The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-29
TWO PERT TRUANTS
oRLIFF SISTERS TELL TALES OF
CRUEL TREATMENT.
CAN SING AND DANCE.
THEY THOUGHT OF JOINING THE
SALVATION ARMY.

Would FO1low-Rober Tried Sui
eide with Morphine Sunday.
Mother of the Runaway Girls Com
ing for Them-OHicer VIII Take
the sluggers Back-Bessie Tells of
the Troubles That Caused Her to
Leave Her Parents.
With tales of alleged crued treat
ment, and of stunts that they per-
formed during the Pan-American at
Buffalo and ait the Charleston EXPOSE
ton since its opening, thirteen-year-old
Hattie OTliff and her pretty fifteen
year-old sister Bessie interested and
entertained the few who were permit
ted to see them at the police station
house yesterday. The girls also sang
a few songs and reeled off a few steps
to show the chosen few what they can
do in their own particular line. De-
spite their Surroundings they appeared
perfectly happy.
Ed. Stanley, the Jacksonville Mos
quito" from San Francisco, and
Charles Rober, the Philadelphia wres-
tier, who were arrested by the detec-
home in Charleston, were not so lively
and had little to say during the day.
| While the girls are only held for their
mother, who has already left Charles
ton, the young pugilists occupy cells
pending the arrival of an officer who
| left on the train with Mrs. Orliff, and
will probably return to South Carolina
hAn6Qnffpd
treated as ordinary prisoners, while the
| girls were given more freedom They
were kept in the large room on the
second floor of the station house, and
with Detective Stark as their escort,
dined at the Chinese restaurant; that
| Is, they had their supper there.
| The girl Bessie is quite pretty; a
pronounced brunette. She looks sew
.eral years older than she claims to be-
and has evidently knocked about a
great deal. Her sharp tongue cut up
| at least, one who was permitted to
talk with her yesterday Both girls
are pert, although Hattie is not so
| brazen as her sister, who does most
of the talking. The girls were born
| in Buffalo and did stunts during the
Pan American. At the close of the ex-
position they left with their parents
for Charleston and were employed in
|
| place, there. The girls claim that thew
received IS a week for singing. making
| goo-goo" eyes, dancing and doing liv-
| ing picture stunts. They say that thew
turned what they earned over to their
parents who are running a store Of
some sort in the city. There are sew
erai other children in the family, and
the young runaways say that this fact
is responsible for their departure from
home.
If yous only knew how we caught
IL fur nuthin' you wouldn't blame us
| a bit" said Bessie in telling her story
My little brother-thats the one
what's she gives me pile of jaw and
when L got tired OF standing for it I
usually slap him. That's the time my
brother what's is gets in the game
and then he soaks me for fair. Course
Their amt nothing for me to do but
| soak back and that's where the row
begins. Our father generally gets in
the game at this stage and he don't
| enter alone, either. He uses a stick
ne does. 1t isn't big around, but it
leaVes the marks you can bet. Now
we amt expected to stand for too
much and when this game with the
SICK got too regular and we got the
chance, why we did the hot foot and
the boys amt to blame. It's hard lines
when you's got to stand for sass and
beadngs from the whole family and
| you can just back it up that we won't
stay long this time if the continuous
performance don't come to an end"
! Fur git it, Bess, fur git it, chirped
| In the younger sister who didn't appear
to like the way her sister was relating
the past, present and future She
agreed, however, in all that Bessie had
to say and added by way of explana-
ton that when the "Jacksonville Mos
,Io
fered to bring them to Savannah thew
jumped at the chance. The pugilists
worked at the same place of amuse-
ment, and according to the girls didn't
nave to persuade them to leave home
ana mother The only slip-up we
made with this performance was that
we didn't call on the fly cops, put 'em
next and fix things as soon as we hit
town" said Bessie with a wink and in
a tone OF regret.
Ii appears that the girls were a
part OF the Salvation Army congrega-
ton on Broughton street about an
hour before they were routed out of
bed by the detectives, and escorted to
the police station house. The elder sis
ter suggested that the bunch of four
become recruits in the army but her
proposition was voted down by her lit
tie sister, and the sluggers who were
not particularly struck with the
melody that issued from the Savan-
nah branch of the army. Had it been
left with Bessie, however they would
have taken up the tambourine and
bass drum and would have been hold
ing services when found by the detec-
tives.
While the girls appeared light
hearted and happy during the day. the
pugilists were in an altogether different
frame of mind. Stanley seemed to he
the more worried of the two. and said
that he had predicted that something
of the sort was going to happen. The
apartments that were secured at No. 13
York street, east, were paid for in ad-
vance on Saturday night. The follow
ing morning the Jacksonville MOSQUITO
noticed that IL was the number over
the door and remarked that trouble was
bound to follow. He regretted that he
had paid for the rooms, and that he
had no more money to secure lodging
in another house. and several times he
spoke of the Inflated number. The
pugilists were short on funds and STAN
| ley had little more than a roll of Con-
federate bills, which he flashed occa-
! sionally. He declared that the bills
had been given him by his father on
his death bed, and that he was not
carrying them for the purpose of dis
| playing them and making a bluff, but
really because he valued them
On Sunday Rober made an attempt
to commit suicide by taking morphine.
or he put up cold case of bluff, TO
make his hold with the younger girl
| stronger A phVgfcfap WAS eutar,or.,g