Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-24
WIDOW VIDAL, HER
HOUSE FREE, LIFTS
VOICE IN THANKS
Impoverished Mexican, No Longer
Menaced by Stern Law,
Shares Joys of Day
FACES WORLD WITH SMILES
Charitable People Not Only Raise
Lien but Give Her Bal
anCe for Bank
FACES WORLD WITH SMILES

Her home freed from debt and with
a comfortable balance in bank, the gift
of kind-hearted persons, Mr.. Dolores
! Vidal is today probably the happiest
woman in Los Angeles. Her heart
sings with JOY and gratitude and the
heavy lines which care and pinching
poverty had drawn in the face of the
aged Mexican woman have fallen from
| her.
Mrs. Vidal can scarcely realize her
good fortune. She doesn't know how
| 1t happened, but she does know that
her little home is saved; that she once
more owns 1t unencumbered It is an
unpretentious house, that In which
| Mrs. Vidal and her two hard working
daughters live, but it is home to them,
| and over IT'S roof tree chambers a flow
erlng vine of tender memories. This
morning those memories are dearer
than ever before, the scrupulously
clean wooden floors are whittier, the
rude furniture more comfortable. Cheer
has conquered carking care. The little
family, no longer daunted by the spec
| ter 'of poverty, stands erect, rejoicing
In the kindness of humanity
Mrs. VidaPs case is familiar to read
ers of The Herald. The woman owns
little three-room cottage at 626 Mis-
sion road. Her husband is dead Her
two daughters are employed in laun-
dry and are paid only $12 week. On
this slender income the family must
live, buy food and clothing for three
persons and pay taxes.
MEANT LOSS OF HOME
They did it, too, asking no more
favors from anyone, until one day the
city of Los Angeles decided to "im-
prove' the road which runs by the
simple home-to widen it and make it
fine automobile driveway. That
meant that property owners would be
called upon to meet heavy assessments.
Mrs VidaPs share was $512.51. The
city might as we'll have asked for as
many millions! The woman could not
| pay, and there was no prospect that
| she would be able to pay any time in
the future.
But the law takes no account of a
widows needs, and lien was issued
against Mr.. VidaFs little property. In
the ordinary course of business the lien
was bought up by B. H. Vandenburgh.
Mr.. Vandenburg also was. ignorant of
the widows extremity. He never had
seen the property He did not know
who Mrs. Vidal was, nor what were
her circumstances.
Penalties accrued, still under the
laws provisions, until the amount due
became $61501. 1t was increasing 10
unpaid at the end of year, the city
stood ready, always under the law to
grant the holder of the lien a certifi-
cate of sale covering the entire prop
erty.
This was the circumstance in which
Mrs. Vidal found herself She was
helpless yet she believed her predica-
ment to be unjust, and finally she
wrote a letter to Mayor Alexander ex-
planning just what had happened. 1t
bore no evidence of literary style, that
letter, but it came from a womans
heart and it was destined not to go
unanswered.
RESPONSIVE CHORD TOUCHED
The mayor turned the letter over to
The Herald and The Herald, satisfied
after investigation that the cause was
worthy one, resolved to place Mrs
VidaPs story before the public. This
was done simply and unostentatiously.
The response was ready and imme-
date William Eimers read the story
and investigated on his own account.
Mr. Eimers at once decided that the
Vidal home should be saved, and, be-
ing a man of action, he set to work to
save it.
Fifse he called upon B. H. Vanden-
burgh, holder of the lien, and eX-
planned to him the womans desperate
case. Mr.. Vandenburgh willingly Of
fered to forego the penalty to which he
was entitled under the law and to re-
lease his lien upon the repayment to
him of the original $512.51, the money
ne had actually paid out on his invest
ment. In other words, his contribu-
tion to the cause was S1025O. Mr..
Eimers himself contributed $50 and
gave abundantly Of his time and
energy toward raising the remainder
of the money needed.
The Herald opened its columns to
subscriptions which were not slow in
coming. Then a benefit was arranged,
and when the receipts had been counted
up it was found that 1863 stood to Mrs.
Vidals credit. This was sufficient to
pay off the lien and leave balance of
| $146.49.
Yesterday noon the property was
freed of all encumbrance and the lien
upon it released. Then $146.49 was de-
posted in the Equitable Savings bank
to Mrs Vidal's credit.
| CAN HARDLY sTAMMER THANKS
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Eimers and
a representative of The Herald called
upon Mrs. Vidal at her home, and
through an Interpretation the woman
speaks no English-presented her with
a receipt for the money due the city
and with the bank book, showing its
tidy little deposit to her credit.
The aged woman was so affected that
she could scarcely stammer her thanks,
even in her native tongue. She did,
however, send a message of thankful
ness and gratitude to all the kind per-
sons who had come to her assistance
in her hour of need, and she expressed
a wish that some day she might be
able to prove her gratitude.
| 1t was explained that the money in
bank was meant for Thanksgiving
and Christmas present and Mrs. Vidal
replied that this Thanksgiving would be
the happiest she had ever known.
"The house is all ours" she said.
"We paid the taxes ourselves last week.
That won't have to come out of this
money. People are good when they
only know, and it was my letter to the
mayor that told them."