The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-30
.HUSTLING WOMEN, THESE.
THE RAILROAD MRS RIKERT is
BUILDING IN CALIFORNIA.

Wide-awake shepherdesses of
WRshinEton=Mrs, Wright's Hus-
bands-W omen who Routed Men.
Miss eastman, Mining Expert
Los Angeles letter in New York sun.
woman is building a railroad in Tue
lumne county, Cal. She is Mrs. Annie
Kline Rikert, and before she took to rail-
road building she was a prospector and
miner. She discovered the Calico silver
mines in San Bernardno county and the
Pine Blanco, the Orc Marie, and other g I'D
properties in Tuolumne county. In this
latter region she owns a 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, mountainous country covered with
forests Mrs RfIiert let them talk while
she hustled about organized her company,
set surveyors and engineers at work, and
let her contracts. Now the San JOAQUIN
and Tuolunane Railroad is in actual pro
cess of construction Mrs. Rikert is presi-
dent of tAeFc company and Miss Maggie
I Brainerd Is its treasurer. Four of the six
directors are women.
Mrs. Rikert spends part of her tine in
the Offices Of TIE road IN san Frane'sco
and part [ the scene OF operations. MONT
ed on her pony she rides down the line
and supervises the work.
THE road Is TO be an Independent lne'
she says, and we are building il because
we believe that the peppe2will patron.ze
it, apd thatft Ivfifsbe Aapaying investment.
| knew Tuolumhe county must have rail-
road, and l felt sure that if one were built
il would pay. | took a compass and a six
shooter and started on horseback over
what / thought would be the best route
for the road, and eventually made a pre-
liminary survey from Summersville 10
Stockton. No; there were no hardships in
anything that 1 did. l have always been
used TO exploring the mountains, have
been engaged in min ng for the last sixteen
years, and | can ride and shoot well
as most men. | suppose am stronger ply
sically and have more endurance than most
men who have not lived outdoor lives.
have been accustomed for the last twenty
years to conducting business enterprises.
Therefore you will understand that pro-
jecting and building railroad did not look
to me as it would to woman who had al
ways lived indoors and busied herself with
the so-called feminine occupations And l
see no reason why there should be any
more attention paid to this enterprise than
there would be if it were the work of
men"
feminine Jekyl and Hyde has been
evolved by a business house in San Fran
| cisco. whose bookkeeDer, pretty and
Woodworking young woman, took to run
ming about o. nights and spending money
| foolishy, just as if she were man. She
| had worked for the same firm for several
Il nd hp
Of it's memheFs.1s She was an expert book
| keeper, and received a larger salary than
| is usually paid 10 women accountants. She
was devoted to her work apparently, and
| was always on hand in the morning,
! promptly on lime. fresh, bright, modest
| and pretty. She worked carefully and at
| tentiyely all day.
But in some way the suspicious OF her
| employers were aroused, and they sent
| out detectives, who found that the model
| young bookkeepery WAS leading a double
| life with such skill that her associates
In neither side of it knew of her identity
| in the other AL along the Tenderloin
she was known, under another name. sew
/ eral names in fact as a pay companion,
/ who was always jolly and had plenty OF
money to spend She played the races.
mostly through an agent and poured out
money TO back the horses of one of her
! race-track associates. When the inevita-
! bic day OF disclosure came she offered to
| make good any shortage there might be
! on the boolxs but did not deny or show
/ regret for the saint-and- sort of life
| she had been living.
| Two young women named Kenway who
! live in Klichitat county, Washington. have
! turned a neat bit of money as the reward
| Of having business sense and being stanca
| Republicans. When Mckinley was elect
| ed they reiotced greatly, and, being sure
that few months more would see pro-
| teetive tariff IN Operation and wool bring
! ing high prices they got together 81, $40
| and last sprng bought band of sheep.
| Then they hired a sheep herder and sent
! their flock off to the hills to Craze on free
/ grass during the summer planning to sell
their newly acquired live stock kslore the
| winter should make necessary expensive
| care and feeding. As the summer waned
| they began to look about for purchasers
| They made three separate sales, receiving
for their sheep a total of 81 4s0. They dis
! posed of The last sheep before the cold
| and wet winter weather began, and netted
on the whole enterprise just $780, That
/ is, they trebled their money in little
more than six months. Which shows that
! the modern Bo-Peep is a much wiser per-
| son than she was I'm Mother Goose's time
Mrs Jennie Wright of Reddng has
| had rather remarkable experience with
matrimony. She has had five husbands
! and was on the point OF taking a sixth
| when she became convinced that he did
| not love her for herself alone and she
| forwith had him arrested for grand lar
| ceny. Mrs. Wright is still less than 40
years of age, slight in figure, cookbook
! ing and sprghuy of manner. Her first
| husband died soon after |. wedding the
second ran away with anOdher woman.
| from the third shesobtained a divorce on
the ground of cruelty. the fourth got hold
Of most of her property and then alb
seconded and the fifth deserted her ten days
after marriage. She thinks she has been
very unfortunate in the matter of hus-.
bands, but she has not lost faith In man
kind. and still thinks there are better fish
IN the sea than any she has yet caught.