Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-08
BOOK AGENTS IN TROUBLE.
Mrs. Minnie Woods Pours Out o Pitiful
Tale to Superintendent Weir-How Mrs.
Tuttle Sells Books-That Lady Makes


Mrs. Minnie Woods Pours Out o Pitfful
Tale to superintendent weir-How Mrs
Tuttle Sells Books-That Lady Makes q
Statement HerseE
A neat appearing and intelligent young
woman, giving her name as Mrs. Minnie
Woods, of Louisville, KY, appealed to the
police for lodging at Central station on Fri
day night, saying she had been elected from
her boarding house, was without money OF
friends and did not know what to do. She
was given money by one of the officers to
secure lodging in a hotel, with the under
standing that she should call on Superin-
tendent Weir yesterday morning.
She kept her promise and visited the
Superintendent at noon. She said her home
was at Louisville, she was II years old, lad
been married two years, and came here with
Mrs A. c. Tuttle, general book agent,
under a contract from October 10 to Decem-
Der "a, to sell books on commission. There
were five other girls in Mrs Tuttle's em-
ploy, brought here from distant cities and
they we're instructed to sell books only to
men in large buiness houses and Offices,
sometimes to people of low morals
and surroundings Mrs. Woods has
grown tired of this life and
desired to return to her husband, but Mrs.
Tuttle refused to release her from the con-
tract and would give her no money to take
her home. A row with Mrs. Tuttle ensued,
which resulted in the girl being put out on
the street at night with her trunk. She
said the other girls were also anxious to get
away from Mrs. Tuttle, and were so sit
uated that they could not. Speaking further
of her experience, she said Mrs. Tuttle
compelled her girls to lie to possible GUS
toners as to the circumstances inducing
them to bookselling for living
Superintendent Weir's sympathies were
aroused by the Young woman's story and he
promised that if he could, legally, he would
drive Mrs. Tuttle from the city He pro-
cured transportation for Mrs. Woods and
she started for Louisville last night
Mrs. Tuttle was seen at her boarding
house, No. 5O6 Penn avenue, last night.
She positively denied Mrs. Woods story.
81 am supporting an invalid husband" she
said, 'and have three girls working for me
under contract Mrs. Woods was the fourth.
One of them lives in Pittsburg and you can
see the others" The reporter was intro
duced to two young women, one of
whom is cripple who moves on
crutches and the other bu1om, but plain
looking, girl OF about 20. Both seemed
very affectionate with Mrs. Tuttle, denied
the stories told by Mrs. Woods and de-
clared they were happy, prosperous and
contented in their work. Mrs. TuttIe said
she brought Mrs. Woods from Louisville
where her young husband was out of en-
ployment and she was glad to come. Since
then she had grown homesick and desired
% return to Louisville, and on Mrs. Tuttle
refusing to release her caused a scene, left
the house and went to the police headquar-
ters as stated above.
Superintendent Weir was very indignant
last night at the conduct of Mrs. Tuttle, the
girls employer. He questioned whether
her methods of doing business could not be
considered violation of the law.
He said Mrs. Tuttle's method was to in
sert an alluring advertisement in a paper in
any city some hundreds of miles from this
one, and which advertisement was largely
one of Misrepresentation. She received an
answer and at once forwarded money to ray
their fare here and on their arrival paid
their board. In this way the girls got into
her debt, and she was not anxious to have
them get out of it. Once the girl got here,
without money and without friends, she
had hard row to hoe, and many tempta-
tions were thrown in her way.