Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-11
Pearl Threatens
to End Her Life
Continued from PaRs One

am not afraid" she repeated stub.
bornly.
And when I get OUT" she continued
In the same low. level voice which
grated like a bit of broken glass drawn
across stone. II will Jump in the
canal again and this time III go down
and stay"
"But Pearl, you are a child; you
have your life to live."
II have life to live?"
81 have no life TO live as long as my
father is alive. What can do that l
want to? He won't let me do nothin'.
I might ns we'll be dead"
She pulled at her short white skirt.
but it was not long enough to hide the
holes in her white stockings nor the
black streaks her sandals mad made on
them.
She reminded one strangely, this odd
little figure, of Little Orphant Annie, "
only she has no house to which she can
"come to stay" There is no place for
her to go, no arms waiting to receive
her. no love or understanding from
which she can gain courage--only a
girl. no mother, an inhuman father,
simply homeless.
Says She's Not bad"
There is neither light nor life IN her
small pinched face. leaden. white under
her rough straw -colored hair. The blue
green Of her crocheted sweater, which
she must have bought with joy in its gay
color and delight in its Glass" made
her look more startlingly ghost like
The bones in her neck protrude: her
hands hung loosely from thin wrists.
| This girl. scorned, abused. It Is who
says with a deepening tender note in
her voice. MY mother; she was real
| good to me.
1t is she who says "Nfrs. Messler, she
they put girls. But they can't do that
! to me because | am not bad girl. That
woman cant do nothin' to me, for I'm
not bad. I'm not bad I'm not bnd -
1t is this girl whom Mrs. Schneider
blames for her husbands being In
prison.
They have got to let him out" Mrs.
Schneider said. HE is innocent. He
didn do 1t and they have got to let him
go free"
! The long string of beads tinkled ns
she waved them back and forth as she
talked.
And when he gets out III live with
him again if he works and does right. /
was happy with him. He was good to
me. lie hit me when he was mad some
tlmes; But no other time--and I still
love him. What person does can't
change your fcelin for them, I guess.
And l'd go back to him tomorrow IL he
was free and done right.
iearl! ! wouldn't mind about
to her" ""ppeA
Again a shrug of the thin shoulders
and 'inkle, tinkle Of the beads.
Saw Pearl Only Once
Let her get along the best she can.
! hhouLd woTy about whnt happens to
hcr' don't guess she thought about
me much She wrote me letters saving
she would let Raymond alone. and then
Shc dldn t. never saw her but once,
6ut ! Knew what she was like then. l
oidn like the way she looked.
Inc only reason i saw her then was
| because l wanted to go out to the place
Where the bodies were found. | asked
RAYMOND to take me the Monday after
to, 10 l asked Pearl to take me and She
said she would.
The key to the Phillips farmhouse
lh"y sad ] had Is the key to that door
'herc and ! just tried it in the door out
OF curiosity. l only pceked in the door
because | was afraid of ghosts and il
was dark. | didn't touch anything or
bring anything out with mo except a
paper and movie magazine l had with
me when l went in"
Wouldn't Stand for "Bossine"
Mrs. Schneider is an ardent movie
fan and says she was at moving pic
thre show in South River the night of
the Hal Mills murder.
Mrs. Schneider insists that the only
time she saw Pearl was on Saturday. a
week from the day the bodies we're
round. The reason she left her hus-
hahd. she said. was because her mother
in-law tried to boss her. "ond I
wouldn't stand for TINT" she said
'Rayinond was good to me-" she re-
Good to you?" echoed voice from
the doorway; Good to you? Edna
tell the truth"
y small, white. haired woman, dressed
in the white Of her nurses uniform
stood there. Determination was in her
! i0"e, relentless strength and will power
! in her eyes.
Good to You? He never supported
you a day in his life. You had to work
| TO make the living. You We're hungry,
! YOU were cold. What did he ever do
but bring sorrow into your life? I
! wouIdn't be living the way l am now
If 1t wasn't for that man. I never
saw him but once and he shan't ever
come in this house
The woman advanced. II WAS Mrs.
Mary Cost, the grandmother of Mrs.
Schneider. with whom she has always
made her home.
Disregarding her grandmother, except
Tor slight chang" in her expression,
which became subdued, almost cowed,
rl