Evening star., 1925-10-20
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL J. COLLINS.

Two pretty Irish girls sisters, aged
about IS and 20 years. arrived at the
Union Station. Washington. not long
ago bearing letters from the Travel
erS' Aid Society. at Ellis Island, to the
same organiZa ton. wherever located
The girls had just arrived in America
and We're en- route to the home of an
uncle In California, who had provided
the money for their passage, for they
were orphans. They were keen-eyed
demure, modest and intelligent: the
sights of America were wonderful to
them.
The lady in' charge of the Travellers
Aid stand in the depot received them
sympathetiCally, seated them on d
bench in front of the stand and bade
them wait few minutes, while she
attended to other details of her busy
tasks. When she could get time she
would accompany them to safe hotei
and arrange for their further journey
West.
There was the usual motley assem-
blase of travellers all about, mothers
with children. hurried business men
travelling agents, foreigners ana ques'
tiona BILE characters. The pretty Irish
newcomers looked at the crowds pass
ing and kept their seats as directed
Opposite them sat A negro woman
overdreSsed and self confident. whom
the Travellers Aid attendant had
noted.
Absent from the waiting room u
minutes. when the Travellers Aid re
turned the Irish girls were gone-also
the fiashy negress. 1t was a quick get
away The crisis required prompt
action. For a Travellers Aid to lose
such a trust would discredit the whole
organization.
she called a depot detective, and
he, in turn, called a uniformed ponce
man. They inquired of the superin
tendent of cabs Yes, two young
ladies' and a colored woman had gone
off together in taxi. and he had
heard the young ladies say they were
going to see the city The officers
took another taxi. hoping to trail the
party, and, very luckily, ran across
the suspected taxi in Potomac Park
Hating it. they demanded an expla
nation, and the negress told them she
was showing the girls the sights:
What have you in that satchei
Open it,
There was a bottle filled with chic
reform. confirming the suspicious 1t
was a case of white slavery. Inc
woman would have lured the girls
into some den with which she was
connected, and there they would nave
been chlorofornled. Yet the pollce
did not succeed in getting suhlclen'
evidence TO make a case. The IRISH
Immigrants were saved, when theN
mad never for a moment suspected the
danger they were facing. 1t Is all
in a days work for the Travellers
Aid.
~
Yesterday morning the lady in
charge Of the Travellers Aid at the
Union Station was delayed in arriv
ing at headquarters of the drive" in
the Burlington Hotel because she was
attending a wedding. A young man
and a young woman had arrived in
the city together. at midnight. How
the Travellers Aid had discovered that
they were not married is not ex
planned, but the representative had
lodged the girl in the Grace Dodge
Hotel, and as early as possible in
the morning the man had procured q
marriage license. All was well, but
If there had been no Travellers Aid
then what would Gossip have said?
There was a boy-perhaps Is or 1e
years old His face betrayed that he
was in trouble, for the Travellers Aid
workers are experienced in reading
trouble. He denied that he was In
trouble-at first-until the lady in
sisted that his face had told diff
ferent story. Then he confessed that
he had left home becau use his father
had beaten him and would not lei
him go to school. That was a
year ago.
There was much telegra phing and