The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-10
TOPEKA'S QUEEN OF LABOR
THE CIGARETTE GIRL OYER WHOM
KANSAS WENT Wild.

AN~H'aH'' VI FhtHN buUh NUtutNs VINO Was
snubbrd rs tho Arisiocrncy OF Knnsns City,
ana Thercnpon WIS Made the subject of an
Extraordinary Ovation IN hnnsns-honors
Henped Ipon Her bS officials aud the Pablo.
A Missouri cigarette girl made q triumphal
cntry into Topeka. Kan, tho other day. A
special train carried hor. brass bands salutod
her, tho Governor welcomed her. and thousands
of people chcercd her until they were hoarso
The story f. like n fairy tale.
Several weeks ago kansas City, Mo-, decided
to have n flower cnrniN n under tho patronage
OF fashionable people. There was to be a queen
of the carnival, attended by maids OF honor,
and neighborinT citicR were invited to select
some pretty and popular girl to represent them
in this retlnuc. In Chillicotho the leading can.
didatc was Miss Edna Whitney. an attractive
girl who supports her mother aud sister by
working in n cigarette factory. She belonged to
various church societies and social clubs, and
was finally chosen TO be the Cnilllcothe maid OF
honor Mt the Kansas City carnival. Everybody
congratulated her and hoped that it would be
an experience which she would long remember.
This hope has been realized beyond my ones
fondest anticipations. Miss Whitney will doubt
loss remcmbcr the flower carnival and succeod-
ing events as long as she lives. In tho first
place she IL not likely to forget n brief commu-
nicntion which she soon received from a Mr..
Walter s. Halliwell. Mr.. Halliwell doubtless
: Shiis III ITO WY uTlElDCTdCy Is u yOunK
and tender flower. and he means to preserve 10
from rude winds. He sent a note TO Miss Whit
ney intimating. in the most careful terms. that
cigarette girls need not apply.
Mr.. Halliwc1 did not know that by those few
strokes of the pen he had II hievod fame for him
self and for the rejected cigarette girl. He soon
found. however, that H. had exploded the liveli,
est kind Of bomb. Naturally Miss Whitney's
rejection quickly became known in Chillicothe.
| Thu rnNA. nn nnra t-,ly 10 $500 a-l -,.., 49,
things got to the point where Miss Whitney
ceased to be simply a pretty cigarette girl. but
stood as the living representative of honest
labor. In her labor had been insul;ed, and, labor
determined to resent the insult.
At this point Topeka saw q chance to cover
herself with glory; There was TO be IL carnival
ASKING Miss " WhiineS Su to be shei ios guest 1s ' nnd To To
appear as the Queen OF Labor. kilograms of
R Rsa SJ nSSF sSi in amen ana S. s. ,o 66Spe &as su SsDr isSsS
toward the expenses OF the cigarette girl. A
special train was engaged to convey her from
centred around her coming.
" the appointed morning the special train.gay
brass band. Miss VIII ney and her mother held
dreds Of people 81 Shook eIe't them pn'ISS BY the fs'' hand nn% n and
c %,saed w them .s sodspssSd. ana Al The he T "a stations ions
a Presidential candldate. At last the train
Isi'iesi k Sir, Ha ilfy; tAe and home 'S Ss 's s]Sn hSiRisT,
Missouri aristocruts; 1t ~hap;ens that the
S thst there ltHe is runs a sd 5afiGqF iowh ,h of t i,sy ,s ans
name on the Ka s4s side OF that line. The off,
s srris al 1 81 the CUE Queen MOI or '2 }Ssor no b nG'i fsc 81 'e of
kansas City, Kan, made up for this lack Of at
, tse t nnioD also s,S,i S;"2 sDG other emp people IIsts sp, tn ,ssn, At
syhr@tS'as With Si hl9MiE 81. RE GMiifT that they did not
al, Kansas CisG Mo. MaySr Msrshman and the
other city officials Of Kansas CITY, Kan. we're
when a tall, well.built young woman dressed in
Whit White U veil 1 was e eseerpsd = by 5At Tie S Msyor ns to ap car =
riage; Nj. c; X: Holiday. Jr. Of Topeka fol:
labor: i dozen caSriases were quickly oceu.
pied, by the city officials, and then, led by TIL"
Of the naughty Mr.. Halllwell's city. At the
state line q company OF Kansas City. Kan, 10
State, after which there was an elaborate
luncheon, with to,sts and responses and enough
But It was a. Topek ans that neA the ! ne aear ouSsn;
G%iG&rette girl received the greatest ovation,
Fears Es,rF sse and h a Tesord. Ebis,,iEdi ro aro%d s surned
out to sec him, Bryan spoke there last lall and
dew dIow " th Ro1 that esiii I: even ,ss the e., HiEE gdssa
cigarette girl, to make OF these multitudes only
INSIGNIFICANT. back-pumber assemblages. There
were bands enough TO break any drought but
one in Kansas 4 they, had al! played at once,
and ont companies . Imsi ,S Of all deseriPtions had turned
march. and the people swarmed even to the
bands struck up "Hail to the Chief" not = a toos
could be heard. The roar Of cheers drowned
even the shriekins OF ncighboringf Glory whis-
tics, and when the Governor himself led Miss
whitney to a carriage pandemonium reigned.
Her progress became "A triutnphal procession.
The police had 10 fight the CROWDS TO keep them
from swarming after hCr carriage. and the streets
were almost blocked by the enthusiasts in ad.
vance. Some of the banners displayed showed
f Hnno INSTITUTIONS Ip ( 1ns as; "S We nsd, b bro Missouri n
kHnSnS. but We HID 10 Work for II ~ ' No
Royal Road to Honor-in Kansas Honest
TON Beats Norman Blood-in Kansas:'' The
Rejected Stone in Missouri Is the Head Of tho
Good~in Kansas True Hearts Are More
than Coronets-in Kansas" Sweet Are the
uses of Adyersity-in kansas Miss Whitney
to Labor and to Wait-for Kansas"
For more than an hour the procession wound
through niles OF shouting people: and when
installed rs queen of labor. Instead OF being
maid Of honor &" the queen Of the Kansas City
carnival she had a rctinne ~ her own with
attendants 10 serv, her. Throughout The week
che was the central figure at the celebration.
and when the principnl officers and State digni-
taries reviewed the paradcs and other features
among them; The girl who. a week before.
had been. unknown, outside OF the little town
where she lived had become the recipient
o. honors from those in high places, and OF un
tude. Tho story of Cinderella is not less wonder
ful. Whether Miss Whitney will nc sensible
her first insult and then an ovation remains to
he seen, II is scarcely probable that her expert
ence will ever DO repeated, and one can fancy
her. grown sonnet ine into an old woman re-
heGrsing 10 an eager circle the story of" When !
was queen OF labor at Topeka in the fall OF o.
Blow IT the ..sprluE" Chicken.
From the Nd'hrfIr American.