The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-02-18
Emernon olrls Narrow Escape.


The News. Temptation, Hunger and
Law ran a pursuit race with Miss
Katie Saunders. pretty young girl of
Emerson Ncb.. as the prize and Law,
as pcrsonncd by the police, who wish
to return her to her home, won.
The chase led through the slums OF
the city and Temptation had run.
ming start. with Hunger a close sec.
ond But the girl herself took a hand
in the affair when she entered the
Helping Hand institute from which
the leaders in the pursuit are barred.
There she was found by the authori.
tios.
On the afternoon of January q the
young woman applied for admission to
the general hospital. She gave her
name as Frances Stewart, and her adj
dress boarding house at 3O2 East
Seventeenth street, She was suffer
ing apparently from nervous break
down and worry
She bore in her face and bearing a
certificate of her good character. She
was refined in speech and manner and
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of her face. fringed as it was with
heavy auburn hair of that peculiar
shade which is the despair of paint.
crs.
The physicians of the hospital gave
her unusually good attention and she
was dismissed Tuesday afternoon as
cured. She wcpt little bit, but she
didn't tell the surgeons that she was
penniless and had nowhere to go cX.
Cept to seek the charity of strangers.
All that afternoon she walked the
streets in search of work, but without
finding it. Night came on and she
had no place to go. She was weak
from her long illness and torn with the
pangs of hunger. She was afraid to
beg assistance of passersby.
And so she set herself the long
vigil of a night in the streets. AS
the night grew late she must have
met many providers who noticed her
alone and defenseless, yet she passed
them by, with head up bravely and
eyes looking straight before her.
The only places open to her were
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behring's she passed half opened door
ways, through which she could hear
shouts of revelry. But she drew her
thin coat about her and hurried by
without daring to stop and appeal for
shelter.
At daylight she was stu walking.
And then hunger overpowered her.
,h no
on May street. Then she mastered
her repugnance and rang the bell. A
hard-visaged woman, the pallor of
whose face shown through the paint,
answered
What do you want?" the woman
asked.
I'm hungry. Can you give me
something to eat?"
The woman looked at the girl, saw
in glance her whole story and made
a mental note of her pretty face. She
invited her inside Other women in
the place surrounded Miss Saunders
and pressed her to stay. The girl
shivered and said she must go. Fin
ally the first woman gave her quart
er.
Her pitiable condition won the sym
patty of these women. They feared
she might not escape so easily again.
And so they called the police. The
officers searched for Miss Saunders
all last night but were unable to find
her. Yesterday, weak and i'll, she
went to the Helping Hand for shelter.
Two months ago she quarreled with
her sister with whom she made her
home in Emerson, Neb. She ran away
coming to, Kansas City in search of
work
After walking the streets in search
of employment, she became i'll in front
of the boarding house at No. 3O2 East
Seventeenth street. She appealed to
Mrs. Minnie Wilson, the proprietor,
for aid. The woman took her and let
her do what little work she could to
earn her board until she had to go to
the hospital.
She is safe now, all right. But the
young woman may never know of the
grim spectres that stalked her through
the streets of Kansas City, nor of the
prize they sought.