The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1915-11-18
WOMAN WATCHER.
Nell Skinner CriSweII Tells Of The Part
She Took at The Polls 10
Brooklyn.

minded and intelligent women,
Mrs. Nellie Skinner Criswell,
daughter of the late, Captain
Skinner, and a former pupil in
the McConnellsburg pu b lie
schools, firmly believes that wo-
men possess the same right to
suffrage that men possess, and at
the late election in New York
state, she was an active worker.
Being resident of the city of
Brooklyn, she accepted the ap-
pointment as one of the watchers
at the polls in the election pre-
cinct in which she lived, and this
is her experience as related in
the columns of the Brooklyn
Eagle the next day:
"The fateful November 2 dawn
ed bright and clear and | was to
be a watcher at the polls-a part
l had accepted in fear and tremb-
ling. All night long | had tossed
and turned, anticipating the
dreadful evils which might befall
me in that mysterious place from
which my sex in this democratic
land had been forever barred.
We had been warned in our
School for Watchers of the many
difficulties that might arise, and
visions of challenging drunken
voters and of trips to the police
station, amid the jeers of onlook-
ers, floated through my brain.
but at the appointed hour |
was at tn appointed place.
Bravely l turned the knob and
walked in, my watchers certifi-
cate clutched tightly in my hand.
The room, an empty basement
store, had been swept and busted
and was even brilliantly lighted.
At the end of a long table with
what looked like an interminable
row of men-perhaps seven or
eight-sat the watcher whom |
was to relieve. The officer of the
law who guarded the rail opened
it politely without a glance atmy
credentials. AS | approached one
man,remarked "You don't vote
here. " / summoned all my cour-
age and replied with a smile:
mot yet" The other watcher
quietly left the room as l slipped
into her place. The gentlemen
at that end of the table rose while
l was being seated and asked if l
objected to the smoking. Of
course, tactfully did not.
For the next two hours | had
to concentrate all my attention
on my work for the voters came
early and the district was large
checking off the voters in my
little book, marking numbers of
ballots, and especially keeping
track of the men who had prom
ised to vote for Suffrage. Sew
eral times when the rush was
greatest | didn't catch the names,
but | discovered that the men
next to me were willing to repeat
them, and occasionally | found
an opportunity to help them.
MY district was one of the
silk stocking" districts in a fine
old residential part of Brooklyn,
and most of the voters were men
of refinement and intelligence.
The majority did not notice my
presence at all. A few made
facetious remarks about pink
teas" etc, and a very few passed
me by with a cynical stare.
''The only real slap | received
all day came from a woman. A
prominent Anti-Suffrage worker
came to the door with her father. |
One of the men watchers offered
her a chair, but. with below
zero look in my direction, she de-
clined it, saying, mo, thank you
| have no place here. Pm not a
Suffragist-only a plain woman"
How | longed to say; "Yes, a
very plain woman, indeed" but
discretion being the better part
of valor, | kept quiet and looked
as serene and unconscious as
could.
"Once an Italian came in with
his employer. He could neither
read nor write, didn't know how