St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1898-04-16
NEW WORK FOR WOMEN.
The Odd Occupation OF Young
Woman in New York.

She Is what Might Appropriately BE
Termed an Accident Runner
!, PROFIT by others'
gf Injuries.
/ The unique occupation followed by
! young woman was disclosed the other
day in New York when there was an ac-
cident on the Broadway cable line. The
accident in itself was not especially
noteworthy; car that was rapidly.
rounding the Fourteenth street loop,
known, as dead Mans Curve" struck,
newsboy who was running across the
street and knocked him to the pave
ment, where he lay unconscious, his.
| head bleeding from cash cut by q
rough stone. The car stopped, and the
usual crowd Of curiousand sympathetic
onlookers gathered about the boy.
Soon young woman, with q busi-
ness-like air. and a tailor-made gown,
| pushed her way through the crowd
about the PROSTATE youngster. She
promptly took charge of the boy, d.
| rected that he be removed to nearby
I drug store, and sent man to ring in an
ambulance call. While this was being
| done she moved quickly through the
| crowd. pencil and notebook in hand.
| secured the names of half dozen per-
| sons who had witnessed the accident.
| jotted down the numbers of the con-
ductor and gripman, and made rough
| little. diagram Of the spot where the
accident had occurred--an before the
| car moved on in It's uptown journey.
Then she hurried back to the boy and
remained by him until his wound had
| been dressed, and he had been carried
| away home.
| Probably the most of those who OBJ
served the young woman's actions set
| her down as woman reporter, but ii
! so they were mistaken. Her name is
| Harriet Emerson, and she herself de-
scribes her occupation in thiswise:
"My interest in people who are
knocked down by street cars is caused
chiefly by business reasons, I assure
! you," she said, brightly. I'm what
4 you'd call a runners I suppose; al
I least that is what we used to call the
4 bows who did this work before began
it," Then, in answer to her listeners
bewildered look, she explained further:
4 'If you'll take the trouble to count
il them up in your newspaper some morn
II ing, you'll see there are great many
accidents Of one kind or another In
big city like New York every day
There are good many, too, that ars
never mentioned in the papers. Yor
probably know that If workman who
Il is injured by falling scaffoldfng, q
Il man has his foot cut off by trolley
car can prove that 1t was the fault o.
his employer, or the railway company
as the ease may be, the law permits hin
II TO collect damages for the injury done
i But perhaps you don't know that THU
branch of the legal business has be
come so extensive that it occupies th'
4 whole attention of several firms. It j
lucrative business, too, for juries arr
apt to give the injured person the ben
eft of the doubt.
sThis is what gave me my oppor
tunity. I made up my mind that
woman who knew just what wa
wanted, would have less difficulty il
getting the proper evidence than
Z street boy who knew nothing about II
I've been at this work for year now
and find that it pays me better than m,
former office employment as stenee
rapher. / do other things beside TAX
ing notes Of accidents, such as seryini
papers and collecting evidence for m,
firm, but most of my income is derives
! from such affairs as you have just seen
"of course, Z don't see all the acci
dents that happen, though good man,
more than you would think come nnde
my eyes, but I have good many way
of finding out about them quickly. Fo
/ instance, at most of the dangeroll
|, street crossings there are men wh
know me, and win send q tip to tn
office when there's a case on. Similar
a ly, I've made the acquaintance ofwork
men in the railroad yard and on som
) Of the big buildings. Iget percentag
on the fee from each case, and some
them net me as high as $50. ] don
4 have TO pick up many of.them to max
I fairly good living. dare sayEyo
. think its an odd occupation, butI lik
ii, and it's good work, too, for u
! wasn't for me many OF these poor cres
q lures, who are MANNED or injured b
! the carelessness Of others, would neve
\ get their rights. - Cincinnati Commel
; cial Tribune.
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