RAILWAY MASCOT

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 261, 31 July 1937, Page 8 (Supplement)

RAILWAY MASCOT

Little Girl and American Express PASSENGERS’ AND CREWS’ FAVOURITE Thousands of children wave at railroad trains daily, but Violet Kathleen Schmidt, of Elkhart, Indiana, has been so persistent in lavishing her affections on the huge bulk of the Twentieth Century Limited that when the train celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary it became her glistening pumpkin coach and drove her into New York city for a Cinderella story beyond her wildest dreams, stated the “Christian Science Monitor” recently. It all began three years ago, wben the crew of the train first noticed a little girl wit>h brown curls who, regardless of rain or shine, snow or heat, was always on hand waving the west-bound train along at 7 o’clock in the morning, and the east-bound one on its way at. 5.08 at night. Because the train slows down for the station, there was opportunity to see the little girl and to call out messages to her. Gradually there began to be a general opening of car doors and the crew watched for Violet just as faithfully as Violet watched for the train. Last autumn the crew noticed that Violet was pretty scantily dressed for a little girl who had important errands out in all kinds of weather, so they took up a collection, bought her a complete winter outfit and sent a delegation to present it formally. The delegation found out that Violet has eight brothers and sisters and that the family lives on the 53 dollar-a-month wage of the father, a XVPA worker. Somehow, the crew began to feel even more resiwnsible for Violet. A brakeman bought her a simple little necklace and ring, passengers began to ask after her, and some quite famous ones wrote their autographs on menu cards and tossed them out of the window. F. E. XVilliiimson, president of the railroad, invited her to ride the Century into Chicago, 100 miles. On her birthday, May 6, the crew again presented her with a complete outfit, this time for summer wear, and again she rode the Century to Chicago to broadcast over a local station. One morning, accompanied by her mother, Violet alighted from the Century in New York city. She registered at one of the big hotels and then went to call on Mr. Williamson. Every one of the 13 curls on the little girl’s head was all a-quiver, as the 6ft. man bent over and put into her hands a box from America’s most famous jeweller containing a necklace of gold and seed pearls. “Oh, mother, isn’t this pretty?" she exclaimed; and then, when it seemed as though Cinderella’s cup was just as full as it could be poured, Mr. Williamson presented her with 25 dollars to go shopping and buy whatever she and her mother thought best.

Violet - was pretty well beyond speech by this time, but someone remarked that the day chanced to be Mr Williamson’s birthday, and she said she was so sorry she hadn’t known it so that she could bring him a present. Violet was guest artist on u major radio programme for children and looked out from the observation tower at Radio City. Between times, she sampled rides oh Hie subway and the elevated railway, and then' she boarded a tug tor a trip out to see the ocean and the Statue of Liberty. At 5.30 o’clock she was on the Century, on the way back to Elkhart on . the first trip of the train’s thirty-sixth year ot’ service.