The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-09
SWEET PURITAN MAIDS
Wanted by the Lonesome Bache-
lOrs of the Cherokee Strip.
An Agent on His Way TO Boston for Two
Carloads of "A1 Class Girls. Pure
New England Stock"

WASHINGTON, Feb. s. - Absence OF
women in suddenly settled Western cities,
and women out of employment through
hard times in the East have combined to
set on foot a unique enterprise. Tn town
of Ponca, in the Cherokee strip recently
opened, is suffering for want OF a due pro-
portion of the gentler sex. Recently the
citizens had a meeting to consider the mat
ter, most of them being young men, ana
after much discussion. and partly upon the
suggestion Of the few already present, 1t
was decided to send an agent East 10 at
tempt to supply the want
MIR. Oscar Miles was chosen for the deli
cate mission. On his way East he was
interviewed by a Washington Star CORE
spondent, and made the following highly
interesting and entertaining statement: Il
am going East" said he, 'for two car
loads of women for our town. We need
'em, and need 'em bad. We want them TO
wash our dishes, mend our clothes. wash
our shirts. sew on our buttons. and. gen.
erall speaking, to make life endurable in
our town. You see. it's this way: We've
got a regular woman famine, that's what's
the trouble.
IL do not pretend TO explain how it hap
pened that Ponca City was settled nearly
altogether by bachelors; but that is prac-
tically the case. 1t is a coincidence, / sup
pose. AT any rate, there is not more than
one woman to every twenty men in our
town, and they are generally women who
have their household duties TO keep them
busy. We want women TO work, as j have
told you To us this is m laughing mat
ter, land L will venture TO say that no man
ever visited Boston on a more serious mis-
sion than that which i am going on. We
are actually in need of from 100 TO $50 more
women in our town, and / am authorized
TO offer inducements that VIII bring them
there. We won't give EN- a house and lot
to start in on or anything of that kind.
but we will guarantee them work at good
wages.
I'll tell you. We might possibly get some
in Kansas City that would suit us, but in
Chicago we could not do much. We can
vassed that thoroughly before 1 left home,
and concluded that ii was best 10 go dr.
rect to Boston. The fact is. we want an Al
class of girls, pure New England stock.
TO be candid with you, sir, We are going
after these women with a view to marry
with them. l am confident that many of
them Will have offers of marriage before
they are ten days I'm Ponca. The fact is,
L have six special orders for girls. Three
are for blondes not more than nineteen and
puritanS; two are for German-American
girls and one Is for a widow of thirty.
OF course, If l I'LL these orders at all il
Will be as a friend to those who want the
girls, and not as a representative of Ponca.
L have the pictures of the young men who
gave me these orders in my valise to show
10 the girls should find any to suit them
Who are willing to come to Ponca. L under
stand that many Of the factories Of New
England are closed. and that il will be a
very easy matter to get a choice lot of
young women who are willing TO come TO
the West on such inducements as / am am
thorized to offer them"