Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-20
EXPLOSION VICTIM
IN SORRY PLIGHT
LEG AMPUTATED AND SHE IS
PENNlLESS
Annie Hooper Tells Her Experience
viii Be Among Those Benefited
by Big Theatrical
Production

The saddest part of the explosion that
occurred last Wednesday at Cressaty s
cafe is Just beginning Its victims are
now realizing what has happened 10
them Among the most pitiful of the
unfortunates, perhaps, is Annie Hooper,
who is at the emergency hospital one
leg was amputated and she is mass
of bruises and scratches She has no
friends or relatives In the world and
lies on her lonely bed with no dear ones
to cheer and comfort her.
She was waitress in Crcssaty's
restaurant poor, and with only a little
money saved from her meager salary
Her pillow was twisted yesterday as her
head moved restlessly in a vain effort
TO rest the tired brain which ceaselessly
tried to think of some way to hold its
own in the world which it will enter in
a few weeks, penniless. The tears came
to the girls eyes as she told how she
begged the doctor to save her leg, but
that he could not do it. She said:
"I have often dropped nickles and
dimes into the hats of the poor crippled
and manned unfortunates l have seen
on the streets, and | have pitied them,
but 1 never knew what agony it was to
really be crippled for life. | have no
relatives or friends in the world, and IT
is hard to lay here all alone with moth
ing to do but think of what is in store
for me, and have no one to come to me
who loves me.
Mother Was Invalid
IT try to be brave like my mother was.
She was confined to her bed for four
teen years, but she never murmured,
and l try to be like her but it is hard,
and her voice broke.
1T seems that everything falls on us
working people. We are all poor, and it
nt 7 1Nrtn n n ~
to deserve all this. When my mother
died and | left the little home in Santa
Barbara county that mother and ! had
worked for years to get | thought my
heart would break. / have been maid
mostly and never did waitress work
until l was employed by Mr.. Cressaty.
l was a maid at the Broadway Van
Nuys hotel when it burned, and L lost
my things there.
when this came the other day it was
dreadful. I think the gas company is
to blame, but 1 would not say so posi-
lively because | have no proof. Some
men came here the other day and asked
me if l saw the gas men light a match.
/ did not say yes, because l did not see
them do so although 1 was quite close
to them. 1 have always been honest,
and 1 would not tell lie now when 1
have so short time to live for all the
money they would give me-"
She brushed her eyes with her hand,
and as she murmured that she had
always paid her debts and she would
pay this hospital and doctor bill some
way when she got out although she did
not know how.
''At the time of the explosion I was
standing with the Japanese and Annie
Clifford in the pantry talking to the gas
men.
Head Hit Ceiling
''All at once I felt myself lifted up. My
head struck the ceiling and then with
the ceiling coming down with me l
went through a hole in the floor to the
cellar. Annie went with me, but do
not know what happened to the Jap
anese. l was conscious all the while,
and the first thing | heard was Annie
begging me for Gods sake to come to
her. She was sitting at a little distance
from me with a lot of timbers on her