Idaho Springs siftings., 1902-10-18
WOMEN
VERSUS
WOMAN
Mrs. Laura WOOdfOrd, 4,
E1ocutionist, Cause
Or All Trouble.

1t looked for a time last Tuesday morning as
though there surely going to be in Idaho
Springs The soldiers who volunteered their ser
vices all women and many an axe was shar-
pened for the purpose of scalping certain Mrs.
Laura Woodford who, the evening previous,
gave elocutionary entertainment at the opera
house.
Mrs. Woodford came to this city about two
weeks ago and at once called upon the members of
the Women of Woodcraft and presented a plan
whereby they could realize goodly sum for the
benefit of their lodge The idea looked good to the
women and in less than twenty minutes the deal
closed. While the agreement was a verbal one
it was understood between the parties that the net
proceeds derived from the entertainment should be
divided equally between Mrs Woodford and the
lodge.
But here is where Mrs Woodford got in her fine
work She told the ladies to go ahead and make
arrangements for the opera house and the sale of
the tickets. Then she said in quiet, unassuming
way that she would prepare the program and look
after that end.
What a relief, thought the who were
deeply interested. The issuing of a program is
never an easy task, and especially when it comes
to securing advertisements.
Thus matters went along until the evening of
the entertainment. Shortly before the hour for
the raising of the curtain, Mrs. Woodford called
the committee to side and asked that the
amount of the sale of the tickets be divided. Not
suspecting anything out of the ordinary the ladies
handed over S3995, one-half which left after
paying the expenses, as they thought Then the
entertainment given q.
All the ladies went home after the show satisfied
with the feeling that they had done their best and
that they had added a neat sum to their treasury
On the following morning of the ladies made
call upon few merchants to if they were
ready to pay for the advertisements which were in
serted in the program, but in each place visited
they told her that the money had been paid to Mrs
Woodford. Then Mrs. Woodford was hunted up
and asked to explain matters. The women wanted
| half of the money secured.
But Mrs. Woodford was wise and refused to
talk the subject at all, simply saying that she
| had prepared the program and that the money
therefore belonged to her. The women of this city
argued in vain, and when the elocutonist left the
city in the afternoon she carried with her the total
amount secured from this source.
OF course, the members of the order were of the
opinion that they had been worked and did not
like the idea at all.
They put their heads together and after some
discussion it decided best to draw up a set of
| resolutions which to be published in the papers
of this city calling the attention of the merchants
to the fact that they had nothing whatever to do
with the bunco game, they termed it.
Each member of the committee whose name is
subscribed to the resolutions asserts that it was
thoroughly understood between them and Mrs
Woodford that the entire proceeds from every
source to be equally divided.
1t certainly does not look like Mrs. Woodford
played fair in the deal, all the members of the
order of high standing and social rank
The resolutions follow:
To the Public and Business Men of Idaho Springs,
Coorado
The Women of Woodcraft feel that they have
been misrepresented i'll regard to the division of
the proceeds derived from the advertisements on
the program for the entertainment on October IA
1t was our understanding that we were to receive
onehalf of all the proceeds after all expenses were
paid. Mrs. Woodford, it seems, gave the impress
sion to the merchants that were to be benefited
as above indicated and yet took all the proceeds
from this source. RACHAEL SHELDON,
ANNA BERGER,
SELMA LYNN.
MAGGIE MAC LEOD.
| LAURA WELDON