The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-05
WOMEN WHO WON BY LUCK
RAIN CAVE MRS. HAsKELB HER
START As a LAWYER

"Chance, I am convinced. frequently has as
much TO do with q professional woman's sue
cessiul start as doRged design." said the Oldest
OF q group OF women gathered In q room In the
Fifth Avenue Hotel. One Of the women was
Ella Knowles Haskell. ex-Assistant Attorney
General OF Montana, who Is said TO be the only
woman who ever got a $4,000 cash fee in her
profession. A second was q physician from
Iowa. by name Branswoarth. and one OF three
sisters who are successful doctors. The third
was q newspaper woman. A fourth was Inter
estod IN Western mining ventures, and two
moro had business OF their own that brought
them to New York.
1T was q funny chance In my case" said
Mrs. Knowles Haskell. II had been a teacher
In Montana, but aspired to more than a
teachers pay. so l decided I'd get 1t In the law
business. After l had been graduated there
was vigorous opposition to mo. and. In fact, 1
had to pull q bill through the Legislature to
permit women to practice law In the State.
Then / was a full-nedged lawyer. but without
q client or an idea OF any one likely to throw
even a SIS fee In my way. I determined I'd got
to have som money" Mrs. Haskell was care
lessly playing with an old half dollar now,
e. started out to find some bills to collect. 1t
wasn't q lofty aspiration, but apparently no.
body had any bills In Helena for Miss Knowles
to collect. Everybody either had no bills or
had his own collectors or counsel. I finally
found o man who admitted he had some old
debts. and rather poohed at the idea OF my at
tempting to realize on them. I finally got him
to promise to get them together In a couple Of
days. / marched around in a couple OF days.
"'You, is it2 Well. I haven't had time to get
those bills together. Come around again In .
day or two
He was still fairly polite. In the day or two
I appeared and he wasn't 30 polite; but I per-
suaded him to give me another chance. and In
a few days I called once more. 1t was a vile.
nasty day. raining like the deluge. The rain
had started rather Unexpectedly. and half the
| town expected to soak going home.
"'You. Is itP growled the merchant. II he
| had said what he wanted to say # would have
been wildly blue and smelled Of sulphur. II
| you want to collect anything for me why
| don't you go out and collect my umbrellas
| I've loaned 'em to everybody until I haven't
one for myself tonight In a moment or two
he had poured out the names Of the people
who were in full enjoyment Of his umbrellas
and wound up with: Go and collect those II
you want to do anything for mo-
~ will 1 said. and before he realized that I
was in earnest l had vanished.
Nov the names Of the people he had men,
toned included three OF the most fashionable
families in polite Helena society. But 1 rang
the bell OF the first mansion. When the maid
opened the door l said with polite nrmness:
" Am Miss Ella Knowles from AS office.
mentioning where l had studied. Mr.. B.. has
sent me to collect the umbrella he loaned to
Mr.. c.
Indeed there was CONSERVATION. but I In
sisted, and when the door closed behind me ]
had the borrowed umbrella under my arm and
marched TO the second mansion. To the maid
here / repeated the sam formula. and at the
| H. l.,z1 .Iza a,i-, H.htnJ roa n trail ri
indignant. insulted households.
There are the three umbrellas which you
ordered me to collect from such and such
houses said l as I laid them down before the
merchant. Then he wasn'tpolite. Oh. mol He
said things. but I only said. You told me tc
collect them. My fee is 80 cents
with another explosion he threw this
5O-cent piece at me and rushed way to begin
what proved al Hong operation OF smoothing
over those three fashionable households. The
story was too good to keep. 1t leaked out, ant
before the man had made his peace with
those three households he had sent for metz
do some law work for him. Soon l had all thai
mans legal business and since then have had a.
high as $4,000 fee from him for a single case.
THAT certainly was chance with a ven
g~eanoe," said the woman doctor. but not
bit more SO than In my own case. l was the
first OF our family who decided to study
medicine, and as l lived in a small place. apC
this was some years ago when the prejudice
against feminine NJ. DIS was very lively. es'
pecially in small towns. I hardly thought /
desirable to settle at homo when the time
came. 1t was decided for me without an!
choice on my part at all. There was one promi
nent business man in the little town who was
friend OF our family. but had bitterly opposed
my branching out into medicine. The thing!
he said about women doctors and the determi
nation he announced to expire and be Inferred
in q costly coffin before employing one were
very pronounced. I was at home waiting
to find q place in which to settle down
when one night this mans wife came
in, evidently excited. but hesitating. l
was n very humble appeal to save her hus
band'slife. He knew he was dying. and it wa
only at her solicitation that he had consented
to see me. But the two doctors whom the vii
lage boasted happened to be away that night
and she knew and he knew that 1t was a mat
ter OF life ana death and only instant treat
ment could save his life. OF course. 1t was {
triumph for me. but I was as humble as The
woman. and with my satchel hurried over t.
the good friend of the family. From that day
to this l have attended all his family. and ht
himself wouldn't have a masculine N. D.. neaI
him now. That resulted in my settling dowt
at home and there are actually now three o
us girls WHO uEo III tlD pIoiCooioh' 4 uSful
really felt very bad, either. when 1 considered
the nature OF his attack that night. 1t wai
only a beautiful case Of cramps and collie. blu
1t settled my professional fate"
The newspaper woman was next called or
for corroboration of the chance theory.
1T really was chance In truth that startet
me to success and even led me into the bust
ness, In which 1 have always done a man.
work and got a mans pay" she said. VIVA
chance 1t was I do not know to this day. blu
when Gen. Phil Sheridan started from Wash
ington for Nonquitt. Mass. where he died. tn,
managing editor OF q Boston paper sent me
letter to go to Nonquitt for them. had onll
written once or twice for a paper and realll
had no idea Of going into the business. Whei
got to NonQuitt along came one big man ant
then another big man. both saying the!
were from the same paper. Green a
spinach and unused to newspaper meth
DDS. / decided to draw out and leave tn
men to the field. Somebody suggested tele
graphing to a New York paper to know l