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News from the past: Jan. 16, 1913 - Minonk Lass Stranded
Sunday, January 20, 2013 - Posted 8:13:09 PM
This article was taken from the Minonk Dispatch - 1/16/1913 by Barth Weistart
Wanders to Wicked City of Peoria in Quest of WorkThe Peoria Journal gives us the following story of a Minonk girl:
"Sitting
alone on a bench in the Union Station, without a cent in her purse and
no place to spend the night, Miss Catherine Schmidt, a pretty 19-year
old girl from Minonk, was rescued by the police Monday night just in
time to save her from the clutches of human harpies who had been trying
for two hours to force their attentions upon the girl. Miss Schmidt was
placed under the care of the police matron, Mrs. Anna Mayall, and spent
the night in the matron's office. The next morning Mrs. Mayall
secured her a position with a family on the West Bluff.
"The girl came to Peoria from Minonk Monday, about 1 o'clock,
with the intention of getting a position and making her own way in the
world. She had no money after she had purchased her ticket to the city.
She had never before been away from the small village of Minonk and
after her arrival in Peoria she became confused by the sights and sounds
of the city, and was afraid to go very far from the station in her
quest for work.
She timidly asked for work at several Chestnut
street restaurants, and finally ventured as far as the Larkin company on
Washington street. But none of the places needed a girl, so finally she
went back to the station and sat down on a bench, without money,
without friends and with no place to go. At length her sobbing attracted
the attention of the station policeman, and Mrs. Mayall was summoned to
take care of her."
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