The sun., 1903-09-13
RUNAWAY GIRLS HER CARE,
MRS. HUGHESS SUMNER WORK
AT CONEY ISLAND.



-ASO Aided BY Her Tiis summer.
Once in while public reference i.
made to the work which Mrs William Il.
Hughes is doing at Coney Island; pu, lev
persons appreciate its extent. Mrs Hughes
is probationary officer in the Coney Island
police court and in addition conducts A
I rescue home for the benefit Of women and
girls. She was asked last week to speak
Of her experiences
"Out of love of my work" she said, Il
could talk for hours, il | had time, but
l do not like to talk for publication
y have helped or tried to help about $50
girls this summer and 30 far from being
discouraged over the work / am more
enthusiastic than ever
Il must confess, though. that when my
husband first suggested settling here to
held evangelistic meetings-that was more
than seven years ago-I cried oh, no.
any p ace but that
"You see l had heard descriptions Of the
resort not reassuring. For some months
after We were established here felt almost
as II was wasting time. l will tell you
why changed my mind.
AT that time Mr.. Hughes was holding
gospel meetings in tent. One night after
the meeting was over he found two young
girls waiting for him outside the door who
begged for carfare TO take them back 10
New York They were crying.
"Mr. Hughes sent for me, From that
night knew why l had come to Coney
Island.
II began to do little patrol duty, al
ways in behalf of just such cases. and be-
fore long policemen began bringing to me
girls who we're found in undesirable COM
pany or intoxicated and whom they hee-
| tated about putting under arrest. Then
began to 60 to the court house and interest
myself in the women prisoners there.
"Since have been appointed probation
| ary officer, try to see and to speak with
| to this police station and / try my best
to keep young girls from being sent to Jail.
l firmly believe"
Here Mrs. Hughes, with an abrupt,
Excuse me please, am wanted in court
vanished, to appear a moment later
before the City Magistrate sitting in the
courtroom. She held by the hand an under
sized young girl, who wore jaunty white
sailor hat tilted over chubby good ma
tured face, guiltless just then Of the slight
| est expression Of distress or shame. The
prisoner seemed TO be about IA but said
she was 18.
| what Is the charge?" asked the Magis-
trate, after word aside with Mrs. Hughes,
| 4Disorderly conduct on the beach after
midn ight ;" he was told.
| The prisoner. Irene by name, had liking
| for disorderly associates, the Court was liz
formed and, moreover, her nearest living
| relative, an aunt. was quite unable TO man
age her. These damaging statements were
| listened TO by Irene with indifference. Not
| until she arose to receive sentence did she
show any emotion.
| Il must send you to house Of detention
for six months, Irene" said the Magistrate
in a low tone. Then, with pen suspended.
he asked: would you like to 60 to the
House OF the Good Shepherd" ~
Irene nodded "yes." Then all at once
she broke down and sobbed loudly as Mrs.
Hughes led her away.
When Mrs. Hughes reappeared she was
reminded of her unfinished sentence. 'Oh,
yes," she resumed; II was about to say
term in prison is apt to rob most girls Of
their self-respect and leave them with less
dread Of consequences than they had
| before.
How about Irene, then?'
@Well, her case is one of the exceptions.
Although nearly II, she has not as much
sense as some girls of 10. This is not the
first time Irene has been arrested and on
the same charge.
time and time again ] have had her
at my home, the Rescue Home Once
kept her with me several weeks and when
she expressed All apparently firm inten-
ton Of going to work. found her place
in a private family in Brooklyn. She stayed
there just two days and then ran away.
Il traced her at once and took her home
with me again. The last time she Was
! arrested ! reluctantly came to the conclu-
sion that in ner case there was no alterna-
tive, but to put her under lock and key for
while. She, herself, consented to my
| plan without realizing, of course. what It
means to be deprived Of freedom,
what are my methods of doing tho
work." Mrs. Hughes repeated Nv ell, of
late I haven't found much time to patrol
! the beach. l find my hands pretty full
looking after the women sent to the mis-
| sion and brought to court.
Every morning. long before it is time
| to hold court / go to the cells to greet the
women brought In the night before There
may be a dozen Of them, half that number
| or only two or three-defant discoura ged /,
frantic with fear, as the case may be.
meet them chserfully and as a friend,
Il don't talk religion at he outset and
am most careful to avoid hintng even in
motely that any one of them has done
wrong Intentionally. long ago discovered
that at the first word Of censure prisoners
OF this sort harden at once, and fatty refuse
their confidence My aim is to get them
to talk.
II generally succeed By that means
am soon able 10 discriminate between
old and new ofrcndeTs-the woman who
will 90 home after pa wing fine or getting
! some one to pay it for her, and be back
again in a week or two for another drunken
spree, and the runaway girls who have
parted with their last cent and are shelter
| les.
AS an outcome Of my talk request the
| Magistrate when court converies, TO parole
, certain of the prsO sOners and give them over
| to me. Then take them home
Il have had as many as fourteen nj the
Rescue Home at one time. There they
| ait at the table with us and shrrc whatever
| food we have. We don't ask them to WORK,
| but most of them, after day or two, offer
| to help with the household tasks.
| As rule the r,iHaways give me most
trouble They give fictitious names ana