Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-02
NEAR DEATH IN LOCKED CAR
Two Little Girls Spend Three Days in
the Dark without Food or
Water.

Two Little GIFTS spend Three DAYS an
the Dark without Food or
Water.
Two small sized girls who we're penned
In a pitch dark refrigerator car on Tues
day OF last week by boys with whom they
had been playing in the railroad yards at
Buffalo were found lying in the car when
1t reached Hoboken three days later They
were not able to walk. 1t was some time
before they were able to speak. They had
been seventy-two hours without food or
drink or suffiolency Of air. That they were
alive at all was a thing to wonder at
Mary Moni Is 10 and Nelsle de Forke Is
s. Both girls live with their parents at q
Indiana street Buffalo. They are but single
units in multiple families. Only fractional
attention can in the nature OF things be
theirs. The two girls used every day to
run around the Lackawanna freight yard
near Columbia street, Buffalo. They had
good deal Of fun jumping about cars Some
times they found stray piece of fruit.
Boys OF their age and older hung around
the freight yard. Last Tuesday morning a
couple OF these boys whom they knew by
sight not by name, shouted out to the girls
Hey, there's bananas in that car. Want
some bananas? Back in that car you'll
find some. G'wan in"
1t was an empty refrigerator car to which
the boys pointed The two girls clambered
into 1t and with antlcipatory excitement be-
gan poking over the floor in the dark cor
ners They heard the heavy door bang to
and found themselves in blackness. They
rushed for the door and pounded on It. They
could hear the boys outside laughing.
The boys made no attempt to open the
car door and the girls became frightened.
They screamed a little and kicked with
their bare feet. Pretty soon they heard the
voices of the boys and knew them to be
trying to open the door. The door never
budged. 1t is not only heavy it fits as
closely as If dovetailed and is held shut by
suction.
A little longer the two girls kicked and
beat upon the door, Then Mary Moni, the
elder, heard Nelsie fall upon the floor Of
tho car and begin to sob In a slow, help
less fashion. This was too much for Mary,
who is only 10 herself. She wept standing
and between sobs she thwaoked the door
with her fists. At length she gave that up.
They heard an engine putting louder
every second. "BangI" Mary was bumped
to the floor. There was an interval Of sew
eral minutes. Then the engine chugged,
the car gave a Jerk. in the darkness they
knew themselves to be moving.
When the two girls didn't come home on
Tuesday night their parents had gone
anxiously to the police. Some were found
who had seen the children in the freight
yard foraging. F. H. C. Schoeffel, chief
special agent Of the Lackawanna, tele-
graphed Chief Beatty OF the Lackawanna
special police in Hoboken to examine every
unloaded car that reached TIoboken. Chief
| Raattv told Xardnnautar nrtto, A. .to..,
and the yardmaster ordered his men to
Keep strict watch For several days not
an empty car reached Hoboken without
being examined in hurry Then yesterday
morning when string of twenty-five
empties came rolling In, Dutton himself
who happened to be in the yard bounced on
refrigerator car $685. and pred open the
door. He Jumped inside
There in the corner he found two bare
footed, slightly dressed girls, black with
dirt. Nelsie was unconscious. Mary was
conscious, but she only looked at the yard.
master. who was swearing very loudly
and absent mindedly. He picked the two
children up and carried them out into Nthe
sun, binding and glorious, and stood there
shouting orders and oaths and Inopping his
forehead with great flourishes intended to
conceal the preliminary wiping of his
cheeks. The two children were taken in
q hurry to the Lackawanna Young Mems
Christian association headquarters and DIR.
King was called from the Snake Blll sani-
tArium.
Mary had tainted and 1t took the doctor
two hours to bring both girls TO so that
they would stay conscious and not go
lapsing off again. He fed them a little
broth and gave them little water. II
was wonderful the way they picked UP
after that, Pretty soon they found their
voices and could answer simple questions
and by and by they could stand up without
holding onto something and walk around.
Then they got one thoroughgoing scrub
bing apiece and were put into blue ging-
ham pinafores and had their hair done up
which proceeding was entirely new and
pleasing. They explained how the boys
had caught them in the car. They did not
volunteer any information, but they an
swered straightforwardly every question
put.
The two girls were escorted to the Lacka-
warras No. train while every employs
craned his neck and commuters missed
their trains to watch and inquire. They
were put aboard in charge OF the conductor
to his manifest pleasure. A berth was al.
lotted them, and 1t was arranged that they
should order la carte In the dining car
night with the girls sitting in their ging.
ham dresses on the observation platform
/ Both girls were In Buffalo next morning
and home.-New York sun.
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