAPER
m IL,
minutes. Then w. Ii. HOnig. of Ii. Wells
G& Co.. gave an order tor shoes and stock
ings for the entire party The bookkeepeT
at the Star stables found them place t.
hoard. and this morning took them to ID.
Crawford. His big heart was touched by
the smple recital of the woman story. lie
gave. without permitting her to pay cent,
clothes for herself and the two little girls.
She was then taken to the Famous. and
MIR. Joseph Specht directed that she be
given a suit of clothes for each of the boys.
The clerks heard of her haTdShipS and vol
unfairly contributed Sl0.50 for the benefit
nj the family So this noon the CHI ldren
were well and warmly clad. Yesterday
they were naked nearly. more ragged than
the most luckIeSs boOtblack on the streets
NOW they are as well clothed as nine out OF
ten children in the city. This afternoon
the MAYOR was asked to furnish the woman
and her children transportation on her way
10 Florida. She came to the city without
nenny and will go away with nearly $50,
besides the transportation that will proba-
bly be furnished. Few women ever show
the grit which brought Mrs. Thomas to St
Louis. She is not of the mover type-mort
intelligent. more energetic. To reporter
who talked with her this morning she said
81 have written for the papers our county
papers. And have written poetry" One
would not have thought her to be a p0eteS>
Yesterday, seeing her drive those shaggy,
uncurried ponies; to-day it is more proba
BILE. A history of her ride of 500 mile,
through autumn woods with the children
and hunger for company might be writer