Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1899-09-08
A POLICE STORY.
REALISTIC INCIDENTS ATTACHED TO
ONE OF NEW Works. CHARITIES.


How the Idea OF the ssNight Rs fuge
For Friendless Women I'm New
York Was Born In the Heart OF
Woman.
Go into any station of busy police
precinct OF New York and on the wall,
py the side Of the sergeant's desk. is q
big placard announcing in fat black let
tering that the Night Refuge for Friend
less Women is to be found ut No. la
West Fifteenth street. The placard is
the first object that strikes the eye of
the homeless creature AS she opens the
door OF the station. says L. size 5
Weekly, and she reads these words:
open all night for the reception of
those who need succor. No quesl ions
asked. no cards or letters necessary to
secure shelter and food"
On winter night Wen sometimes
nave more than dozen womea come
here for shelter. We just point 20
that placard, and they read 1t and 80
right out, and We know that they II find
a bed. There waU one woman. re-
member, came into the house dur,aS
the bitter storm, 10 coat, boots WON
In holes. nothing but thin o>tton
fallen Unlocked as IL she hadn't cat
en- anything in days; starved M ,ae
cold, weak for want of food just the
usual sort. She was going to Il IL me
something when she caught sieHt OF
that pasteboard. She clutchcd hold Of
the rail and, brushing away the ha(r
where 1t had fallen over her eyes. she
began to read the address with her
hand at her forehe I'D stupid like
Then she turned to me with the blind
stare, and says, in far-awSy voice:
Say, is there such places as thtt|
Yep says l. Where they give yer
food and bed just because yer need
it| Yep l says ag~in.
And they don't ask yer no ques-
tions?'
That's about the size Of it, tells
her.
And don't want to know who you
are? Or how many times you've been
locked up? And don't went a ce.,ifi-
cate of character from yer minister?
And won't turn yer away eos yer
/ can't give no references from yer Lsst
place? Don't want to know who yer
are or what you've been. SO long
as you're unfortunate and poor?'
Il gave her Yes to all these ques-
tions.
] saw that placard. I'll try 1t. | amt
got any hope, but I'll try II. I've been
turned down everywhere / went. and
| was just going to see whether the
North river was kinder She went
out" adds the sergeant, land saw no
more of her. But | afterwards heard
that they'd taken her In and found
work for her somewhere"
1t was on bitter day i'm the win
ter OF 1S76-77 that Mrs { shorne. hur-
rying to her home through a by-street
on the West Side, saw two girls hud-
ding for shelter in a doorway. Some
thing in the aspect OF the women.
something in the expression of their
tear-worn eyes as they looked out up-
on the driving rain, stopped her on
her way, and she turned back and
spoke to them. Their story WAS soon
told, I'VE are two sisters, Our home
is in Winston, Conn. Our peoplo are
poor. There was not enough food to
/ feed us all. and so we came to New
York to look for work and didn't find
II. We are penniless and homeless and
starving"
Within an hour the two women were
housed in Mrs. Osborne's hcme. With
In week they had by her aid found
employment. And out of her chance
meeting with these two women arose
the thought that there were other sis-
tiers in the city who might be In need
az desperate; that here was the pos
sibility OF work which might be car
ried to an endless good. Il will make
this work the object of my life" she
said, and never for A single instant in
twenty years did she weaken i'm her
purpose.