13. The Girl and Her Red Petticoat

Jennie Clark, a little girl only eleven years old, who lived in Ohio, was walking along a railroad track one hot summer afternoon when she noticed that a wooden bridge over a deep ravine was on fire, evidently caught from a spark from an engine. She knew that in a few moments an excursion train to the World’s Fair was due to pass over the bridge. As quick as a flash the little heroine snatched off her red petticoat, and ran swiftly up the track toward the approaching train, waving her red petticoat as a danger-signal. The engineer saw the warning and stopped the train in time to save the lives of the passengers. Among the hundreds of passengers who were saved were a number of Frenchmen who, on their return to France, told this story of the brave little American girl who had saved the train. The story reached the ears of President Carnot, who, after communicating with President McKinley, bestowed upon her the Cross of the Legion of Honor. This young girl of Ohio, who so courageously gave herself in such heroic service, was the youngest person in the world to wear the Cross of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award for heroic service in time of war and peace!