The Girl Who Was Rescued From A Brothel

This undated photo shows Sr. Gertrude Salitrik (left) and her friend Mary Mager (right). Mary and her family lived on Reppert Boulevard where it met Cycle Street in Uniontown, Pa. Mary Mager has gone down in Salitrik family history as "the girl Julia rescued from a brothel."

This is what my grandmother Julia Salitrik Lazor told me about the incident:  At some time in the late 1920s or early 1930s Mary Mager was hired by a man named Frank Monaghan, Sr. to work as a maid at his hotel.


At first, Mary's parents were pleased that she had the job--they were a poor family of Slovak immigrants and needed every penny Mary could earn. Monaghan seemed to be a decent boss--even generous. He gave Mary food such as sacks of potatoes to take home to her family on the weekends. But after a while Mary stopped coming home on the weekends, and when family members tried to visit her, Monaghan drove them away.

Distraught, Mrs. Mager went to her friends the Salitriks for advice. Julia, who spoke Slovak as a her first language, but like her siblings spoke perfect English, was urged to help. At the time she was working as a bookkeeper for Mundel's furniture store and was probably the family's major breadwinner.

After failing to get past Monaghan herself, Julia went to the district attorney and told him that a Slovak girl was being held against her will and her family was worried. The DA laughed and said "Don't you know who Monaghan is? I can't do anything." Monaghan was powerful local bootlegger and pimp who was known for his violent temper.

Julia was appalled by the DA's attitude, but she thought quickly and devised a brilliant bluff, based on the fact that her brother was a linotype operator at the Union-Herald newspaper. "I know people who work at the newspaper," Julia told the DA. "And I'm sure they'd love to know that you refuse to help this girl or her family." The DA assumed that Julia knew reporters and editors on the paper, so the ploy worked. The DA got Monaghan to return Mary Mager to her family.

A few years later, Monaghan was brought to trial for some of his criminal activity and Julia testified about the Mary Mager incident. Monaghan later confronted Julia in a courthouse hallway. "I'll remember you, and I'll remember that dress," he threatened. Julia was frightened; when she got home she immediately burned the yellow dress she had worn in court.

Fortunately for Julia, Frank Monaghan did not live much longer.  He was murdered in 1936 in the basement of the Fayette County Couthouse--the very building where Julia testified against him and where he threatened her. Monaghan was in police custody at the time and was beaten to death by cops while getting "the third degree." (Monaghan had cut a county detectives's throat from ear to ear and nearly killed him.) The murder of Frank Monaghan was a scandal and is still the subject of local conspiracy theories. A book called Screams from the Basement: The Monaghan Affair was published in 2001, but it's badly written and poorly organized.

Wartime Prayers: Lubbock, Texas circa 1944

Photo stamped Lubbock, Texas. Written in Sr. Gertrude's hand: "This is the WAC from Philadelphia. This is the church we go to every morning. I'm sorry the Blessed Mother [statue] didn't show. The WAC liked it and so do I."

Picnic in the mountains near Las Vegas, circa 1963

Sr. Gertrude wrote on the back of this photo: "This is one of our picnics in Las Vegas, New Mexico in the mountains. That's me with my sleeves rolled up. We are making hamburgers. I guess this is two years old."

Postulant Gertrude, circa 1939

A blessing from her great-nephew, Father George

Sr. Gertrude receives a blessing from Father George Saletrik, grandson of her brother Elmer, in 1996. Note: Elmer and his descendants spell their surname Saletrik, as do August's. The rest of the family uses the Salitrik spelling.

August 1971

Sr. Gertrude  and Sr. Pauline, August 1971. Location unknown.. Could be East Los Angeles, could be the O.L.V.M.S. Motherhouse in Huntington, Ind. Notice that both sisters chose to wear habits that feature pockets. You can't have practical clothing without pockets!

At the Lake House, 1966

Sr. Gertrude is the second from the left, standing. Anyone know where the lake house was?
(As always, you can click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Visiting her brother Johnny & his family, 1980

Sr. Gertrude with her brothers Elmer & August

This circa 1950 photo shows two of Sr. Gertrude's brothers in their prime, closer to the way they were when Sr. Gertrude still lived in Uniontown. That's Elmer on the left and August on the right. Their 13-year-old nephew Roger (William's son) is in the middle.

Sr. Gertrude and Elmer on July 11, 1995, when she visited him in his nursing home near Ohiopyle, PA. Elmer was more comfortable around animals than people. He was permitted to bring one his goats, Snowball, to the nursing home and she was a pet of the residents.
Notice the darkness of Elmer and Gertrude's hair! Salitriks (and Saletriks!) did not go gray.

This photo from June 6, 1973 was taken at the Union Printers' Home in Colorado Spring, Colo., where August was living due to ill health. His son Dave is on the left. Sr. Gertrude is standing next to Margo, Dave's wife. The woman with the white purse is Margo's cousin. That's August in the wheelchair, of course. He had the black Salitrik/Saletrik hair as well.

