The log cabin Democrat., 1909-10-26

obtained a couple of shoe shining out fits and went to work as bootblacks, leading the usual gypsy life of those picturesque little arabs who were at that time one of the distinctive fea- lures of Chicago streets. They worked first in the south end of the business districts and later, as they became ac- quainted with the other bootblacks, roved all over the downtown district. seeking refuge when night fell in the box cars out along State street, in Wabash avenue livery barns, in lofts or wherever they could sneak in un- noticed.
 One evening Pearl saw wagon load of watermelons standing near the the corner of State and Harrison streets. Several of the melons had been taken from the wagon and were piled upon the sidewalk. When no one melons and ran down Harrison street with the heavy load Before she had gone a block a policeman caught her and both she and her sister were taken to the Harrison Street police station.
 After the two girls were arrested and sentenced to boys school their sex was discovered and they were sent to the reform school for girls. Old beyond their years by virtue of the varied experiences they had passed through, it was not to be supposed that they would tamely submit to the vigorous discipline of the school for any great length of time without en. deavoring to make break for liberty. Yet to the surprise of the officials who knew their history they remained for three months apparently contented and tractable without evincing any desire to escape from confinement.
 But one fine morning the surprised and disgusted matron awoke to find that the birds had flown. The two girls had made rope of the sheets and a nightgown and lowered them selves from a window
 Pearls sister climbed down first and without accident. Pearl followed, but being the heavier of the two she got q fall that almost knocked her sense less. Instead of tying the nightgown at the lower end of the rope she had listened one sleeve to the bed Her weight ripped off the sleeve and she fell ten feet to the ground. This acci. dent did not prevent her, however, from discarding her dress until she could climb the high, wire bound fence and help her sister over
 When the girls escaped they has tened away from Chicago as soon as they could secure two suits of boys clothes. They made their way over the Northern Pacific railroad to Hel. c. They remained in Victoria for three months and then started back to Chicago. beating their way in the most approved tramp fashion by easy stages. the round trip being the most remarkable ever accomplished by two girls of their age Upon reaching Chi cago, the younger one, who did not possess such an iron constitution as her sister, became i'll as a result of the hardships she had gone through and soon grew very homesick. When she had in some measure regained her strength Pearl took her back to their Canadian home,
 By this time the elder of the two girls had become a confirmed tramp in everything but appearance. The long journey twice across the country had but served to increase her strength and excite her longing for fresh ad- ventures. Her parents knew she would not long remain at home unless she was placed under restraint. They sent her to boarding school near Montreal where special arrangements were made to have her carefully watched.
 She was closely guarded too, but she found a way to elude her guard. ians. She met man who lived in the town where the school was located, Harry Bordcman, and before she had been at the school four months she eloped with him.
 At that time Pearl Hart was 16 years old. She and Bordeman came df. rectly to Chicago where, however, she remained but a short time. Following a quarrel with him one day she dis. appeared. She went to Trinidad. Col, but later came back to Chicago and became reconciled to Bordeman. They remained in the Windy City during the year of the Worlds Fair after which another quarrel with her husband caused her to again pay visit west. She returned to Trinidad and later went to Phoenix, Ariz. She had not been in Phoenix week when she met Bordeman at a boarding house. q reconciliation followed and the two lived together until the be ginning of the Spanish war. when Bordeman enlisted in McCord's regi. ment and left the territory.
 When Bordeman left his wife she again donned male attire and went to Mammoth, Ariz., where she hired out as cook in a mining camp on the banks of the Gila river. It was at this time that she attained that degree of skill with firearms which afterwards gained for her the name of one of the