The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1845-07-03
STARVATION AT HOME.

The following affecting sketch comes TO
us In the handwriting ola correspondent in
Boston, to whose pen our our IeUdrTs have
been indebted for many a pleasant commu-
nications. We cell upon our friend for The
name of the prosecutor in the case referred
to. We desire to assist in handing it down
to perpetual infamy: There are scenes &C.
curing almost daily in our Police Court that
are we'll worthy of more than a passing re-
cord, if but the glimpses they give us of
poor humanity under some ofits more mel
ancholy phases. A week or two since, |
happened TO be present when an %lrishwoman
was brought before one of our police Off
GERS on a charge of stealing. She was young,
had a ! pleasing and rather handsome counten-
ance, was clad very tidily,and altogethcrlook-
ed like one who had seen better days, and
still in her poverty preserved some of the
pride ofthat more happy period. In her arms
she held a little boy of some three or four
years, with a profusion of light curly hair
clustering about his temples, but whose pale
cheek and sunken and ~luslrous eyes told
TOO plainly that Disease and pinching Want
had even thus early marked him for his own.
The mother was charged with stealing bread
fro m the door of a grocer. The complain
ant, a hard-featured, shrewd looking man,
with a long nose, and sharp, restless eye, was
called to the stand. He told a straight-for-
ward, circumstantial story, the substance of
which was, that his baker was in the habit
of leaving bread for him at the shopdoor be-
fore it was opened in the morning. For sew
eral days past he had missed part oft; some
times a whole roll, sometimes more, and
once or twice only a of a roll. IN order
TO put a stop to these depredations on his
property, he one morning lay in wait, or the
;respasser, when, about daylight. he saw the
prisoner come out of her miserable under
ground abode, leading her sickly boy by the
and. Passing by where the witness was
concealed, she stopped at his door, took up
a roll, and breaking it into two pieces gave
one to her boy, and restored the other to lis
place. She then turned back, when the
complainant seized, and hurried her immedi-
atela to the watch house; taking care in the
mean time, TO snatch from the half famished
bow the moiety of the loaf he was SO eagerly
devouring. The witness here produced the
piece of bread, md pointed to the marks Of
the child's teeth, in part confederation of his
testimony. After hearing the story, the Judge
turned 10 the woman, an d asked her if she
had any thing to say in denial of the truth of
the charge. Nothing, nothing, your Honor
replied the poor woman, laying her face on
her boys head, and straining him her bo-
som, while her body swayed to and fro in
the agony of shame and grief: q am guilty,
guilty! But it was not for myself took it:
All, Sir! Pm a poor lone woman, and work
hard when | can get work. But for the last
ten days | have had nothing TO do, and money
was all gone; and since yesterday morning
we hadn't q morsel to eat. / am used 10 1t
myself; but | couldn't hear little Dennis cry
Tor bread, and not give it 10 himn The Judge
was evidently touched by the woman's dis.
tress, and, turning 10 the complainant, asked
him if, under the circumstances, he should
persist in the prosecution. 'lf,' said he, 'yot