Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-21
TRAVELLERS AID TELLS
NATURE OF ITS WORK
Meets Incoming Trains to Assist
Girls Who Are Going
About Alone.
INTERESTING EXPERIENCES
Many Ignorant Women Come to
Cities Without Knowing Any One.
Expecting to Make Wonderful
Sums Working in Factories.

An interesting work. ono that means
much to Richmond. and one that the
general public knows little of. Is that
OF the Travellers Aid Society. Miss
Earle L. Rcck. agent for the society.
who meets practically every train that
enters Richmond gives II vivid account
OF the ignorance with which the so
ciety has to deal, and OF the results
accomplished by this little band OF
women who have done so much for
the protection OF young girls.
Some OF the cases, in fact most
of them. are peculiarly pathetic" said
Miss Rcck. in speaking of her work.
Girls come to Richmond TO work.
without knowing a single soul. expect
Ing 10 make a wonderful living here
working in the factories, and some OF
them have had Ia go back saddcr, but
very much more wise They have had
to pay for their ignorance. II Is these
girls that are trying To save. be-
lievinG that prevention outwniEhs re-
form.
I'VE nrc seriously Handicapped. be-
cause We have not tho money with
which TO employ agents to look out
for them. but with our limited means
we have accomplished a tremendous
amount of good. One case that ] re-
call OF peculiar interest happened Just
the other day, when n girl came here
from little town in North Carolina
to visit her sister.
When she left her homo, her mother
repeated her sisters address. but she
forgot IL all except that her sister
worked in a local cigar factory. On
the train she began talking to Il young
man who lived near her house but who
she had never met. She told him of
her predicamcnt She was n pretty
girl. about seventeen years old. and as
comely as you could wish 10 see. The
young man gave her the name of a
hotel in Richmond. and told her that
If she did not find her sister to come
there and that he would look out for
her.
"UnsuspectinK. she wandered around
tho depot making a vain effort to To-
cate the older sister. until / found her.
On the telephone soon located the
sister and took her to the house. hut
not until I had lcCturcd her regarding
tho danger she had escaped. We re-
ceivcd Il very nice letter from her
sister, thanking us for our assistance.
showing that she knew just how mar
row her younger sisters escape had
been"
who pays the expense of telephon-
ing and carfare on such cases" was
asked.
SUPPORTED ENTIRELY ny
VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS
,irely by the generosity of citizens
who are interested In the welfare Of
the girl" answered Miss RcCk. Moth
ers and fathers who send their daugh-
tiers OF to boarding school, knowing
the protection of the Travellers Aid.
come TO our aid, while others who
know OF the socicty's work send US
contributions, but lots of times we
have 10 20 into our own pockets"
Continuing, Miss Reck said: 1T is
surprising. TOO. the number of chill
drcn. especially little girls. who are
allowed TO travel alone. and these we
keep a special lookout for. The other
afternoon. about o'clock. l noticed
a child hanging around the Main Street
Station, and investigating, found pinned
10 her dress notice. Going to Staun-
ton The child would not talk. she
had no money. and was very cold and
hungry.
Learning that the next train to
her destination did not leave until II
o'clock l determined to take her to
the Juvenile Detention Home for the
night as she would have had 10 change !
cars in Charlottesville about o'clock
in the morning and would not have |
reached Staunton until o'clock.
FOUND LITTLE GIRL
WAS ALMOST Hind
"As we left the building. noticed
that She frequently stumbled !
but II was not until we crossed the
street that I discott red that she was
practically blind" Tile poor little tot,
she could not have been more than
I'VE years Old could not see the curb
ing and had it not been that her tiny |
fingers were warmly clasped about |
mine, she would have fallen.
We put her to bed and she rnally /
talked but she could not tell us her
name or where she was from. Had
we not found her, | don't know what |
would have become OF her. but this is
only one OF hundreds and hundreds