Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-13

located the daughter in Pennsylvania.
She had obtained a situation in q small
town and was living In quiet board
Ing house. When told that her parents
had sent for her. she began to cry,
and said she would not go home my
father called me a street bum" she
| explained bitterly. land l won't let
anybody call me that" Mrs. HUI
| mission brought her back to New York,
| however. and turned her over to
friend Of hcr own. Then she called on
| the father. and. knowing Mrs. Humis-
ton as we do. 1t il highly probable
that when the interview was over he
| was changed man. AT any rate, the
girl was taken back enthusiastically by
both OF her parents and has made no
attempt TO run away since.
Mrs. Huriiston has attacked the
| missing Sirl problem from an entirely
new angie. She does not believe in
Furnishing the girls. even IL they are
Maynard She does not believe in
wasting too much energy in closing
| disordcrly houses. She docs believe
| in striking at the root OF the problem
economic and lone conditions.
Work I'm Other Spheres.
Mrs. Humlston's work is not en-
! tirely confined TO missing girls. Sho
| is primarily lawyer. There Is moth
| Ing that she loves better than to win
| case for man who is 80 poor that
he is never likely to be able to pay for
| her services. This Is how she started
| her New York career. and she Is still
doing it. She was left widow with
| large income when stili very young.
She decided to study law. a profession
| which ut that time was considered en-
| tirely inappropriate for women. Upon
| passing the bar examination. she put
her money in law firm OF which
! the present Mr.. Humiston was a mem
| her. The firm gave its services free
of charge to people who could net
pay for a lawyer.
Most Of Mrs. Humistons cases were
confined to Italians. among whom she
is now adorcd as their "avocatessa--
| The first important case which vas
brought to her Office was that OF An
toinette Tolla, young Italian woman.
| who was condemned to death by tho
STATE OF New Jereey. Antoinette was
the wife OF a young italian laborer,
and had two small children. She was
pretty. bright and cheerful and de-
voted to her family. Then her hus-
bands employer started prosecuting
| her. She avoided him for some time.
and then she went to his wife to whom
| she frankly explained her difficulties
| The wife gave her revolver. and told
her TO use 1t il necessary. Antoinette
| used 1t. The man bribcd her little boy
to get him out OF the way, then en-
| tered the house and locked the door.
| ana Antoinette retreating to her bed
| room. took the revolver from her bu-
rcau drawer and shot him.
In the court room Antoinette had n
dihicult time. because she could sneak
| no English. The court interpreter wa.
n Sicilian, and since Antoinette va.
| from the north OF Italy she could not
| understand him. The law Of New York
clearly states that in the case of tho
,rial or an alien an interpreter shall
| be provided who speaks the language
! or the prisoner. II WAS on this techni-
! cal point that Mrs. Humiston aroused
the New Jersey officials while the scat
foid was being erected on the premises
ana had them call n special meeting of
the board OF pardons. The Governor
conmuted Antoinctte's sentence to
| seven years in the penitentIary. which
was later reduced to FIVE for good be-
The efficiency with which re-. HUI
mission handled this case attracted tho
attention OF the United States Depart
inent OF Justice, and she was made
deputy attorney general OF the United
states with the task OF investigating
the peonaSe system which was ono Of
the greatest evils of tho country This
work took her TO South America. where
she met MIR. Humiston and was mar
| ried. She gave UP her Investigations
and law work and settled down into a
| home maker.
! 'ahcS up Another Case.
! Then one day reappcared Antoinette
ms time she came In behalf OF q
young Italian man, a relative of her's
who was being held for the murder
or n prominent wealthy Italian. Mrs.
| itumiston's sympathies were aroused.
| and she agreed TO undertake the case
She found that the man was a Irborer
| who was highly valued by his employ
ers. and that he had been the victim
! OF notorious black-hander. He pro-
| duced series OF letters which he had
| received from time to time containing
the usual message OF the Camorra:
| The lamp OF the virgin needs oil.
Leave the money according to direc-
tons" The Italian had paid until hs
had no savings left, and then the
| black handler had threatened him. Mrs.
| Humiston produced witnesses to prove
| that the black -ha nder had pulled a re-
| Volver first.
| After this case. Spencer Miller,
deputy warden Of Sing Sing. called
Mrs. Humiston's attention to the case
OF the farm laborcr. Stielow, with
which the whole country is now famil-
lar. Sticlow was held for the murder
OF farmer and his wife. his employ
ers Two detectives had produced a
signed confession which they claimed
to nave obtained under the third de-
gree. and had thus become eligible
LOT inc reward offered. Mrs. HumiSton
proved the confession to be false Tba
| detectives had overlooked the fact thar
Stielow could neither read nor write.
Her subsequent discovery Of the ped
dler who had been in the community
on the day Of the murder. and his
confession. saved her clients life.
After thus. Mr. Humiston was salts
fed TO have his wife open a couple Of
offices for herself. where she continued
| to practice among the poorer classes.
1t was here that the case Of Ruth
| CruSer was brought TO her atten.
ton three months after the girl had
disappeared. Her victory in this case
not only strengthened her reputation
as the greatest woman investigator In
the United States, but it awoke the
whole of New York to the dangers Of
the situation. number Of philanthro-
pists came forward and added to the
| Ruth Cruger fund established with
j HRS. Humiston's $1,000 reward and