The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
BEHOLDTHE NEW WOMAN!
MARY MARYLAND FICKRBLL, DEN-
YER,s CARNAGE CONTRACTOR.

DESvER. March 1e.-Mrs. Mary Maryland
Pickrell, the new garbage contractor for
The city of Denver. Ia not a professional poll
tician. She belongs to no club on Capitol
uill, has never taken part In politics, even
when II was the hobby OF Denver women. and
until she secured the offlce OF Garbage Com
missioner was absolutely unknown In the
city outside u small circle OF acquaintanccs.
But Mrs. Mary Maryland Pickrell is a true
American. and illustrates In a remarkable
manner the qualities OF the native stock. II
has been suggested that had she lived In Revo-
lutionary times she would have eclipsed the
deeds of Moll Pitcher. Here Is the story OF
her evolution:
II was born In Arkansas on a farm near Hot
Springs" abe replied to n request for infor-
nation, land I can remember nothing but
days Of hard work. I worked like n horse I'M
I'll / was 10 years old. Then | eloped. Ore day
while I was at work in a field IN my bare feet.
ploughing away. along came a Northern man
who saw me and Immediately fell In love. !
was as wild a looking chit OF a girl as you
could see, and not particularly handsome, l
guess. His name was Francis Maryland Pick
rell., and something OF n sport, but OF good
family. Well, he talked TO me q while, and
wound up by asking me to run away with him.
I was caught with the notiou-ho was q sol
der in the war and u fine one-and so we hit
the pike late in the afternoon. Before my
folks got after us. we had walked to Little
Rock and got married.
ut was a good thing for Frank they didn't
catch us before we saw the preacher. IL was
the custom In those days to hang a fellow for
running away with a girl. especially II he was
a Northern man. II was all right after the
marriage usually, but II they caught the fel.
low before the was performed, he
went up the nearest tree without having TO do
any climbing. Stealing n girl was looked at
Just the same as stealing a horse. and they al
ways hung horse thieves down in my country
when l was a yoL.g one.
Frank and | ware happy In Arkansas for
two years, and then we came to Denver. He
got sick here. and do you know | had to go
to work for a Niger In a laundry In order to
support him. Tough2 Well. l guess you
never liy ed down South.
After that It was an easy thing for me to
take a job in Ed Chase'Sold Palace Theatre.
where there was more money and less hard
work about it. l was handy with a gun, and
hit a beer bottle at a hundred PAGES every
time. In the theatre / did a club swinging act,
and used to he the heroine in the wild West
dramas. l used to swing the revolver or rifle
when the redskins attacked the lone settlers
cabin. liked tho excitement Of the stage
for a time. and Frank made good money dur
INK Unht tlllC boo. 1" = OOch
air and the green grass and the farm life. so
we retired from the boards and bought II ranch
In south Denver. Our stock increased after a
while and we got another ranch near Sedalia,
in Douglass county. My husband died five
years ago. and ever since ! have been running
the two ranches and a boarding house on Ara
pahoe street. l had but two children, and they
both died. l have been a very busy woman,
but, thank the Lord. | keep my health and
have plenty of strength yet. Down ut scdalia
/ stack all the hay mvself and run the moving
machine and hay rake. don't care to trust
that kind of work to hired men, they are so
shiftless. l do a good deal of ploughing also,
and when we were putting up the outhouses /
bought all the lumber and hauled 1t from Dem
YER to the ranch.
1T makes me laugh sometimes to think how
my theatrical accomplishments occasionally
come in handy. You see, 1 learned to box
quite skilfully, and that accomplishment came
in good play one time. Soon after my hus-
band died an EnElishman living near me IN
Douglass county lost a plough and suspected
that l had secreted It somewhere about my
premises. So he got the Sheriff TO search my
place. Never mind who the Sheriff was: he's
dead now, but he should have died before he
was elected. for he was no good. Well, they
hunted high and low on my ranch for that
plough. breaking into closets and everything.
1t made me tired. so l said to that English man:
IF YOU don't find that plough here I'm GO
ing to give you the darndest licking you ever
got when saol you e get through ugh hunt hunting g for Or. IL sh.r,,
closer. OF course. they didn't find the plough,
and then l asked the Sheriff to get off the place
walked oil together. 1 followed the English:
Rim d TO ms isto oV tine y snd sew Wren he's ii he anne H1rs s sD Saii
ing out I pitched into him. Every time ! hit
amy h1g m me H5o I ? Ist go SH % h Mnsn II Ho T s%fG a ass sss ard
that ! Used I Tn1e sHmdl slt e m MINI ss Sst t TSt
have been warm friends ever since. II was
my only trouble on the ranch, but the Lord
as a garbage contractor; Last year. you re-.
put 10 a bid for that work because it had for.
nerly gone to political shysters AT exorbitant
Graham wanted It.. The thing set me to think.
ing, and l concluded 20 make a try for 1t this
Y,s r. so GraG Il PoF ss sss shs e ' %on 595 s9 TGas z m %Ry
| got the Job: l underbid everybody. This is n
reform administration. and how was that for
Making money out of the job? Not much,
though hayen't lost anything YET yet; Last .isi week
and I'm dead tired OF paying ont money for
reduced. and you 30. how we'll 1 am succeeding
in my department,
'SlnCe taxing nOlu OF TINS lOD I've Eot Stuck
on the garbage business. and I'm going to make
a study. of u. You see ! have no children nor
husband 10 look after and 10 keep me at home,
and all the winter chores are out OF the way,
so | have plenty of time. What ] want To do
Is TO keep Denver cleaner of garbage than H.
ever was before. My work has been mighty
hard at first. because the hog men, who have
been running about the city picking up what
ever they chose and leaving what they did not
want, have been causing me trouble. That
man Boyer. who called n meeting the other
night to protest against my regulations, thinks
he's going to run my offics, but he'll find out
his mistake before I'm done with him. His
hog meeting the other night didn't amount TO
ANYTHING. He got only seven hog men 70 stand
got and Fell my lsIt head Of stock IL, trying TO
bring every mothers son of them to time. I'm
going 10 send East for "A garbage consumer and
burn every scrap Of swill and food otral in the
city. II | can't do anything else. before I'll let
those fellows defy me. There's plenty Of poor
land about here, and burned garbage makes IA
boss fertilizer.
Here's how I've fixed 1t. Anybody owning
a hog ranch near the city can apply to mo for
a permit 10 collect garbage for his hogs. |
charge SIS for the right 10 gather as much gar