The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-07-26
SHE WAS LOST
IN HONESDALE
Came to do General House
work and all She Found
was General Gloom
A DAY EARLIER THAN EXPECT
ED AND COULDN'T REMEM-
BER NAME OR ADDRESS.

Miss Ella Totten, aged II, of
Middletown, N. Y, arrived in Homes
dale alone Sunday night, on the
6:56 Erie train, just one day before
she was expected, and as a result she
found herself involved in a web of
painful circumstances, from which
she was not released until late Mon
day afternoon, when she was finally
escorted to her destination at 914
Church street.
Mrs. Wesley w. McCown, who con-
ducts a fashionable clearinghouse
at GA Church street, had arranged
with a relative of hers, a Mrs. Os-
borne, of Middletown. N. Y, to get
a girl for general housework.
All the details had been perfected.
The young girl was given a slip of
paper with the address of her future
mistress written on it, and in order
to make Identification doubly sure
a bow of white ribbon was pinned
on her waist. She was told that
some one would meet her at the sta
tion when she landed in Honesdale,
and all would be well.
1t is long journey from Middle
town, N. Y, to Honesdale, Pa, on
the Erie Railroad. The scenery be-
gan to pail on the fair young travel
ler. She nodded, she dozed. When
she awoke her precious bit of paper,
with the street number on it, was
gone. Ella Totten was dismayed at
the loss, bat thinks she, / still have
the badge of white ribbon, and all
will be well when l get to Honesdale.
But all was not smooth sailing
when she alighted from the vesti-
buled Erie express train at the
crowded Union terminal station Sun
day night. No friendly faces met
her gaze. No one came up to her
and took her by the hand, and said:
" Come with me, I'm glad to see
you" All was gloom.
Half frantic with anxiety over the
failure of her mistress to meet her,
she wandered to and fro on the sta
tion platform. Chief of Police j. j.
Canivan noticed her distress. So
did Mayor John Kuhbach. At the
latter's suggestion she was taken to
the Hotel Wayne for supper.
Chief of Police Canivan sent the
bus scouting up Main, East Exten-
sion and West streets to see if num-
ber 1491 3" could not be found, for
that, as Ella Totten remembered it,
was the address of her mistress.
The very name of the lady for
whom she was to work had gone
from her, and unable to speak much
English, Ella was in sore straits in
deed.
Meantime efforts were made to
ascertain the name of the peo-
pie who were expecting a girl from
Middletown, N. Y, all efforts to find
a number 1491 being futile.
The phones were requisitioned.
Everybody who had advertised for a
girl, or who had limited to their
neighbors that they needed a girl,
was called up, but to no avail. Then
it was decided that the young
stranger should remain at the Hotel
Wayne over night. She did.
Late Monday afternoon she safely
landed at the home of Mrs. Mac
Gown, after walking the streets of
the Maple City for several hours
with an escort who was unable to
find GA Church street for her.
Needless to say Miss Totten was
overjoyed to find the number 914
which in her excitement she
thought was 1491. And it was a
tired but happy girl that went to
bed Monday night vowing that she
would never again go such a long
distance away from home, alone.
Yes, Honesdale is becoming a
great city. Even grown-up people
can be lost in her labyrinthine
streets. What she needs is a wom-
an to meet unescorted strangers at
the station, and see that they are
taken care of, just like they have in
Philadelphia and New York. That's
it-a travellers aid department.
that's what we need.