Dear Friend: ... I know something new, if you want to do that. I think you should dress yourself nice and put a veil on your face, nobody should know you, and go to the store where we took the things—that was on 2nd February 1914. That was on Thursday and this time is on a Thursday again and 2nd of February. If I were in your place I would buy one hat for spring and ask for a receipt and then I would buy two pair stockings and belt—and I pay you for it and the stockings and the hat would be yours. And you should keep the receipt and when its our trial you could show the receipt of your lawyer and your sister and me too and those receipts it is going to say second of February, second month, Thursday. That’s the way we going to burn our people. You need hat and I need 59 cents pair stockings. Soon as you send me the receipts, my lady she have a machine, so I going to change it from 1915 to 1914, and then we going to win. We wouldn’t have to be ashamed about it. You know she didn’t see me when I took the belt, so we can say well we have receipts for the stockings and maybe they did not see us to take one belt and hat; and this I going to tell to the lawyer that I thought I paid already and I put that in my pocket-book and he’s going to think that’s how it is. Friend, do that and you going to see how we come out. I was awfully afraid when I received letter from lawyer and he say it would be very hard with us but I think [the foregoing story] be very good. With that we come out very nice. I can make another excuse. I can tell that we bought that [altogether] and when we get the receipts I was so nervous from those detectives when they catch us that I couldn’t remember right away what we does with these receipts and I could put the receipts in my cuff of coat.... And I going to put the tickets in my cuff in the toilet—you know how we put our handkerchiefs in—and I going to forget the coat and maybe they going to examine the coat and find the tickets. We can play then innocent. So think over darling. I would do that if I only can have a chance to go to N. Y., like you. You get card from me but its only for fun.
P. S. Was it 4 o’clock in afternoon or 2 o’clock when we were in the store—Thursday, 2nd Feb., and we locked up at 5 o’clock.
Dear Friend:... I received letters from my sister and they were so happy; they want me to come home soon as I get that letter. But you know how can I go. I haven’t got the money and I am not free and I don’t want to ask them about money and now its the war; they need the money themselves. My sweetheart is not killed yet, so I going to take him when I get home. He always asks about me if I’m angry at him. I rather take him than American; they only want to have girl got to have money. The poor girl they don’t want her and those which are not rich they are nothing worth. Don’t you think so friend, I am right? Don’t be angry friend. Love and kisses.
February, 1915: Dear Friend: Scuse me that I didn’t write so long to you. I was so nervous and mad that I didn’t know what to do—when I can’t help you with the money. Friend I have something new to tell you, so now look out. Tonight lady sent me to P. O. for letters and one letter was there from Miss R., so you know what I does? I breathed on the letter so long till I opened it her letter. I get so frightened I didn’t know where I am or what I am doing. Miss R. writes that if I am not ... satisfied on parole it would be better to take me back to the institution.... Please send me the money $4. I took them from my lady so I should pay your dress. Otherwise I couldn’t pay them right away and you wouldn’t have your dress, and I had only $1. and when I think on you so you know what heart I have, and I took the money out and now I’m ready. When you send them I put them back where they was. You know what Miss R. have another girl for my lady but she don’t know how to cook and she is 28. She come from the institution. She was ther 14 months. She be more satisfied than me. See friend, Miss R. I would give her a kick if I can—don’t you think angel. So my angel maybe we wouldn’t see one another any more. Back again to the institution.
... Dear we going to have another girl upstairs with us. If you could come to us that would be nice and we would enjoy it much better. Last night I was to school and when I returned home on the train I saw very nice young fellows. They make lots of fun with me—such nice gentlemen. They went from some kind of parade and when I went down from the train they took their hats off and next Wednesday I am going to see them again. Dear Friend.... I need the money I have only a nickel and that got to be enough for one week.—so you can imagine how I got to save and I need new hat—so I would like to buy me a hat for my money. You look very nice in that hat, Ha, ha. Friend, if we could only help us to run away to the West. I ask my lady at the school—she comes from California. She tell me if I have carfare, I should go there. Dear, if we can be only free then we know how to use the world. I’m not so any more like what I was in the institution—I’m now such a devil that you wouldn’t believe it. That man promised to lend me money but if he wouldn’t lend it I don’t know what I am going to do. I have not got even for the doctor and you know what it is with me? Friend, I would like to have picture from my sweetheart, but send me [back] the money, I going to send you money some other time for him because I only wanted to make my lady jealous. She thinks we are only so-so. Sunday School. Friend, you write to T.? I don’t, I don’t care. Wait, I going to fix myself up and I going to wait for him and then I going to wipe my nose and then I going away from him. Friend, I am so happy now that we are going to go West. We are going to take other girls with us. We go like soldiers—hurrah, hurrah, like soldiers to the war. Friend, if you answer me right away I going to answer too. When you don’t answer on four letters so I don’t think you care for me. Goodnight, Sunday School. Let the bed-bugs bite you? Friend you have fellow in the bed. You go with him to sleep? In the night when bite me some I kill him so blood runs. Write right away.
