The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-09-09
FIRST TRAIN INTO MrssoULA
Pathetic Scenes Graphically Describ.
ed Of the. Trip

)l Missoula, Aug. 24.-It was exactl
$3.50 when the first train from tn
Wallace district pulled in. 1t wa
made up of variety of cars, princi
} pally boxes, and carried most pitifu
: looking crowd. A thousand or NOR
of the good people of Missoula wer
at the station to receive and ministe
to the refugees. A table and chair
were placed upon the lawn and ev
J erything ready to serve sandwitche
and coffee. Two dozen or more ladies
and some of the leading business meI
of the city were there to wait upoI
the visitors. The glad hand was ou
and nothing was left undone. Am
balances, automobiles and stree
hacks were standing ready to be
pressed into service.
Some of the people had been at the
station for more than two hours, as
the first report said that the special
would arrive at Z.
Before the train came there were
some who did not believe it would
bring any but few sick people who
were carried out of Providence hos
pital. There were many skeptics in
the crowd. But when the refugees
began to climb out the spectators
realized that something out of the
ordinary had driven them from their
homes. Among the very first to get
out of one of the box cars was a nurse,
wearing uniform and cap, and carry
ing tiny, 10-day-old baby At her
heels was the mother, nervous, pale
and emaciated, trembling from head
tc foot like an aspen leaf. Follow
ing this trio came another, nurse, a
nine-day-old child and a frail, fright
ened mother. From the car ahead a
desperately i'll and fearully weak man
was lifted. BY his side hobbled an
old wrinkled-faced pioneer, travelling
Oh crutches. There were half doz-
en- other feeble persons Working
men, covered with CRIME, accompan-
led their families. The poor fellows
had not had time to wash their faces
or change their clothes. One mother,
with four children, was weeping for
her husband and an S-year-old son
who missed the train. Two of her
little ones, a 14-year-old boy and a
small, blue-eyed, flaxen-haired girl,
were in their night clothes. The boy,
who had been aroused from his sleep
in the excitement of the moment, ran
out to see if his brothers and sisters
were safe and did not have time to
return for his toys. His baby sister,
Ella, who did not quite understand
what had happened, was lifted from
the bed in her night gown and liter
ally carried away asleep. The father
of this family, Otto Grafenburg, ran
back to try and save his home and
was left. The younger boy got off
with another party.
The most pathetic story of all is
that of Dorothy and Doris Baldwin,
11-year-old twins, pair of bright
eyed brunettes who got separated |
from their grandmother, Mrs. Rule,
who was lost in the race for the train. |
Their mother, Mrs. May Baldwin,
was out of the city cooking in rail-
road camp and knew nothing of their
danger. Their grandma, with whom
they lived, started with them but,
discovering that she had left her
purse in their little house, turned
and went back for it. Later the chill
dren saw her struggling to catch the
train but the fire was sweeping at
such terrific pace that the cars had
to pull out to escape. They believe
that she succeeded in mounting
handcar that carried away number
Of people.
Dorothy and Doris are as much
alike as two black-eyed peas. They
are dainty and sweet-looking. Mrs.
]. W. Lister took them to her home
and will care for them.
That train was little world on
Life as one sees it in any
community was found there. When
he crowd, all save two or three, had
lismounted, woman, attended by
everal of her sex, remained in one {
If the freight cars and gave birth to
| child. At the earliest possible mo-
nent she was hurried to hospital. {
There were some ludicrous feat {
Tres as we'll as sad ones for the curl t
JUS. One woman, who got out by t
he skin of her teeth, donned a pair t
i her husbands trousers and robe,
brew the house cat and three kittens
n a telescope and put out for the S
rain. She came to Missoula that Z
ray. The feline was well and happy. d