The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-15
WITH BURDEN
ON HER BACK
An Aged and Crippled Woman
Walks Nine Days
IN SWELTERIkG HEAT
Peculiar Method of Moving
Her Little Possessions.
ARRIVED HERE TIRED OUT
Her Pathetic Story Moved
Wichita People to Generosity,

aged, hunchbaclzed. and inhrm. Mrs.
Mary Basin. tramped the thirty miles
Intervening between this city and Vel
nngton. carrying with her several heavy
bundles and taking nine days for the
journey. She was accompanied by her
daughter Mrs. Edith Gray. aged ss. and
her granddaughter. Josie Gray, aged IA.
The party carried all their belongings
in five or six bundles and as they could
not pack all at once. each one would
carry bundle a few rods and then go
back for another. This method greatly
heightened the distance covered and Tor
this reason 50 much time was required
to make the journey.
About three o'clock yesterday aftel
noon they reached the lower part Of the
Santa Fe yards and were discovered by
Policeman Pryor and TarGmaster Hut
bert TO whom they told their story. The
two men when they heard the pitiful
story raised about nine dollars for them
from the crowd around the depot. Thee
bought the foot-sore travellers tickets 70
Newton and placed in their hands about
seven dollars in cash which viii supply
their wants for several days.
While the group waited in the Santz
Fe depot yesterday afternoon for the
train TO Newton. they were the objects
OF interest TO the passengers in the de-
pot and the middle-aged woman who
was the leader OF the party told the
story of their misfortunes
Judging from their appearances the
women and the child were in the most
adject depths OF poverty.
The remnants Of what had once been
dresses were about 10 fall TO pieces Ia
stead Of valises they carried their gunny-
sacks For a canteen they had an old
tin bucket. and instead OF a cup they
drank from an old can which they had
probably picked UP in some alley.
To a reporter for the Eagle, Mrs. Gray
said:
We have been living since the opening
in Hobart o. T. where have been work
ing in a hotel. Ny mother who has lived
with me since my husband left me almost
while I tried TO earn some money. Ny
little girl worked with me in the hotel
But I could hardly find anything at
Hobart and I could find more work =.
Topeka, so determined to go there.
We went as far as Wellington on the
train but from there OF we have walked.
It has taken US nine days 10 make
the trip from Wellington to Wichita OF
course We We're not travelling all the
time for in the heat of the day we
rested Yesterday we stopped about half
the day
The only way We could carry the bun
dies was to take them one at time
and carry it short distance and then
go hack after another one. Mother uhe
gray-haired woman did the same
Have the people been kind TO your
asked the reporter.
Yes. for the most part. But when
ever people would not give Us anything
10 eat We just went on 20 someone else
When asked about her family rela-
tons. Mrs. Gray replied that her hus-
band had mistreated her ard that she
would no longer live with MIN. Her
first husband is dead. The name Of her
second husband she said Is Ross but she
no longer goes by that name She prefer,
70 60 by her maiden name Edith Basin.
one OF the bundles which the women
carried was n tent. which they pitched al
night as they have been travelling over
land IN this they expected 70 live il
Topeka.
They arrived at the edge of Wichita
Sunday evening and camped on the edge
of the city SUNDAY night Before taking
their train for Newton lasr evening the
had about decided to stop at Newt3a
and try 10 find work there