Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-08-14
MRS HUMsTON AND THE MISSING GIRs-By Frederic j. FIaskin

fact that importatiOns of women from Europe have
entirely ceased. A few have been brought from
South America, but the great majority have had to
be secured right here in this country. Hence, not
too great emphasis can be put upon the wisdom
of protecting girls.
Protection, however, in Mrs. Humiston's opin-
ion, does not mean close surveillance. 1t means
giving your daughters a good home and sufficient
recreation to keep them satisfied with their lot.
Inc ether day a diStraught mother came to Mrs.
Hum1ston and asked her to find her daughter, who
had run away from home. Her father will never
forgive her, she walled miserably 'He always said
she wasn't no good" The next day Mrs. Humiston
located the daughter in Pennsylvania. She had OBJ
tanned a situation in a small town and living
in quiet boarding house. When told that her
parents had sent for her, she began to cry, AMI
said she would not go home. my father called me
street bum" she explained bitterly, land won't
let anybody call me that" Mrs. Humiston brought
her back to New York, however, and turned her
over to friend of her own. Then she called
the father and knowing Mrs Humiston as do.
it is highly probable that when the interview was
over ne was a changed man. At any rate, the girl
was taken back enthusiastically by both of her
ents and has made no attempt to run away since.
Mrs Humiston has attacked the missing girl
problem from entirely angle. She does
not believe in Furnishing the girls, if they
much energy in closing disorderly houses She does
believe in striking at the root of the problem
economic and home conditions.
Mrs Humstons work is not entirely confined
to missing girls. She is primarily lawyer. There
is nothing that she loves better than to win
for a man who is so poor that he is 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 left a widow with a large income
when still very young. She decided to study law,
a profession which at that time considered
tirely inappropriate for women Upon passing the
bar examination, she put her money in law firm
of which the present Mr.. Humiston a member.
The firm gave it's services free of charge to people
who could not pay for lawyer.
Most of Mrs. Humiston's cases were confined to
Italians, among whom she is now adored their
"avocatessa." The first important which
brought to her office that of Antonette Tolla,
a young Italian woman who condemned to
death by the state of New Jersey. Antoinette
the wife of young Italian laborer, and had two
small children. She pretty. bright and cheer
full and devoted to her family. Then her husbands
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 it il
necessary. AntOinette used it. The bribed
her little boy to get him out of the way. then
tered the house and locked the door, and AntoiE-
cite retreating to her bedroom, took the revolver
from her bureau drawer and shot him:
In the court room Antoinette had a difficult
time because she could speak English The
court interpreter Sicilian, and since Antoin-
cite was from the north of Italy she could not
derstand him. The law of New York clearly states
that in the case of the trial of an alien inter
prefer shall be provided who speaks the language
of the prisoner. 1t was this technical point
that Mrs HumistOn aroused the New Jersey Off
Gals while the scaffold being erected the
premises and had them call a special meeting OF
the board of pardons. The governor committed
Tertiary, which later reduced to five for good
behavior