The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-18
THREE GIRLS ESCAPE FROM THE
HOUSE OF THE GOOD
SHEPHERD.
DISPLACED A BIG IRON BAR.
SHOOK 1T AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY
UNTIL FINALLY 1T BECAME
LOOSENED.
WENT TO ONE OF THEIR HOMES.
They Refuse to Return to the Insti-
tuition, Although Strongly
Urged to- Do So.

Three little maids-not from school,
but from the House of the Good Shep-
herd. They escaped Thursday night.
Even as love laughs at locksmithS, So
these three girls smiled at great big
iron bar in a basement window that
seemed to defy their egress. For they
had worked" that bar Systematically
for two months and loosened it from
its fastenings. They knew it stood for
nothing. They only awaited the
chance to gently move it aside and be
free The opportunity came, Thursday
evening just after vespers. One by
one, by means of various expedients,
the girls managed to get down to the
basement They wore no, hats, hut
they had their hats with them, though
not sister who saw them saw the
hats. The mysteries of skirts ard Pins
are infinite. The three met in the
basement. The big iron bar was push
ed aside. Three girls sprang out, ran
| down the enclosed yard, scaled the
barbed wire device enclosing it, and
put for University avenue. They were
| missed soon after, but they had too
previous a start.
Such, in brief, is the story Of the
escape of Emma Gotta, Jennie Purdee
and Jennie Norman from the House of
Good Shepherd. Emma is nineteen
years old, Jennie Purdee eighteen
and Jennie Norman, eighteen. Emma
has been sojourning at the institution
for eighteen months, Jennie 'urdee
has lived there for fifteen months,
while Jennie Norman knows very
nook and corner of the resort dis thor
Oughly as two years residence there
in would imply All three found life
monotonous there after the novelty
had worn off, which it did very seen
after their arrival. Charmingly Iocat-
ed as this institution is, commanding
a fine view of the green meadows sur
rounding it, imposing as is it's exterior,
the girls say, there is a relentless rou-
tine of washing, ironing and scrub5ing
peculiar to the interior that some OF
its inmates do not relish. Emma and
her two girl friends could not and
would not abide It.
With nothing on earth in their minis
but the sole thought of putting space
between themselves and the House Of
the Good Shepherd, the three girls fed
across lots to University avenue.
Reaching this thoroughfare, they
paused for an instant to see if they
were pursued. They were not, and
had they not been out of breath, they
would have heaved signs of relief on
the spot. Not a pursuing skirt could
be heard f1uttering in the distance.
So the feminine trio hurried along Uni
Versity avenue towards town.
They knew where they were going
One of. the girls, Jennie Norman had
folks" in the city They were her
the West side, near the corner of Fill
more and Robertson streets. Thither
they hied them, and there they
brought up about $50 o'clock. The
| folks were at home.
They were somewhat surprised to
see Jennie. They were astonished TO
behold her companions. But they well
coined all three, and lodged them that
night.
Yesterday there were developments.
In the afternoon a modest looking rig
drove up in front of the central police
station, and two sisters from the
House of the Good Shepherd alighted
They told their story to Chief Goss
| Three girls had escaped from the Good
Shepherd the night before. Would the
police try to find them. One of them
was Jennie Norman, who lived on the
West side. Chief Goss detailed officer
Calvin to go to Mr.. Norman's house.
The sisters also went.
When they arrived, there was
scene. The girls were still there. The
sisters wanted them to go back to the
House of the Good Shepherd. The
girls declared they would never 60
Jennie Norman was in her own home
and vowed she would stay there.
Emma Gotta said she had not rur
away for fun. Officer Calvin said
something about calling a wagon.
Miss Gotta, her black eyes flashing fire,
dared him to call any quantity Of
wagons. The sisters then drove away
Finally Miss Gotta and Jennie Purdee
were induced to go with Officer Calvin
! over to the central station. though they
! refused to ride over even in a street
| car, fearing some trick.
Arriving al the central station, Chief
Goss instructed Matron Cummings to
take the girls to her apartments adj
joining the station, and care for them
over night At the same time the chief
informed the officer in charge of the
station that the girls could not be held
or deprived of their liberty, as the au-
thorities had no authority to commit
or remand the girls to the House of the
Good Shepherd.
At o'clock, Jailer Harris called upon
Matron Cummings and took Jennie
Purdee to his house. where Mrs. Har-
ris will give her berth and something
to do.
When a reporter for the G o b e
called at the matron's apartments last
night Miss Gotta was seated in a rock
ing chair, with her feet on stool, but
so muff1ed up as to conceal them from
view. A picturesque young lady is
Miss Gotta with a profusion of wavy
4 IL i
olive complexion-plainly a French girl.
| AS it turned out her French was her
| fortune, though she spoke English free
! ly. She was readily induced to talk,
and she told this story, though in q
! disconnected fashion:
| I'VE girls got out last night. We had been
! trying to do it for more than two months.
| had been in there for a year and a hall,
| Jennie Purdee was there over a year and
| Jennie Norman has been in for two years.
made US work awful hard washing, ironing
| and scrubbing When 1 went there year
ago last winter. they told I'd be let out
| when I was IS, and I was Is year ago.
! I used to live in Little Falls, and 1 came
! down here because 1 couldn't stay at home
! with my step-mother Papa works on rail-
| roads and he is away from home a great
deal. They wanted to put, me in the Fran
| ciscan convent at Grand Forks, but
| wouldn't go there, so l came down here. At
| ter I'd been in the Good Shepherd until I
| was IS, 1 asked the sisters to let me out, but
| they said l was better off there and that
| If / was let out I'd go to the bad. They
| talked the same way to Jennie Purdee and
/ Jennie Norman
How did you manage to escape?"
| Emma displayed a row of white teeth and
| went on. well, we made it all up between
| ourselves quite a while ago. You see, Jen-
ME Purdee could talk French well as
me. and we talked il. all oyer and fixed up
| way without the sisters knowing it. We
| noticed one of the bars on window in the
| basement was little loose, SO every time
| any of US got a chance to go in there we'd