New-York tribune., 1900-03-25
HEROIC INDIANA GIRL.
- FEMME CREEK SAVED WORLDS
FAIR TRAIN FROM ACCIDENT.
,-vn DECORATION OF THE FRENCH LEGION
- HONOR AND INVITED TO GO TO PARIS
rvposrroN BY NATIONAL HUMANE
eo.-rrTY OF FRANCE
SOCIETY OF FRANCE

r-o~S0R AND INVITED 10 20 IL rams
rvpos1roN BY NATIONAL HUMANE
SOCIETY OF FRANCE
,-...nsnoiis March y 'Spec;aD.-Near the OBJ
TlIape Of NH Grove. ten miles from Hart
- r-f.,, Elackford County. lives a young woman
ioao - ,e~eived the unusual distinction OF being
Tho 80 :. ne the guest Of honor OF the National
ih' i co.ts-v of France at the coming Paris
.,,on and she Is likewise the youngest per
b ~ the second American, II IS saia. VINO was
soh -. ..,a5 % wear the golden star Of the French
90 - Honor an order which was esta abiished
r. Dee.o,.., Fsonapa-te and membership in which
% -, - ,,.eted BY thousands who had won envi-
10 - r,tations in science. letters and art Yet
90 90 sest American girl. so Obscure in her origin
o. ,.-.-g near little fag station, where nothing
am -,en.otis than the passing Of a passenger
1'o - ever known happen, is hardly known
- the environment in which she was
oNls- ID Is seemingly oblivious 10 the fact that
- sone anything 10 merit the distinction
fhs o-,e 70 her. and which has now been
'Ia-. ..zes by the invitation 10 be the guest oi
en- !. me French Humane Society
A.. - -veek an orphan girl. ten years olo' HVec
'ei'' as1 station of Mi Grove. which is on the
Ie@i ale Railroad. between Dunkirk and Hart
-. I-I+v II 1885 She was great faVorlle win
10' - n the village, and especially Win me
eEe., &C., men and rode up and down the road with
S. So ssv after day their hand car and knew
tieH :, ~ name She was a mite OF a thing, even
IT.. iH age and her principal playground was
- .be railroad track, which lay witnln a 1e"
- ce ne farmhouse, where she iVeo Win het
80 80. .-ents on the afternoon OF September ~
os- be Vas playing usual along the ralirOao
-o'' - she s-nelled the odor OF burning wood
-,-,,, ~, the track she came 10 a bridge WHICH
.sed Z deep ravtne, and saw that the liiDeiS
- >, IRE As she stood watching the ascending
.ke me flames burst out around her- anu Slie
t,+e,ed over the bridge with the thought IN rnlao
mon "
,e5 -uro or three hours before
cha rad proceeded only a short distance "heh II
,--e5 70 her that il must be near the tllne 10.
- worlds Fair Special 10 pass The ualn olu
-. stop a. Mil Grove. but went ny the hl,Ie +- 80
rate Of fifty miles hour As the thought
-. --,in entered her mind she heard the whistle
= ne lorouottv+ less than three miles away. She
,sr-es forward at the top OF her speed 20 slEIl"I
- train and as she ran she took on her req app oi
- .eea, waving Il over her head. The tram
s,,s around curve and the engineer. Frank " IA
fsr,sor. saw the object ahead Of him. and causn.
,ss colo- Of the red calico apron that the chi4o
--ss 4-sntically waving in the air he appheo me
s,- brakes 10 the train. and II was Drought 10
r-sndstEu on very edge OF the OurIllrs pi'o91-
As soon as the train stopped the child passed
- - bridge and crossed the ravine, and was
.rsIl,ng leisl1rely up the track toward her home
uber she was stopped by the hallooing OF a NUM-
ber Of the passengers. Then some Of them crossed
re -svfne as she had done and picking her up she
gzs placed the shoulder OF one OF 'hein o41H
cz--.ed hack % the train
p, This time al OF the passengers had been in
formed OF the miraculous escape from almost Ger
tain death and the child was carried about ana
introduced 10 all Of the passengers Some OF them
snake 2 language that she could not understand
nut she knew from the kisses they gave her anu
ne demonstrations they made over her that she
was being extolled their deliverer. Then some
ne rassed around among the passengers ana pres
emily The little red apron was tied up al the four
sf-g-- Flra f-Fra- af
dollars and quarters poured into II. There
vera also some large bills. and when the childs
foster parents counted the money over the sum
cached nearly 500 Several weeks after this event
there came letter Jennie Creek, at Mil Grove.
Il bore a foreign postmark and was the first of
me kind that had ever reached the Office. and was
rhe subject Of nucn comment when the postmaster
showed the Ioungers about the store. The let
ter contained rhe i've pointed golden star Of the
French Legion u Honor, and informed the child
that she vas entitled wear II by reason of the
Geed OF heroism that she had performed in connec-
with the Worlds Fair Special. It was then
that she learned trat strangers whose language
she di6 not understand. were prominent French per
sons who mad been az me Worlds Fair al Chicago
and were returning East when her heroism averted
the accident II the train.
Miss Creek IS 1ow seventeen Years Old She is
tolsrsby well educated but has had not advantages
except such afforded by the public school
Mil Grove She has access 10 few books outside
Of the school textbooks but the few that have
fallen lEto ner hands have been read with avidity
over and over again. and she confesses to yearn-
;ng after learning that IS not afforded within her
modest environment In conversation she is quite
animated. and her features. though regular and
well preportloned dc not make up Ideal beauty.
Her nodesty lends attraction her features. how
ever. ana is instincrively drawn toward her in
conversation and finds her entertaining. What
VII be the effect Of transferring her from her mod
est hone near NIL Grove 70 the handsome re-
oeption rooms Of the National Humane Society Of
France a. the Paris Exposition. where she viii be
introduced 10 thousands OF persons and her sIory
VIII De repeated thousands of ears. cannot be
lofetoic but those who know her best believe that
sae |il return % her home al Mil Grove the
same modest American girl that she is now and
VII not BE- sorrv change from osfentation 10 the
simple comforts Of her daily home life She bears
Aer rev honors meekly and tells the story OF the
saving Of the passengers as modestly as though il
was only a natural thing for q ten-year-old child
DO
! realized. she said when asked TO give the
s'oi9- that the train would be dashed TO certain
obstruction unless il could be stopped before il
60 -ll. - ne burning bridge But how I 10
starred up tb frsck 94eG ad %s 5sI9 ~ my my mnq when M III
rsae,1- --1 -oI1IloilNe- hau seen the stnTlon-
I-aelef stop trains by holding q rcd flag ana il
i oyer my head The engincer saw the sigma a and
- - aDe 10 stop the train before. il reached the:
.s .sesn aFcrted and 1 started home when some OF
>, ne passengers overlook and carried me back
- ne tram on their shoulders Some were crying
80 49, iaugaing. and all were commenting on
-b IgIfinie tate which they had escaped Then all
So passeL-sers began 70 talk 20 once. and
hs1rg6 2. mem spoke a language that had never
hsf eroS DS-Gre, Presently saw a man passin;; a
y. saI @ Z whole lot Of money and emptied into
- SSpIoA l mad never seen much money before
= = ~ ny life and when I was told it was ali mine
was rtp s-,I IlagDe nad dong something after all II
s--y thar Ilc Of the Legion Of Honor vas
'or5R2ally conferred on me
,ro5s..L 10. have never thought that I performed
~ -ltcFI0i Ct slGnally meritOrious acr NV child