The Arkansas banner., 1845-01-29

-.- sad she would rather follow that examnle than apply for relief. She had some friends who occasionally gave her food, but she sel- dom had any other meals but her breakfast and tea. MT. Foxstati, on examining the stomach and the dregs of the cup alluded 10. found that both contained oxalic acid. of winch poison she had died. The deceased haa all the appearance of having been com Pleteiy starved The jury returned verdict. - l hat the deceased destroyed herself by ta- King oxallc acid, but that there was no evil dence oi the state of her mind.''
 The letter when perused produced many tears, but It IS impossible to read this poor creature's story without admiration as well as pity. In the character of the victim. it has far deeper interest than is commonly to be found in these distressing narratives :: though In the occurrence itself there is. un- happily, nothing new. The coroner, Mr. Nakely, said at the time, that he had within a few days investigated seven cases of deplo- rable destltutlon, two of them in the parish where this occurred
 What there Is most remarkable in the pre- sent example relates to the conduct and sen- tlments of the unhappy suicide Human na- ture, perhaps, seldom exhibits greater beauty and dignity of feeling than is seen in this pro- tracted hopeless struggle with depreciation and famine. The scanty work, wretchedly paid for, failed at length to supply the bare necessaries of existence, not to speak of those little sacred decencies of appearance which, to such nature of this poor high-minded Woman's, were as essential as the bodily ali ment, the bread and the tea. She was there fore dying of famine, and the coroner stated that the body was almost skeleton. She an uclpated, perhaps, by but few days or weeks, certain death by starvation, seli-des- tructon hastening to accomplish the sentence of society, which had no food or shelter for her.
 It IS to be noted that but for this remarka- ble letter, written few hours before her death, the distress that had been borne would never have been known. Her neighbors thought she had a little income they would have found the treasured watch after death, and wondered why one who had nothing to suffer should have destroyed herself. Her confession in the presence of death tells sad secret; and makes 1t fearful to think, while the system that crushed her Is still in full work, how many thousands may be silently suffering under 1t. The police offices and the poor houses show comparatively but lit tie fits horrors. The saddest and most pi- table victims are those, perhaps, of whom we are less likely hear, and whose condi- tion is figured in the lot of the unhappy Ma " Alloways.
 That cases of extreme physical debility, and deaths from Restitution, preceded by the most dreadful mental tortures, are rapidly in- creasing, is distinctly asserted; and what greatly augments the horror of this reflection Is the fact, that so much of the evil goes sure ly on to its last awful accomplishment, the death famine, the death by poison, in perfect secresy. It goes on for months under the eyes of employers, neighbors, fellow-lodgers; and nobody is wiser until the coroner is sum- moned. i starved creature is seen walking into the grave, as uhmistakably as though the grave was dug in the very pathway in which she walks, and she is looked upon on- ly as doing that which is done daily, and which nobody can prevent.
 To what mockery do such examples of the condition of society turn the all-applaud- ed, not the all-adopted maxim of ''live and lel live" The practice seems 10 be ''liye and let die.o The contributors to the wealth of trade are allowed to perish at their task at their employers doors. The hands that ere ate 1t are powerless with want, or turned in- struments of self-destruction.
 Employers who pay for work at the fam inc price may quiet their consciences indlvi- dually when death takes place, by saying that theirs is the price paid by all the trade. This only proves how far the evil spreads Nobody contends that it is the fault of one, but of all--of pernicious system. But each employer for himself knows, that when he has given as much for the work done as others give, he has still only paid starving wages. He knows how many hours the needlewoman has worked upon the articles for which he pays in pence; he knows, as well as if he stood over her, how long the task she takes home to execute will occupy her; he knows therefore the utmost limit of her earnings and even if they were regular, instead of precarious, he is aware of their in adequacy. Can he pretend to be ignorant that exhaustion must succeed to debility and that despair must follow desttution'
 The heroism and delicacy of such victim as the one under notice, when thus seen, show the evil in the strongest light; but though, like her, create in the midst of deep est want an idea of partial independence, theiruter Restitution would be only the more visible, and the employer should only De the more conscious of the destructive and unpar- donable cruelty of that system, of which, though he may consider himself irresponsi- ble, he is practically the encourager.
 CONGRESS.
 SENATE. January 9.
 The SENATE was occupied, to-day, in dis cussing and maturing the bill for the estab- ishment of the Smithsonian Institute. IL