Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-05-03

food, which she would not eat, and
built her fire, which she could not
prevent. For years she las eaten
nothing but fruit and such other food
as she could eat uncooked. That was
part of her belief, that only un.
cooked vegetable food should be
eaten. For years she ate nothing but
fruit, raw oatmeal and raw rice
soaked in water. She hated doctor
as she did correct spelling and skirts,
and was hydropath. When the
other people in the tenement called
doctor she refused to even allow him
to talk to her, and she was taken to
the hospital against her violent pro-
tests. She was too small and weak
and too nearly starved to resist par.
ticularly, even in words. At the hos.
pital she said she had not friend in
the world or relative, and it was
here that she displayed the only thing
that seemed at all IKE womanly weak
ness that is known of her. She said
she wanted to be buried in the old
cemetery at Berlin Heights, a country
village twenty-four miles from Cleve-
land, where the graves of her father
and mother are.
WAS AN OHIO scHooLTEAcuER.
Berlin Heights is a small country
community. There was once a wave
Of ee-thinking sentiment there, and
later the ''bloomer" craze. Ann Pur.
kin had been a schoolteacher there
and was the star Of the woman's
club. She donned bloomers and wore
them ever after. 1t is told that she
was married at that time and that her
husband told her she could not be his
wife and wear bloomers, too She
chose the bloomers; and they separated
amicably. This the dead newswoman
denied, insisting that she had never
been married. She said her family
name was Perkins, but that was not
the way to spell it, and az there was
but one of her, her name must be
singular instead of plural.
All her young life in the country
she had been writing poems and es-
says, but the editors always changed
them and thereby narrowed her soul.
So, twenty years ago, she went to
Cleveland. She was determined to
make the world hear her. She lec-
tured on dress reform and wrote more
poetry. The poetry and some essays
she had printed in pamphlet and
sold it in the streets in her bloomer
costume. While the novelty lasted
she did fairly well, but Cleveland was
not then large enough so that it offered
n NJ a,,l
she had made money enough out of
one book she would get ont another.
Sales dropped off, though, and she
went to Chicago thirteen years ago to
work on woman-s suffrage publication.
After remaining in Chicago six
months, sometimes lecturing and
sometimes working rs servant. she
came back to the Cleveland streets
and newspapers. The newsboys came
to recognizing her as a Judge for their
differences and advisor for their
troubles. One of her principles was
that when one had made money
enough for his necessities he should
stop and give others Il chance. When
she had sold certain number of pa
pers-and she sold them rapidly be-
cause of the attention she attracted
she would stop and go home.
WANTED TO REFORM THE WORLD.
Her mind WIS always full of brill
liant plans for reforming the world and
making it heaven. A lifelong vege-
tartan Of the strictest sort, not using
milk or eggs, the scheme that filed
her mind during her last days was a
magazine to be devoted to vegetarian
ism. The simplicity Of her mind is
shown in the fact that she was going
to call it 'The Fig Leaf" and edit it
herself In her delirium in the hos
pital she bemoaned her inability to
find backer for the magazine
She refused to take any medicine at
the hospital, refused food and would
not even allow the hospital doctor to
take her temperature. When any one
approached her bedside she would ask
"Are you doctor?" aud il the answer
was eyes" she would insist that he go
away from her. Her attitude toward
all humanity was hostile, save that
size took a motherly interest in news
boys, and toward reporters showed a
disposition that was q quaint mixture
of friendliness and alteration, so strong
was her love of all that pretended to
the guise of literature. At the last,
before she died, the hospital doctors
got to telling her that they were re-
porters in order to do the little that
was possible in her aid. Chicago
Record.