... I am crying so much—I have such a hard work. Everything hurts me; I am all broke down. If I can only come free I wouldn’t mind to have not even a shirt. I would give everything if we can be free. Friend, if you only know how I feel bad but don’t say anything to your lady. You know what Miss R. wrote, that I always ask you to come over. You must told something to your lady or you wrote something to Miss R. Now I don’t care any more if no one comes to see me. Forgive me if I write such a letter. I don’t know what to say—I want to go to bed, its 10 o’clock. I want you to get the letter right away Monday. Answer me right away what you think if you want to be with me. If you like your sister better, so stick to her and I go my way and worry about myself and save my money for trip to go home and I never will return. I stay with my sweetheart. When you go there friend, if you give me every month a dollar for your dress, like a friend. Answer right away.
[March, 1915] ... My lady told me everything be much better next winter. I going to have a nice warm room. This winter I had awfully cold room. I went to bed with my cloths. She didn’t give me no blankets, so I sleep in my clothes and I used to take hot iron with me to warm up the bed, so bad I have here. Friend, I got to go to school every Wednesday but next Wednesday I wouldn’t go, I go to the dance. I have white dress under the black skirt and long coat and she going to think that I go to school. I leave my skirt and my books in my friends house and I go to the dance, ha, ha, ha. Come with me ha, ha, I have there lots of nice young boys and the man who brings me the eggs and lots of other nice young man, so I going to have nice time. Dear, I went Sunday out and I went to the girl, her sister have a boarding house there where nice 3 young mans, and all ask me to go with them to the dance, so I going to have big fun. I be very glad if you can come with me, but don’t tell on me that I’m going to the dance. My lady she don’t know anything about it. She think I am innocent girl, No 1. I am, don’t you think friend? When I think I have three years, I start to cry, I don’t know what to do. But when I think of nice mens, I start to jump in the kitchen and singing. [Writes the song she sings.] Only if you see me you would burst from laughing.... I ask my garbage man if he can lend me money, he said he help me with much as he can....
So friend have a good time and maybe on Tuesday I be back to the institution. This year I get new trial, so don’t worry and don’t cry. You know we have one God and he see everything. He must punish Miss R. sometime. She is old enough but she couldn’t get married. Nobody wants her who is rich and poor man she don’t want.... I like to have the money by Tuesday. I should be sure that nothing is missing from her. So take care of yourself. I going to eat beans for supper, ha, ha, but I going to be all right. Now I be so bad that everyone is afraid of me. I don’t care if they put me in the disciplinary in the cellar—I going to have there friends—you know what kind—red ones, bed bugs, and roaches and mouses. Ha, ha, I’m going to have good time, I won’t cry. You friend, when you send the money don’t say nothing to your lady and send them so that my lady wouldn’t know nothing about it, my lady. I suppose Miss R. wrote that I receive dress from pawn shop. See, don’t tell on me—when I be in the institution. Tell that your J. that he put them [dress] there, that it shouldn’t get lost. Otherwise they would laugh at us that we did not have any money and we had to put our dress in pawn shop—that be a shame.
Miss R. wrote that they wouldn’t let me go to you—and if I ask again she would give me a good scolding, so write to the old fortune-teller. So good-bye friend, have a good time. Don’t forget to answer me right away. Don’t say to no one what happen—write right away. You know in the institution maybe they wouldn’t give me your letter. Good night and good-bye forever. I think if I come to the institution I take my life there.
[June, 1915. From Esther to parole officer, Miss R.]