The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-12-16
A RRAyE WOMAN.
Came From Scotland With Five
Children.

All Under Fourteen Years of Age-To seel
for Her Lost Husband-ssIts Like oo,x.
ing for Needle in a Hay Gelt.. sh.
Said.
Imagine yourself a woman, 50 wears
old, living in the north of Scotland.
with five small children, all less than u
years of age, and with sailor husband
who had sailed away from home over II
months ago and from whom you had re.
months ago, and stated that he was in
Cleveland, Ohio.
Imagine yourself leaving home and
parents and relatives, and starting across
the ocean, alone with the five Children.
and scant resources, in the desperate hone
of finding this husband, who had beer
silent for IA months and who was some
where on another continent.
Imagine all this and ask yourself ii you
wouldn't consider that great deal OF
cause was requisite for such an under
taking.
When this question was asked Mrs.
Jamesina Williamson, in the police lodg-
ing room yesterday, she didn't seem to
think that she had done anything partic-
ularly unusual or brave. She said in her
broad Scotch brogue, that hundreds of
women come across the ocean to ind
their lost husbands, and with families of
little children also.
Her story is as follows: She reached
Quebec from her home in Coithnesshire,
Scotland, about three months ago. She
went straight to Cleveland and finally
got some trace of hen husband, She
found men who had seen him and one
thought he had gone to Boston and ship
ped there for South Africa.
The brave little woman, with her five
little children started for Boston, She
had been earning her living in Cleveland
by washing and house work. She work
ed her way to Boston by stopping at
many places on the way and earning
enough money to get a little farther.
Arrived in Boston, after three weeks
from Cleveland, she found no trace of her
husband and determined to come down
to Portland as a better place in which to
earn a living.
They reached the Union station late
Saturday night and stayed there till
Sunday morning. Agent Whitney found
them and kindly furnished them with a
breakfast. Soon after Officer Joness at
tention was called to them and he adj
vised her to 70 to the police station, since
she refused to go to the almshouse. They
came to the police station by the electric
cars and were given accommodation i'll
the small lodging room where they passed
last night
Mrs. Williamson is short and strongly
built. Her face is rather irregular in
feature but full of courage and determ in
alton and plenty of kindliness as we'll
When asked what she thought about
her husbands disappearance, she said, 81
donna ken what ter think. [ don'i
think at all. I've done thinking. I've
thought till it's made me sick. He may
be dead or he may have done something
that makes him wish to keep away from
me-
w hen asked what she should do here
she said II shall do the best 1 can fol
myself. What more can | do"
She said that she had five dollars and
should hire a rent with that today ani
then she should look for work. Hel
Oldest child is a well grown girl of l.
years. She said that she was grea1
help also that her boy. IL years old, is O
much assistance
The other three, all boys, are age6
seven years four years and one year, ant
eight months. The baby is a red checked
lively little fellow, Very large and ACTIVE
for his age. All the children are wei.
and warmly dressed and plump and heal
thy. Their mother referred to this fac
as being apparently al. that she coult
ask for :, except to find her husband. Al
to the feeding and clothing of her chill
dren, she seemed to have no doubt o.
her ability to provide for them.
If anybody who reads this account OF
this brave and caring and unfortunat,
little Scotch mother has any opportun
ity to assist her by providing an oppor
tunity for work, they will be helping
those who are in every way worthy O
such assistance