Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-10-15
HE new WOMAkI
She Is In the Lead

n HAVE been reading brief outline
of one of the strangest lives ever
lived by a woman. A remarkable
and famous career it would have
been even for a man. The woman was
Mrs. Jane Burke, Indian scout, hunter,
miner, army guide-likewise, unfortu-
nately, gambler and whisky drinker, it
is said. Had she left off the last two
she would have been easily as distin
guished in her career as Colonel Cody
has become in his. She was not very
old when she died in Terry, S. D.-only
about fifty-one. Yet the true story Of
her life would outstrip in romance, in
deeds of daring. strength and skill al
most any mere fiction tale of adventure
that could be written. Mrs. Burke was
born in Princeton, Mo-, but went when
the merest slip Of a girl with her ia
Their to Montana to hunt gold. The
life of the miners camp of those days
appealed to her powerfully, and she
fell in with it at once. Famous Indian
fighter and scout she became very soon.
She feared nothing dead or alive. She
wore a mans buckskin suit, with knife
and pistols at her belt. Once in
hard fought Indian battle she saved
the life of Captain Egan of the United
States army in 1872. He gave her the
name of Calamity Jane" and under
that designation you have often read
of her. She acted as scout for General
Crook in his Indian campaigns. carry
ing dispatches and accomplishing des-
perate rides, taking risks that few men
would have dared. Another of her feats
was the capture of Jack Mccall, the
murderer of wild Bill" otherwise
William Hickok, whom she seems to
have cared for with all strong wo-
mans devotion. When she was dying
and knew it she asked that her body
be buried beside that of wild Bill"
and this was done. But civilization
overlook even this great character at
last-great, though unfortunately plac-
ed. At length there were no more In
dams to fight or horse thieves to lynch,
no more galloping over the plains with
knife and pistols at belt, no more wild
mining camp life Then Calamity
jane died. Her life ought to be writ
ten.
Mrs. Booker T. Washington is work
ing bravely for women of her own col
or. 1t is field of labor a prophet and
hero might be grateful for Negro wo-
men today are making better use of
their races newly obtained advantages
than negro men are. Mrs. Washington
says Of her colored sisters, ''There is
still much foundation work for us to
do, but some time, somewhere, we shall
stand equal to any body of women, for
we accept the theory that we are infe-
rior only in opportunity, Eot in abil-
ity."
Ella Wheeler Wilcox is Of opinion
that woman is growing in America as
nowhere else, and she adds the signifi-
cant prophecy, From her will come
the great leader for whom the world
waits" 1t is not likely there will be
hereafter many great single leaders Ell
Their among men or women. That age
is probably past, and happily so. The
whole feminine sex is gradually devel-
oping the powerful, splendid qualities
that only the few, even among men,
have hitherto attained to. Thousands
of strong, glorious, perfected women
will move forward all together, and
the rest of the sex will be with them,
a resistless army. This is what the
world is waiting for.
9e
1t is better to earn the money to git
new dresses than to sit down and make
over old ones.
1t has been said often that if a horse
knew his own power no human being
could control or drive him. The same
is exactly true of woman What is 1T
that makes one human being superior
to another? 1t is the sense of ones
own inward power, and that sense of
power can be cultivated