That's Augie on the left, smoking a cigar.

Sr. Gertrude took this photo on June 3, 1972 at the Balanced Rock at the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colo. That's Sr. Mary Ruth Kramer in the driver's seat and August as passenger.

August and Gertrude's last visit in Cushing, Okla. on July 27, 1978. August died about four months later, on November 13. 

Final Years at Victory Noll

Las Posadas service, 1994

Sr. Gertrude crocheted baby blankets and sold them in the craft shop.

With a visitor from Slovakia. Sister always enjoyed speaking her first language.

Sr. Gertrude gathered pop cans and gave the money to a needy woman in Huntington.

Even as she got older and had to slow down, Sr. Gertrude liked to have little tasks to fill her day. In 2001, at age 90, she watered the urns in the cemetery.

The last photo of Sr. Gertrude, taken on May 17, 2010.She died about two months later.

Sr. Gertrude rarely missed the bimonthly meeting with the visiting dogs.

60th Anniversary, 1998

Sr. Gertrude & her childhood friend Marie

Marie Roskovensky Sulc and Sr. Gertrude  were friends for most of their lives, although Marie was one year younger. The two were schoolmates in  St. Mary's parochial school in Uniontown, Pa. Sr. Gertrude probably attended the wedding when Marie married Cyprian Sulc in June 1934. Marie and Cyprian founded Nehi Bottling Co. in Washington, Pa, which later became Royal Crown Bottling. Marie helped run the company until she retired at age 78. She loved to travel and took more than 30 cruises and traveled to Europe several times. Marie Sulc died on April 9, 2011.

During one of Sr. Gertude's trips home to southwestern Pennsylvania, Marie Sulc's daughter and son-in-law treated Marie and Sr. Gertude to a ride on the Gateway Clipper.

50th Anniversary, 1988

The sisters who entered O.L.V.M.S in 1938 celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1988. Just as in the 1938 photo below, two ladies are wearing white shoes and the rest are wearing dark ones. It is interesting to note that although all five women started their religious careers together, only two of the five chose to wear veils/habits at this point.

The same women 50 years earlier, upon their arrival at Victory Noll and wearing "civilian" clothes  Gertrude Salitrik, from Uniontown, Pa ; Catherine Ley (later known as Sr. Callista), from Pittsburgh;  Marie Chettle, from Missouri; Leocodia Rutkoski, from Detroit; and Betty Keifer, from Chicago.

Sr. Getrude's sister Julia and sister-in-law Dorothy traveled to Indiana to celebrate her 50th anniversary as a nun. Julia (in blue) looks very happy in this photo; she always looked forward to spending time with Gertrude. Notice Julia and Gertrude's jet-black hair.

Is This Photo From Denver?

Written on back of photo: 1976, Support Group, 3rd Floor. Front row:  Srs. Clarice, Mary Magdalen, Victoria.  Back row:  Srs. Barbara Marie, Mary Joan, Gertrude, Mary Jane. Does anyone know which city this was, or what "support group 3rd floor" means?

Images from Los Angeles, 1972-1975

Caption written on back of photo: Party at Santa Monica, June 1975. Sr. [S????], a Jesuit priest, Sr. Kathleen in red, Mrs. Murphy, Sr. [Patricia's?] mother.

Sr. Gertrude celebrates her 64th birthday.

Las Vegas, 1963

This photo shows Sr. Gertrude with some of  her catechism students in Las Vegas in 1963.   At this time her job was to conduct  catechism classes for kids who attended public school. Las Vegas was booming during this time, but I doubt members of the Rat Pack spent much time in the neighborhoods where Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters worked. Note that Sr. Gertrude (known as Sr. Leo back then) was not much taller than her students. She was quite petite.

Mysterious photo from November 1962

This photo is stamped  "Nov. 1962" and "Studer's of Texas, " but on the back someone wrote "Azusa 1962. Sr. Gertrude Salitrik a long time ago." In other words, the handwriting identifies the photo as being taken in Azusa, California, but the printed information suggests El Paso, Texas is correct. According to the timeline Sr. Gertrude wrote for me, 1962 was the year she moved from El Paso, Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, just because the photo was processed in Texas doesn't mean the photo was taken there. It could have been taken by a sister who was working in Texas and later mailed the picture to Sr. Gertrude. Does anyone in the family have a copy of this photo? Perhaps with an accompanying letter?

Map of Sr. Gertrude's Life

View Sr. Gertrude's postings, 1940-2010 in a larger map Here's a map I made to show all the places Sr. Gertrude was posted during her 72 years working among the poor as an Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sister. Click on the name of the map (in blue) to take a closer look. If you click on a pin in the map, a window will open that contains more information about Sister Gertrude's life in that location. NOTE: I am continuing to add photos and information to this map.