The Feather-Pillow Pregnancy That Fooled Centralia
A couple's plea for train fare ends with the town out the money and both travelers gone.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The curious ways of obtaining a dollar or two are many, and some of them quite ingenious. One evening a man appeared before the town council of Centralia and asked them to pay the fare of himself and wife (in a very delicate condition) to Albany, Ore. In the goodness of their hearts they “dug up” sufficient to pay the woman's fare and suggested that the able-bodied man “jump a freight.” He was offered work and accepted it, and everything appeared lovely. Yesterday the mayor took the collected money to buy a ticket, but found the agent could not issue a through ticket. Passage to Portland was secured and the balance of the money handed over to the lady. The husband said he would carry her parcels aboard, and would then return and go to work, but when the train pulled out it bore them both away. A gentleman from Ocosta says the same thing was worked there some days ago, and that the delicate condition of the woman is believed to be due more to a feather pillow than the state of the weather.
“The delicate condition of the woman is believed to be due more to a feather pillow than the state of the weather.”
Public charity and the fear of being scammed are old companions; this 1891 caper could be a modern story about a fake emergency and a small-town council trying to help. The feather pillow is the detail that makes it travel.
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