The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-10-04

ana asked tOT a I1Bnl toub-
ing. One wore a red waist and polka
dotted dress. the other was in plain prox-
limo white. They did not carry all the
marks Of every town between here and
Chicago about them, but near II. They
were travel-stained. with that stain of
travel which comes TO those who go by
the box-car route. And yet in way
they had the appearance of attempted
tidiness. but the odds were too heavy
against them.
The names given were Camilla Hansen
and Betsey Cody. Camilla is large,
homely Swede; Betsey is not so homely.
but is more youthful. and still has
chance. She is German. The tale told
by the young women is a startling one.
The two are tramps; they are feminine
hungry Hawkinses, with all the attri-
butes of a successful and painstaking
tramp. From the story related to the
superintendent they have had about ev-
cry experience which comes to the idle
male tourist, from sleeping in outhouses
and robbing melon patches 10 riding on
freight cars and washing their clothes
wherever overtaken by water.
Two weeks ago Thursday. according 20
the story told by Betscy Cody. they
started out from Chicago to get TO Pine
Ridge Agency S. D., where Betsey as
serts she has n brother who owns farm.
They had been beset by invitations 10
desert the path OF rectitudo I'm Chicago,
and the great city was a little too wicked
for them. so they started FOR the free
sand hills Of the West. where even home
~ virtue l. appreciated. Their first idea
Of Pine Ridge Agency. they freely ac-
"a
course with the cowboys and Indians of
Buffalo Bins wild west show and when
the happiness of life on the plains was
fully made known TO them by one OF the
Indians. who made violent and utterly
uncallcd-fur love 10 Camilla, they re-
called the fact that Bctstys brother re-
sides there. and set out 10 fcach nm
They started east. and arrived NJ liam
mond, Ind. before learning that Pine
Ridge lay about $4,000 miles Ia another
direction, and. being furnished map
by an accommodating agent at that
point, they retraced their way as far as
Willow Springs. whore the station agent
befriended them by putting them In a
box car which carried them TO Streator.
Just before reaching Streator brake
man entered their box car Eden, and
made remarks not suited 10 their pres
ence. whereat they fled from the train
while still I'm motion, fortunately getting
stoop In streator. and a friendly young
woman came out and gave them piece
OF carpet for blanket. The next morn
ing, after washing their faces az a ny
drant. they were ready 10 combat with
the world.
I'VE managed to get on a coal car
which had two hand cars I'm II" Betsey
said In relating their adventures. by
and by a brakeman came along and
wanted money from us. We had none
got of as soon as the train stopped at
the next station. La Rose. There was
no train for the West, no freight train
until evening. and so we walked down
10 Willard and on the way struck
farmhouse for something to eat and got
the run. We got some corn out OF A
field and ate II for supper. We slept in
an clubhouse that night and the next
morning got on a freight car Just be-
hind the engine where the sparks and
smoke nearly killed us. The men saw
MS and told us we could ride in the
way car. so we went back there. At
Chillicothe we had to walk. and we
walked across the five-mile bridge there.
In the middle She" indicating her COM
panion, got dizzy and dropped our bum
dies of clothes, and / had to boost her
all the way over the water. When we
got across the river we were still on
long trestle and below us there were
people in tents camping out. They
called to us and told us il was danger
Gus for us to be up there, as the trains
would come and run over us. So we
climbed down the beams and took break
fast with them. They gave us stuff to
cook and she cooked it, Then we climbed
back on the bridge, and hadn't hardly
started before a train came along, and
we had TO climb down and hang onto
the timbers till it had passed over US.
II was awful scary there, hanging with
the train running overhead and a long
way down to the solid ground"
A friendly policeman at Chillicothe
helped the girls To find shelter i'm a cheap
lodging house, he going good" for them.
The next day they set out on foot for
Peoria and outside the town they came
upon man driving a team. They asked
for and secured permission to ride with
him and had a great time, stopping
once to gather in a few watermelons
which were growing in a neighboring
patch. "rhey made us sick. though"
Betsey acknowledged in confessing at
Camillas suggestion, an overfeed of
watermelon. But we got over it, and
at Peoria we struck the salvation army
and were taken in by a woman soldier.
who gave us something to eat. From
Peoria we took a box car to Galesburg,
and from there we had the luck to strike
a freight train, and rode in another box
car all the way to Creston. in Iowa. We
didn't have TO make so many stops I'm
Iowa, but came right on in a car to
Pacific Junction and walked from there
over to the town with the big bridge"
"Plattsmouth," said Camilla.
YES Plattsmouth. We started to
walk across, but a man sent us back
and we had to walk clear up to Council
Bluffs A farm woman on the way
gave us something to eat and asked us
IL we were Christians, and we said yes,
and she fixed us up a nice meal. She
was the first woman to do that. The
others nearly always set the dog on us
or told us they would, which was just
the same. When we got to Council
Bluffs woman told us we could not
get across TO Omaha till we paid our
fare. and after awhile she gave us 10
cents apiece and we came over. We got
here the circus day, and have seen sew
eral people, but couldn't get any work.
A woman who sells horseradish on N.
Twenty-second-st. took US in, and we
were told to come here"
And what is the program now?"
eve are bound for South Dakota. If
we could get work here we would stay,
but we can't"
The desire of the girls to embark on a
life of toll in Omaha is not great, judg-
ing from their refusal to perform the
duties asked of them by the rescue
home people. They declined. but said
that IL they did strike good job they
would cheerfully send the money for
their lodging and meals. On the whole,
they say they guess they will not stop
here long but will press on over the
Elkhorn TO Pine Ridge Agency.
The girls are remarkably intelligent
and quick-witted for persons of their
class. and their story Is told with a de-