The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-11
Temple GeOpfert of Perry Gives
Topeka a New Thrill.
Asked for ROOm-And She Was
Given the Police.
CLIPPED HAIR With SCISSORS
Snatched Them From Counter
of 1O-Cent Store.
Changed Dress for Trousers
Out in Gage Park.

Temple Goepfert, alias Lucyle Goep-
fert, 16 years old. petite and romantic,
wasn't satisfied with her home in
Perry. Kan. She had trouble with her
father, she told county officials today.
and decided to run away and make
her own way in the world
With IS in her purse, she purchased
a railroad ticket and came to Topeka.
Here she had no friends and in wan
dering about the city she happened
to glance into a store window. Boys
suits. overalls and such things were
temptinglX displayed and an idea
grasped her mind. She entered the
store and with the few dollars she
ha6 left after buying the ticket AT
Perry, purchased pair of overalls, "a
boys coat, shirt and other JUNIOR
masculine attire.
With her purchases under her arm
she went again onto the street A few
miutes later, according to officials
while the clerk wasn't looking, walked
out with a pair of shears and 4 box of
face powder.
Went Out to Park.
AS she made her exit from the
place, a Gage park street car passed.
A park. That was where she wanted
to go. There were trees in a park
ana always InOTG were SOCIu0C0 SPOCo
safe from spying eyes.
She boarded the car and on arriv-
ing at the park she located secluded
nook behind a clump of trees in the
northeast corner. Off came her youth
full feminine attire and in its stead
she donned the boys clothing. She
searched the discarded clothing and
found the shears purloined from the
ten-cent store Only once did she
hesitate and then one passing by
- Io&o ffcyT7iT
snip of-the shears When the SOUNDS
ceased her hair, long, beautiful and
golden brown, lay on the ground be-
side her discarded dress. She looked
at her closely cropped head in small
pocket mirror, regretted that she
didn't look more like a boy, but de-
cided that she might pass for one
Went to Y. w. G. A.
The hair and clothing, along with
a boudoir cap, the face powder, the
shears and some manicuring para
phernalia, she tied up in bundle
and concealed in the tree. Then she
came back to town and, after again
walking the streets for a long time
her boys clothes were concealed by a
long raincoat-she stopped a woman
and asked where she could find a
room. The woman only noticed the
girlish face, couldn't see beneath the
raincoat and didn't see the bobbed
hair and advised her to try the Y w.
c. A. and told her where to find the
place.
Once in the Y. w c. A she walked
bravely up to the desk, asked for a
room and as young woman clerk
turned her back minute she slipped
off the raincoat- A near panic ensued
among the girls around the desk and
the startled clerk looked at the over
alls and boys coat, looked again and
after the third look called Miss Eva
Corning on the telephone. Miss Corn
ing came and took Temple" to the
detention home for the night. There
she told Mrs. Florence Bundy, matrOn,
that she came from Kansas City and
stuck to her story until this morning
when Miss Corning and Bob Miller
undersheriff, took her and went to
the park and found the clothes. Then
she confessed to having come from
Perry; said she donned the boys
clothes to get work somewhere as a
boy and after while go on to a little
western Colorado town where an aunt
lived
MiNr located her parents at Perry
shortly before noon today and made
arrangements for them to come to To-
peka after the girl. To this Temple
strongly demurred, saying she would
rather go to Beloit; that her father
drank and abused her.