The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-11
d HOME FOR OLD WOMEN
MANY INTERESTING CHARACTERS AT
THE INSTITUTION.
rbe Home for FrienaIess Women a
Noble Charity-women Who Have
Been There for Many Years.


A visitor TO the Home for Friendless
Women is at once struck with the homelike
air Of the institution. Its large and airy
rooms are nicely furnished and in winter
the home is kept comfortaDiy warm, while
IN summer the large yard. filed with shade
trees and pretty flower beds. suggests a
place OF GOODNESS and quiet. There are in
the home several odd and interesting char
acters. who seem part of the institution,
they have been there so many years. Lizzie
Benson, one OF the oldest inmates, has
been in the institution for the past thirty
years She is perfectly eontented. and dur
ing her stay there she has become famed
for her exquisite work in quilting. She does
the quilting for many of the fashionable
families Of the city. She tells the story of
how she happened to become an inmate of
the institution. Her father died when she
was an infant and her mother was very
moor. They lived in Ohio and she was the
only child She was sickly also and when
her mother was on her deathbed she gave
Lizzie her choice of going to the poorhouse
or coming to the Home for Friendless
Women in Indianapolis She chose the
latter, in which place she has been ever
since. She says she has many friends in
Indianapolis and she is happy in being able
10 do what she can TO repay the institu-
ton for It's care Of her.
A WOMAN OF ADVANCED YEARS
One Of the most interesting OF the in
mates is old Aunty Smith, a woman in
her eighty-seventh year. Aunty Smith was
years old she came to this country, landing
in New York. Shortly after she reached
there she came TO Indianapolis with Bishop
Ames. a bishop Of the Methodist Church
and she has lived here ever since. Aunty
Smith knows the history of ell the old
families in Indianapolis and she can tell
interesting stories about most of them
She says that when she first came here
Indianapolis was a wilderness. Aunty
is a stanch Presbyterian, and she tells how
she used TO go 20 church in little log hut
situated where the Circle now is. There
were only two stores in those days one
owned by the late Charles Mayer and
another by Oliver Tousey. She said: 81
remember well one day shortly after /
came here l wanted to buy calico dress,
so l went into the only dry goods store
and asked the price of calico; Mr.. Tousey
himself waited upon me and told me the
price was a bit-I never heard of bit be-
fore and 1 asked him what it was and he
said 121s cents. said, Why that is shill-
ing in Scotland
Aunty Smith has worked for every pub
lie institution in the State-the Deaf and
Dumb Asylum, the Blind Institute. the
Boys Reformatory at Plainfield, the In
sane Hospital, the Poor Farm. the Or
phans Home and several others. She re-
members the first college-the Methodist
College. situated where the White Ribbon
House now stands on North Meridian and
Ohio streets-and can tell all about the
first church and schoolhouse She has a
remarkably good memory and never for
gets faces. She Is great reader and spends
a good part of the time now in reading
and sewing carpet rags.
ANOTHER CHARACTER
Another character in the home is Aunty
Dilkes. She is ninety years old, and although
she has not been in the home for long
time. she has lived in Indianapolis many
years. She has been cared for by the Gen.
tral christian Ladies' Aid Society for the
last twenty or thirty years. She says she
is only waiting to die now. She is a sweet
faced old lay. with pure white hair and
kind eyes. Mahalia Mills is a quaint little
woman, with a refined appearance. She is
very small, slight creature with modest
and gracious manners. Not a long time
ago she was run over by a wagon and
hurt badly and since then she has made her
home at the institution. she says she
doesn't remember how old she is but is
very likely around the eighties. She has
lived in indianapolis great part Of her
life.
Aunt Mary Mount is another sweet old
lady who is cared for at the institution,
and one OF the Old settlers of the city. Mrs.
Amelia Hol is another interesting charac-
ter OF the home. She enIertains one by re-
lating the story of a robbery which she
claims took place at Brightwood several
years ago. She claims that she was robbed
nj HfRF ow.1 ill
she is patiently waiting to find out the
robbers. She thinks she is on the track,
and hopes to know more about the result
the next time one calls. She was at the
Insane Hospital, she says, before she was
taken out TO the home and she says they
told her she was crazy. She has been mar
rled three times; her second husband was
a man by the name of WetZel, who dlu the
interior ornamental work on the State
house. He took her TO Switzerland some
years ago, where he died and she married
a man BY the name of Holl- She claims
that HOll gave her the diamonds she tells
OF, and she intended 10 sell them and then
have him come 10 this country-but now
they are gone, and he is too poor to come.
AN INTERESTING PERSON.
Mrs. Daniel Rice is another inmate. She
Is peculiarly interesting person. Her
husband was a nephew of Barnum, of cir
Gus fame. and they both Travelled with
Barnum's show. She is now about fifty-six
years old and sometimes entertains the
inmates of the home with songs she used
10 sing; she is also still graceful dancer
MIS-. Rice used TO be worth considerable
money Besides these people mentioned
there are other odd characters In the home.
and they all have their stories of hard
luck or misfortune Mrs. Gray. the matron,
y a gracious woman and is beloved by all
the inmates. There are about ten young
ShIdfen at the home now. besides one tiny
ndoy, which enlivens the surroundings.
Wednesday evening the inmates assemble
together and enjoy a social hour or two.
anu very often they have musicales or
some other sort of entertainment. The
ooard or managers, composed of the fol-
lowing ladies. look after the comfort OF
the inmates: Mrs. r. c. Atkins Mrs c. c.
burgess, Mrs. w. III. Barclay. Mrs. II. L.
browning, Mrs. Conrad Baker, Mrs. VIII
nam Burford, Mrs II. c. Carey. Mrs g.
y Chambers. Mrs John Coburn. Mrs. c.
l. Dorsey. Mrs. y. +. Dalton. Mrs. l.. W.
Fletcher. Mrs. A. Il. Gates Mrs. Hugh H.
Aanna. Mrs. Abrarn Hendricks. Mrs. Louis
Hoilweg, Mrs. ~. A. hyde. Mrs. r. T.
Heifer, Mrs. Mark Hare. MRS. Jane Ket-
chan, Mrs. Bement Lyman, Mrs. Mary s.
Moore, Mrs Julia NJ Aoores Mrs i