The chronicle=news., 1913-03-29
Woman with fearful
Tale Professional
Tramp is Charge


Curtis. tn. Topeka widow who ye--
t.TGay told fearful tai. OF being
left p.aHii.ss and stranded IN rinI-
dad while in search OF her daughter
grandch ildr.n. il 4 professional sob
ber.' This sam. woman. Mn. Ella
Curtis was in Pueblo earlier in the
week an told -orgoWiul tale OF Aay-
ing lost everything In the cyclone At
Omaha and column story VA,
sque-zed out In the Pueblo Chhle,-
tain. While In Pueblo however. IN.
woman vas recognized as II pros..-
sionsi .nendloanf by Mrs.. ". II. Nc
Donald. secretary OF the Associated
Charities who Investigated and found
the woman to b. an impRisr. The
account as given IN the Chle.taiu n
coupi. OF days ago IL as follo~s:
With a pi;ifui tale OF how she had
los, her home and possessions ig the
Omaha cyclon. and had spent her
las; penny TO come 10 Pueblo TO live
with or son.!n-la~ and daughter. bat
upon arriving hers could not find
them. Mrs. Ella Curtis appealed sea-
terday morning to the police and the
salvation Army. saying she was pen
niles. homeless. starring aud cold.
Th. I-oi!c. immediately put forth
every effort TO lind the daughter.
Who Is supposed TO be Ia thi, city.
Captain Thompson OF the Salvation
Army pi'i.d the apparently poor NO.
man and took her TO his own home
and CAV" her food and shelter
Reading the sad story of the NO.
mans life In newspaper. Mn. ".
u. Mcdonald. secretary OF the local
branch OF ia. Associated Charities.
discovered tina, she had heard stories
Of . similar nature from Mn. Cur
a.. once before and 80 started M In
,c-iigation.
Visiting the hom. OF Captain
Thompson to talk With Mrs Curtis,
Mr.. Mcdonald found woman: she
IL "A professional tramp. who ioge'h-
er with her daughter aud two young
grand children hay. visited almost
every city in the wcsi. In each place
b. means OF pi,iful stories OF her life
aud the little children securing food
and shelter and usually u neat little
sum Of money.
The woman. daughter IL Mrs.
Edward Nicholson. Tn. children. n
hoy and girl. aged :. and d respcc'!v-
ely. According to Mrs. Mcdonald the
women often change names. the
mother usin: the nam. Nicholson
aud trh daughter tina. OF Curtis.
According to record In the pos
>-ss sion OF Mrs. Mcdonald. she says
the women first appeared here in
1906. tn. daughter "a, that time be-
Ing but Is year. old. They drov.
through from Ia Junta. supposed TO
b. their home. in a buggy and stayed
here several doy-. They had rooms at
- local hotel. tn. manager having
taken pity on their apparently poor
condition and given them rooms.
They ate at cafes after the meal tell
ing the manager they had no money.
Further record of them - given by
Mrs. Mcdonald as follows:
The next tim. they appeared here
was In 1905. This time as before.
they lived on wha; they could beg
aud refused TO even try TO secure
work. although both were physically
able. The girl in tn. meantime had
been married. according TO the story.
Her husband. they said. had tubercu-
! losis and was on the coast This time
they succeeded IN securing neat
sum from local people.
They went to Denver and return
ell a short time later. This time the
older woman claimed her husband
had run away and married his own
daughter. The daughter had left him
and returned TO the mother and was
at tho time trying TO secure a di-
yorcc. She had two children. both
babies
Mrs. Mcdonald offered them work.
but they refused. The secretary then
attempted to secure custody of the
babies. having by this time learned
The character of the women. This she
failed to do. the women escapinS <
when they learned OF her plans.
TIL" women have visited practic-
ally every city in the west. says Mrs
Mcdonald. letters having been sent
her by Associated Charities workers
iu Phoenix and various other Arizo-
ma cities and from Denver and Colo