Back in Time | Aspen

“There is a little girl in the third ward, only eight years old, who is a candidate for some reformatory,” the Aspen Daily Times remarked on Aug. 15, 1889.

“Her bump of destruction is abnormally developed and leads one to think there is something wrong with the child. Her resources, too, for prevarication will outrival even a newspaperman’s imagination. But the worst of the matter is her mother thinks her darling can do no wrong and would not believe what is told of her, though all the world was in evidence against her.

Here are two illustrations of the little girl’s deeds. Not far from her home is a new house building. Day after day when the plasterers and painters would go to work they found their labor of the previous day all undone. The plastering would be knocked off and punched full of holes, and the painting would be all scratched. The owner finally hired a man to watch the premises at night, and the little girl was caught in the act. She could give no reason for her bad conduct, and the only thing to be done was to tell her mother, who, of course, did not believe what was said. Another day the little girl took her mother’s scissors, went over to a neighbor’s stable and cut and mutilated this horse’s mane and tail. Her mother says she did not do it. She may cut a horse’s tail someday that will put white wings on her.”

“Back in Time” is contributed by Aspen Historical Society and features excerpted articles and images from past Snowmass Sun/Aspen Times issues. We can’t rewrite history, but we can learn from it! Visit archiveaspen.org to view the vast Aspen Times photographic collection in the AHS Archives.

Aspen Historical Society actively preserves and passionately presents local history in an inspired and provocative manner that will continue to anchor the local community and its evolving character. For more, visit aspenhistory.org.