The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-03-21
ARMLESS GIRL IS
W0NDER-WORKER
Sews With Her Feet, Draws Pictures
With Them, Takes Photographs
and Makes Furniture.
BY DOROTHY DALE.

HAYWOOD. ILL, March Git
does one good to know Miss Kittie
Smith. To talk with her is an insplr-
alton. To see how she has overcome
terrible physical afiiiction makes
imagined troubles seem very silly. To
know what wonderful things this
young woman can do under great
handicap makes one wonder at the
stupidity Of persons in normal condi-
ton who fail 10 make use of their
natural powers.
Kittie Smith has no arms. When
she was a little girl living In Chicago
she fell upon red hot stove, and the
surgeons at the hospital cut off both
her arms at the shoulders.
If you would know what this means,
try to live an hour without use of your
arms To the 9-year-old Kittie,
motherless and with father. baby sister
and two little brothers TO housekeep
for, II was a terrible blow. The neigh
Dor women all said that the girl might
better have died than be so afflicted
But Kittie has lived and she is pros
pering by her own efforts-she is now
self-supporting girl of 25, and this
is her story.
Her Remarkable Story
Kittie has learned to use her feet
to do the things that hands were in
tended to do and almost weird are her
powers. How completely she has
overcome her misfortune is best told
by herself She said
Il can't say | handle things, but !
can say that | foot them.
al
pieces which | embroidered all myself
Just moment and | Will show you
how quickly | can thread needle,
and In a twinkling her needle was
threaded and the thread knotted. The
needle was threaded with her toes and
the knot made with her teeth.
Now do you wish TO see my work
shop in the basement? We went there
and saw pretty Kittie work at her
bench, which she built herself.
This is my favorite pastime." she
said II love to hammer and saw and
make things out OF wood. can saw a
board perfectly straight, and almost
as fast with my feet as any carpenter
could with his hands"
She picked up her saw with her
right foot, and while steadying it with
the toes of her left foot, deftly demon
strated how easily ii was done. Vart-
GUS tools were scattered over the WORK
mench, and several book racks which
Miss Smith had just finished were
lined pwaiting for their coat OF var
nish. which she will also apply herself.
One of her greatest desires is TO some
day own a complete set of tools.
Teaches Crippled Boys.
Center tables. tabourets and book
shelves are listed among the various
articles of furniture made by Miss
Smith. Besides doing this work her
self which is her business, she is
teaching some small crippled boys %
use scroll saw.
Pen and ink sketching is another
accomplishment. She holds her pen
between the first and second toes Of
her right foot and can copy any picture
that may be given TO her. A camera Is
numbered among her most treasured
possessions, and she has made many
fine pictures She not alone manipu-
ates her camera, but also does all her
developing and printing
While showing her book Of photo
graphs the telephone rang. Sitting
down in front OF the instrument Kittie
calmly slipped her right foot out of
her shoe. and lifting the receiver off
the hook with her toes proceeded 70
answer the call
mo one understands the old adage.