Anna Christine Neal: Runaway From Whittier Reform School

Anna Christine Neal was born 2 July 1896 in Arkansas to Paul Booker Nela(1856-1903) & Ellen "Ella" Lavonia Numeley (1857-1905).


 








Anna went by Christine, her story is a heartbreaking one and one of courage. I found many newspaper articles on her heartbreaking experience. First I want to mention her parents. Her father died of pneumonia in 1903, Christine was about 6 years old he was a the Arkansas State Attorney and owned a hotel, her mother died when she was about 8 years old. She had plenty of sibling to take care of her and her younger siblings.


 


Charles Edward Neal

1877–

Noel Neal

1879–1879

Anderson Lawson Neal

1879–1959

Lallie Louise Neal

1883–1961

Grace Neal

1885–1943

Verta Peggy Neal

1887–

Dymple Neal

1889–1965

Phillip Bradley Neal Sr.

1892–1975

Anna Christine Neal

1896–

Louise Neal

1896–

Jean Christine Neal

1902–

I found the family in 1900 living in Washington, Sevier, Arkansas. But Anna Christine Neal is not on the census.


Here are a couple newspaper articles about her father and her brother Lawson.







https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62361258/paul-neal/


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62360522/paul-neal/

Anderson went by his middle name this was 1902





Now lets talk about Christine, I know she ended up in Oregon around 1912/1913, she was traveling with a chorus girl named Evelyn Nisbet, here is part of the story she tells about her time with Christine.


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62372026/christine-neal/


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62372324/christine-neal/

Christine was placed in Whittier with a couple other girls for safekeeping until these  men for the White Slavery trial took place. 




White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking).Congress passes the Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, which was ostensibly aimed at keeping innocent girls from being lured into prostitution, but really offered a way to make a crime out of many kinds of consensual sexual activity.

The men involved:

Richard Hollingsworth an Auto Salesman

J. P. Hartigan a Motion Picture Director (Christine was in love with him)

William Aldridge a Prize Fighter Promoter


Here are newspaper clippings on them 1913





https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62371439/christine-neal/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62372551/christine-neal/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62371822/christine-neal/


Christine was found in Victoria, Canada four months later Oct 1913

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62372820/christine-neal/

The last paper I found on her. I have no idea what ever happened to her after this. After her ordeal I would hope she went to live with family. 

I know her brother Phillip lived in California from 1910-1940 after that he went to Florida. Anderson was also out in California for a time.

Her Sister Dymple died in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her sister Grace was in Washington, her oldest brother Noel was in Washington D.C., a few stayed in Arkansas. Where ever she went I know she had a great life, as just reading the newspaper articles on her escape and how far she got was remarkable for 1912 and a 18 year old girl, she had spirit, and guts.


I did not find any prison records for any of those men.

I found an interesting video on YouTube about White Slavery at that time..This is what our sex trafficking is today.







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