The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-23
HUSTLING WOMEN, THESE.
THE RAILROAD MRS. RIKERT rs
BUILDING IN CALEDONIA.

Miss JckyIi-IHydo or san Frnnclsco-vide-
awake shcpherdesses or wnshinEton-Mrs.
wriRht's Husbnnds--women who Rout-
cd Men-Miss eastman. Mining Expert.
Los ANGELES, Jan. ia woman is building
a railroad in Tuolumne county. Cal. She Is
Mrs. Annie Kline Rikert. and before she took to
railroad building she was a prospector and
miner. She discovered tho Calico silver mines
in San Bcrnardino county and the Pine Bltnco.
the Orc Madrc, and other gold prop
critics In Tuolumne county. In this lat
ter region she WINS q number of min
ing properties which her railroad will
make valuable. When she began operations
many people said the road could not be built
because the route lay through a rough, noun
famous country covered with forests. Mrs.
Rikert let them talk while she hustled about,
organized her company, set surveyors and en-
gineers at work. and let her contracts. Now
the San Joaquin and Tuolumne Railroad is in
actual process Of construction. Mrs. Rikert
is President of the company and Miss Maggie
Brainerd Is its Treasurer. Four Of the six d.
rectors are women.
Mrs. Rikert spends part of her time In the
offices Of the road In San Francisco and part at
the scene of operations. Mounted on her pony
she rides down tho line and supervises the work.
The road Is to be an independent line" she
says, and we are building it because we be-
lievo that the people will patronize it, and that
1t will DO q paying investment. I knew Tuo-
lumne county must have a railroad, and l felt
sure that II one were built it would pay. I took
a compass and a six-shooter and started ON
horseback over what l thought would be tho
best route for tho road. and eventually made q
preliminary survey from Summersville to Stock.
ton. No: there were no hardships in any
thing that l did. I have always been
used to exploring tho mountains. I have been
engaged In mining for the last sixteen years.
and l can ride and shoot as well as most men. l
suppose I am stronger physically and have more
endurance than most men who have not lived
outdoor lives. l have been accustomed for the
last twenty years to conducting business enter
prises. Therefore you Will understand that
projecting and building a railroad did not look
to me as It would to a woman WHO had always
called feminine occupations. And 1 see no rea-
paid t9 this enterprise than there would be If it
A feminine Jekyll and Hyde has been evolved
by q business house in San Francisco, whose
bookkeoper, a pretty and Woodworking young
woman. took to running about o nights and
spending money fo9lishly. Just as If she were a
eral years and possessed the entire confidence of
paid to women accountants. She was devoted
to her work. apparently. and was always on
bright, modest and pretty. She worked care
fully and attentively all day.
But In some way the suspicious of her en-
ployer5 were aroused. and they sent out de-
%tectives. who found that tho model young book
Keeper was Leading q double life with such skill
her identity in the other. All along the Tender
loin she was known, under another name.
was always jolly and had plenty Of money to
spend. She played the races, mostly through an
81 one Of III her p' Taeo:t H%s FFG "ssoe ia UaeN Wien VI nof tho
inevitable day Of disclosure came she offered to
books. but did not deny or show regret for the
saint.and.sinner sort of life she had been living.
in Klickitat county. Wash, have turned a neat
DIT OF money as tho reward of having business
Mckinney Iieg W Ve,"e ele ssaapn tb rgpp reioIeed cr MhSn
and. being sure that Q few months more would
bringing high prices, they got together 81 $40
and last spring bought u band OF sheep. Then
they hired a sheep herder and sent their flock
live stock before the winter should make neccs-
Maned they began TO look about for purchasers.
They made three separate sales. receiving for
the last sheep before the cold and wet winter
weather began; and Melted on tho whole enter
money in q little more than six months. Which
shows that the modern 30 Peep Is a much wiser
Mrs. jennie Wright of Heading has y" had a
rather remarkable experience with matrimony.
She has had five husbands. and was on the point
Of taking u sixth when she became convinced
that he did not love her for herself alone. and
she forthwith had him arrested for grand larceny.
Mrs. Wright ~ still less than 40 years OF age,
slight in figure, good looking. and sprightly OF
manner. Her first husband died soon after the
wedding, tho second ran away with another wo-
man. from the third she obtained II divorce
on the ground of cruelty, the fourth got hold of
most OF her property and then absconded, and
the fifth deserted her ton days after marriage.
She thinks she has been very unfortunate In the
matter of husbands. but she has not lost faith in
mankind, and still thinks there arc better fish
In the sea than any she has yet caught.
A Los Angeles woman, alone and with no
weapons but hor tongue and her rocking chair.
routed six men and a big corporation TO boot.
An electric light company wanted to plant ono
of its poles In front OF Mrs. Multhauf's house,
and Mrs. Multhnuf didn't want tho pole there.
Six stalwart men. employees oil the lighting
company. dug the hole directly In front OF her
house, after She had objected and warned them
away with all the yigor and force of which her
tongue was capable. Whom they had finished
the hole she made another onslaught, sudden
and unexpected. while they were preparing TO
put In the pole, and the men, taken aback. hesi-
lated for n moment. She took advantage
of the breach she had made and rushed
to the front with two boards and a
rocking chair. She rooted the hole with boards
and planted herself thereon in the rocker, and
with folded hands calmly told the six men that
they didn't dare attack her. She was quito
right. They didn't. They hung around at a
discreet distance nearly the whole day, while
Mrs. Multhauf sat and rocked and rlared mr.