Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-21
NEW YORK. June 81.

NEW YORK, June 81.
Once more woman has turned the trick.
The Police Department of New York city
failed to solve the mystery Of the missing
seventen-year-old Ruth Cruger who disap
peared last February
Mrs. Grace Humiston. "attorney-at-law,"
to quote the modest lettering on her office
door at so East Forty-second street. after
months Of quiet, persistent work of a sort
that women are not credited with doing
unearthed the mutilated body of the girl in
the cellar of Alfredo Cocchrs bicycle shop
the proprietor having skipped to Italy.
With all the avenues of information at
it's command, with it's hundreds of stool
pigeons and its resources of untold power,
the Police Department fell down on the
Job" and faces an investigation for negli-
gence
with only one hired detective and with
severely limited funds, a mere woman pro
duced."
The name of this woman lawyer is on
every lip, where newspapers are read. Bat
talions of photographers reporters sYndi-
cate men and motion-pcture people haunt
her office and surround her home, which is
down in Washington square. Whlte-taced
clients by the dozens, having read OF her
skill and pluck, hang around the corridors
of her offic- in the hope of getting in a
word about ,heir cases. Success and fame
are hers, a glittering personal success and
fame that is given to few to achieve. And
vet all that Mrs. Humiston asks is the time
and opportunity and quiet necessary for
the investigation of cases of missing girls
similar to that of Ruth Cruger.
As | sat opposite this plucky woman
lawyer a a table in an inconspicuous little
eating place around the corner from her
office It didn't seem possible that one of
such reserved, dignifed "lady-like" de-
meanor could be the same who, surmount-
ing the hundred and one obstacles placed
in her way by a preJudiced or merely
stupd-which 1t is, remains yet to be estao-
lished-police force, went, unarmed and un-
afraid into dens and dives that would give
pause to the hardest criminal detective.
Everybody says the crooks will get me-"
Her generous mouth widened into a smile
and her nervous brown eyes played here
there and everywhere. well, I've thought
of that | know enough about this city and
the life that is lived in the underworld to
know that IL is quite possible. But what of
II? I'd Just as lief be got that way as die
some other way. At any rate I'd be doing
what [ thought l ought to be doing and
there'd be some satisfaction in being got
like that"
Talking to Mrs. Humiston, you understand
why she succeeded where others failed. Sue
cess in a case like this was an ideal,
Jealous passion, with her Helping the under
dog is her hobby. If money and fame are
incidental to the pursuance of 1t, we'll and
good but they will never be anything but
incidental Were II not for the odium that
has attached to the word "uplifter," due
10 the vague efforts of certain Intellectual
creatures to do good in the world, l should
cali Mrs. Humiston an "uplfter," because
In so far as the dominant motive Of her
work is a desire to make the world better
place TO live in, she IS that But her
methods are the common-sense, practical
ones that few professional uplifters ever
employ.
"I don't care anything for money" Mrs
Euniston told me- except that II will help
me with the work that am planning, which
is TO set in motion Investigations that viii
bring TO light the fearful white slave condi-
tions in big cities like New York, Philadel-
phla and Chicago. That's all that want
money for,
"In the beginning OF my legal career my
work lay chiefly among people who could
afford to pay me nothing In fact that's
the reason why I'm a lawyer today, because
after wears of investigation-yes, I've been
an Investigator and was employed by the
Danartment of Justice for a number OF
vears-I decided that for a woman who
couldn't cure her desire TO help the down
trodden a course in law was absolutely es-
sential ,
"But I want TO tell you tnat when l take
. Zee at all II is a mans sized one. don't
Relieve that there is such a thing as wom-
ems work. Work is work l am woman
and never forget 1t and never want the
| men with whom l work to forget " at /
expect TO be paid according to M % and
| not according to my sex
Mrs. Humiston is not sunragist' that
| is to say, not an active one. because she
| hsleyes the question Of woman's enfran-
| ohisen3ent 10 be a minor one considered in
the light Of such larger issues as fernnism
hut prior to the death Of Mrs. Inez Mil
holland Boissevain the two women lawyers
were planning to go into partnership
| "Inez liked the court work and she was
GOOD at IT, but 1t has always embarrassed
me 10 go into court where there are so
many men" Mrs. Humiston smiled In de-
precatlon AZ her falling Il prefer 70 sit
back and do the dieging.
Il thought &e would make good team,