Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1847-02-06
r.m,n. and Appalling Distress.

details Of the misery caused by want of food
IN ireland and the highlands Of Scotland. We
can scarcely realize the existenee Of such suf.
fering as is described, and which is brought upon
the unfortunate victims Sy no fault of their
own
Appalling Distress entreat our rea.
ders' attention TO tho following shocking de.
scripton Of the state Of Skbbe reen, and the sur.
rounding district of West Carbery, in the coun.
~ Of Cork, promising that il is only an aggra.
vated epitome Of the suf1erings Of the poor star.
wing peasantry in other districts. II is by Mr..
Cummins, county magistrate, who thus writes
10 the Duke of Wellington;
went, on the 18th inst, TO Skibbereen, and
to give the instance Of one townlsnd district
which visited, as an example o. the state Of
the entire coast district, shall state simply
what there saw. II is situate on the eastern
side Of Castehaven harbor, and is named South
Iseen, in the parish Of Myros. Being aware
that should have to witness flightful hunger.
provided myself with as much bread as hve
men could carry. and on reaching the spot
was surprised 20 fnd the wretched hamlet ap.
parently deserted. I entered somo OF the no.
wells to ascertain the cause, and tho scenes that
presented themselves were such as no tongue
or pen can convey the slightest idea of. In the
first. six famisied and ghas,iy skeletons, to oil
appearance dead. were huddied in corner on
some filthy straw, their sole covering what see.
ned ragged horse cloth, their wretched legs
hanging about naked above the knees.
lspproached in horror. and found, BY a low
moaning. they were slive-they were in fever.
four children, woman, and what had once
been man. tits impossible to 60 through the
detail suffice Il to say, that. in few minutes,
was surrounded by a: least 200 of such phan.
toms-euch irightial specires no words can de-.
scribe. BY far the greater number were deli.
rious, either from famine or from fever. Their
de,noniac yells arc still ringing in my ears, and
their horrible images are fixed upon iny brain.
.iy heart sickcns at the recital, but must 70
on.
In another case, decency would forbid what
follows, but it must be told My clothes were
nearly torn of in my endeavor to escape from
the ,hrons Of pes,ilence around, when my neck
cloth was seized from behind by grip which
compelled me TO turn. found myself grasped
by woman with an infant apparently just born
in her arms, and the rema ins of a filthy sack
across her loins-,he sole covering Of herself
and babe. The same morning the police open
ed house on the adjoining lands, which wal
observed shut for macy days, and two frozen
corpses were found lying on the mud flour, hal
devoursd by the rate.
A mother, herself in fever, was seen the same
day to drag out the corpse Of her child, gir
abont l2, perfectly naked, and leave it half GOV
cred with stones In another house, within
500 yards Of the cavrlry station at Skibbereen
the D.peusary Doctor found seven wretche
unable to move, under the sane cloak. On,
had been dead many hours, but the others wer'
unable to.movc either themselves or the corpse
Equally disheartening 10 what follows iron
the Monaghan Standard:
The state Of des,itution in this neighborhooc
soso'o'e'y "'e"""', !" every e"ee'' a. e''
~ corner lean ano caaave''u' o'i"e' meet you
eye famine !" the 'acc' ~A"' II, '"" "o'o'
glance emac'at'o" !" 'he wa"ec "ame' an
yet they co not die, Strange how much suffer
INC the BODY accustomed 10 want can oesr DC
~ .r.' H..
a." ~ - c., -. w.. 49, 49, -
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