The Washington times., 1913-08-24
CITY SIGHTS AMAZE
WOMAN OF THIRTY
Wife Who Fled From DuIIneSS
of Mountain Life Puts
Trust in People.

Suppose:
That you have lived all your life in
one particular place, and had never
been more than four miles away from
it, and
That you had married at the age of
fourteen, and had reared a family of
That you had only a shack of a cabin
away up in the mountains where visi-
tors seldom came, and
That you never saw a street car, or
an electric light, or a theater, or
building more than two stories high,
That your husband beat you cruelty.
and would not support you
Wouldn't you register a protest
That's what Mrs Dora Smith did.
She suddenly rebelled against her mar
row existence in the mountains near
Lexington, KY, about a week ago, and
fed with her five children to places
where there are folks" as she quantity
put it.
Trusted To Folks Kindness.
There was no money in the little
cabin, but Mrs Smith trusted to the
kindness of human nature to get her
and her brood to Ashby. Mass, where
her mother lives. She got as far as
Washington, when the money people
had given her was exhausted.
1T is the first time in my life that
i was ever in a city" she said, as she
sat In q big rocker at the Florence
Crittenton Home, 2lS Third street north
west, where she and her five children
are detained by the Board of Charities
until word can be Sent to her mother.
Though only thirty years old. her
-see- rraW~ h . NtNa
appearance of a woman of fifty.
All the natural longings of a woman
for the bright and beautiful things of
life had been stified and repressed until
that night, a week ago, she made up
her mind to endure II no longer. Denied
any education herself-she cannot read
or write-she knew, with a native in
telligence, that her children must not
grow up like that.
My husband would not let them go
to school, though there was a school
house not far away" she said.
When l was girl l had heard my
stepfather tell about cities, and what
wonderful things happened there. He
In while we'd get newspapers, and
could see from the pictures that folks
lived different from the way We did.
Husband Beat Her.
But my husband got to drinking.
AAS GN0N A-AS anu SOA III GU VI IL
stood 1t just as long as l could. He
wouldn't give US anv money to live on.
He chopped wood for people around
there. but he didn't make much. And
what he did make he spent in drink.
II had to pick berries TO get any
money at all Three times a week I'd
tramp four miles into Lexington, carry
ing three gallons of berries on each
arm. Lots of times We didn't have any
thing TO eat.
Il had been thinking about this thing
for a long time" she continued so
when he beat me up last Sunday and
abused the children. made up my mind
TO do il right then.
After he left the house, 1 got the
children together and told them We were
burning until We were sure he was out
of sight down the road, and then we
just hustled out the mountain road
down into Lexington reckon it was
door for the last time. 1 slammed il
hard, too, because I never want to see
the place again"
Mrs. Smith and her flock neared Lex
lngton about l O'Clock. It was moon
light, and, familiar as she was with the
road, she didn't hesitate to camp out
for the rest of the night by the way
side.
They had no baggage, no money. not
anything but the clothes they had on
and a high determination to get to
civilization.
Probably none of the thousands of
tourists who visit the Capital in the
course Of year from all parts of the
citys beauties.
Gas was a new and hitherto un-
heard-of element with the Smiths.
Consequently, when the family got
ready to retire for the first time after
arriving at the mission. why, the head
of ii did what seemed to her the most
natural thing in the world-blew out
the fickering flame. The life's his
tory of the Smiths would have termin-
ated then and there, ingloriously. had
rot the acute sense of an attending
nurse discovered the error in time.
The family never had seen a bathtub
before, and a moving picture show
the same night they splashed about in
a porcelain tub and then visited the
movies" There was a scene in which
the hero got a severe trouncing. The
little Smiths wanted to remain and
see the pictures over again, vainly
hoping that the villain might get his
the next time that reel was shown.
But Margaret White, the accompany
lug nurse, succeeded in getting them
out and away on their brief tour OF
the city.
The street cars made the greatest i'm
preston on MIS- Smiths mind. She
passed the White House the Treasury
building. and the beautiful lawns, which
usually evoke poems of admiration fro"l
Z. visitor, without a word of comment
But the street cars held her wrapt It
tention.
MY, but l like 10 ride in them,'' she
said. I've never been in an onerT
show, and / never saw an electric light
till l came here. We had some fresl
fish for dinner-Td never had any Of
that before.
Go back to Kaintuck after this? IN
deed, I WON'T" she concluded firmly.
II want my children to grow up right.
and be IL places where there are folks"
EDITH LOBERT.
IIs A. l. o.