The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1911-04-28
GIRLS PENNED IN CAR
TWO TOTS PRISONERS, HUNGRY
AND THIRsTY 70 HOURS.
Ride From Buffalo TO Hoboken Where
Searching Railroad officials Find
Them Unconselous--Vlo-
tins Of Boys Prank.

were penned IN a plJcn uhIh ISlll6SAo
tor car by boys whose sense OF humor
was abnormal were found lying in the
| car when it reached Hoboken from
Buffalo.
They we're not able to walk. 1t was
some time before thye could speak.
They had been seventy-two hours
without food or drink or sufficient air.
That they we're alive at all was q
thing to wonder at.
Mary Moni is 10 and Nelsie De For
ko is 8. Both girls live at 81 Indiana
street. Buffalo. The two girls used
every day to run around the Lackar
wanna freight yards in Buffalo.
Boys Of their age and older hung
around the freight yard. One morning
a couple of those boys shouted out to
the girls: Hey! There's bananas in
that car. Want some bananas? Back
in that car you'll find some. Gwan
in"
II was an empty refrigerator car to
which the boys pointed. The two
girls clambered into 1t. and began po-
king over the floor. They heard the
heavy door bang to and found them
selves In blackness. They rushed for
the door and pounded on 1t. They
could hear the boys outside laughing
In derision.
The boys made no attempt to open
the oar door and the girls got fright
ened. 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 v budged. A
little longer the two girls kicked and
beat upon the door. Then Mary Moni
heard Nelsie fall upon the floor Of the
car and begin TO sob.
They heard an engine putting louder
every second. Bang; Mary was bump
ed to the floor. There was an inter-
val of several minutes. Then the en-
CINE chugged, the car gave a jerk,
and in the darkness they knew them
selves to be moving. They were NOV
ing rapidly now. Mary coaxed Nelsie
up into a corner. They sat there and
sobbed as the train sped.
After a long time thye felt hollow
and hungry. Mary and Nelsie eA
plored the floor of the car. They found
nothing at all. The two girls found
they were to be without food or wa
ter. Besides, 1t was SO hot and
sitting they found It a labor to
breathe, and moving about was ex-
hausting. They lay perfectly still,
therefore, and In time the first faint.
ness OF hunger left them.
But 1t was intolerably hot, and
their thirst. grew. 1t, was night now.
The beam Of light was gone. Yet
neither girl slept. The roa Of the
train was loud and steady. Great tears
rolled down their cheeks.
, During the first night Mary made a
: useful discovery, the only relief they
hit upon the whole journey. She i'm
parted It at once to Nelsie. You take
. your thumb and catch the tears on 1t.
Then you sip :the tears-They are salt
8 and inadequate, but they cool the
mouth. In experimenting with this
. discovery they passed the rest of the
night.
: At length the beam Of light ap-
pared, red and ~pleasurable. All that
/ uhy ln0 L"O ray Ou LhO HUI VI lhC
I car, jolted each minute and turning
from side to side. Then night came
" on. 1t is possible the girls slept fit
: fully, though they could not recollect
u having done SO. The second morning
i found them a little weaker. They nc
longer spoke to each other in one
. syllable words. Nelsie tried to repeat
? a prayer. She repeated ave Maria
to herself several times.
Then came night and as the beam
of light faded Mary's consciousness
faded, too, and Nelsie. who could cry
l. no more, lapsed into quietness.
s But when the two girls didn't come
home the first night their parents had
g gone anxiously to the police. Some
were found who had seen the children
l in the freight yard. F. H. c. Schoeffe
chief special agent of the Lackawan
ma, %thereupon telegraphed Chief Beat
ty of the Lackawanna special police
in Hoboken to peer instantly into ev
cry empty that reached Hoboken. Fol
g two days not an empty car reached
Hoboken without being examined ID
=; a hurry.
On the third when a string of TWEEN
: ty-ive empty cars came rolling IN
u Yardmaster Dutton, who happened tc
be moving about the yard, pouncet
= on refrigerator car No. 1886 and prieC
:, open the door. He jumped inside
There In the corner he found the two
= bhrefooted girls black with dirt. Mel
sic was unconscious.
1t took the doctor two hours t.
bring both girls to.