Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-04-09
From the Christian Citizen.
A Week In Ireland.
LEAVES FROM THE JOURNAL OF ELIHu .

called, With several gentlemen Of the town, and
IN their company took my first walk through
the pouer's field Of desli,uiion and death. As
soon as we opened the door, u crowd Of haggard
creatures pressed upon us, and with aponizpg
prayers for bread, followed TO the soup kitchen.
One poor woman, whose entreaiies became ire.
sisably imporiunate. had watched all night in
the grave yard, lest the body of her husband
should be stolen from his last resting place, TO
which he had been consigned yesterday. She
had left five children sick with the famine fever
in her hovel, and she raised an exceeding bitter
cry for help. A man with swollen feet pressed
closely upon us, and begged for bread most phi.
ously. He had pawned his shoes for food, which
he had already consumed. The soup kitchen
was surrounded by cloud Of these famine spec
trcs hul.naked and standing or sitting in The
mud, beneuh cold drzzling rain. The narrow
| dcfe 10 the dispensary bar was choked with
young and old ofboth sexes, struggling forward
with their rusty tin and iron vessels for soup;
some Of them upon all lours like lamished beasts.
! There was a cheap bread dspensary opened in
ono end Of the building; and the principal pres.
sure was at the door ofthis. Among the aurn-
ualed appar,ions Of humanity that thronged this
gate Of slinled charity, one poor man presented
himself under circumstances that even dlsiin-
guished his case from the rest lie lived sever
al miles from the centre of the town, IN one of
the rural districts, where he found himself on the
eve Of perishing with his family Of seven small
children. Life was worth The last struggle Of na.
ture, and the miserable skeleton Of q iaihcr, had
fastened his yourgcst child 10 his back; and
with four more BY his side, had staggered up 10
The door, just as we entered The bread department
ofthe establishment, The hair upon his face
was nearly as long as that upon his head. His
cheeks were fallen in. and his jaws so disended
that he could scarcely arliculate q word. His
/ four liuIe children were sitting upon the ground
/ by his feet, nesting together, and trying 10 hide
their naked limbs under their dripping rags
! How these poor things could stand upon their
feet and walk. aud paIk five miles as they had
done, could not conceive.
Their appearance, though common 10 lhous-
ands in this region Of The shadow of death, was
indescribnbIr Their paleness was not that of
commoG sickness. There was no sallow tuge in
il. They did not look us if newly raised from
The grave and TO life before the blood had began
to fill their veins anew; but as if they had just been
thuwcd out Of the ice, in which they had been
imbedded unit, their blood had turned to water
Leaving this battlefield Of life, accompanied
Mr.. Fitzpatrick the Catholic minister, into one Of
the hoyel lanes Of The town. We found in eve
ry tenement we entered enough TO scken III
sIoulest heart. In one we lodud shoemaker
who was at work before hole in the mud wall
of his hut, about us large as a small pane OF glass
There were five in his family, and he said when
he could getany work h. could earn about three
shiIlings week. In another cabin we discover
ed mailer by The small light Of his fire, working
in space not three feet square. lie too had
large family, half of whom were down with The
fever and he could earn but two .hlingS week.
About the middoo this filthy lane wecume 10 the
ruin of hovel which had fallen during the night
and killed a man who had taken shelter in il
with his wife and child. lie had come in from
the country; and ready to perish with cold and
hunger, had entered This falling house Of clav.--
He was warned Of his danger, but answered that
die he must unless he found shelf before morn.
ing, He had kindled small fire with some
straw and bis Of turf, and was crouching over it.
when the whole roof and gable end Of the earth
and stones came down upon him and his child,
and crushed hlm TO death over the slow fire. The
child had been pulled out alive and carried 10
the workhouse; but the father was still lying lhera
upon the dung heap Of the fallen roof, slightly
covered with piece of canvass. On lifting this
n humilialing spectacle presented iselI. What
rags the poor man had upon him when buried be-
meath the falling roof, were mostly Torn from his
body in the last faint struggle for life, his neck
and shoulder and right arm were burnt 10 Gin.
der. There he lay in the ruin, like The carcase
of brute beast thrown upon the dunghiIl. As
we continued our walk along this filthy lane, half
naked women and children would come out OF
their cabins, apparently in the last stage ortha
fever, To beg for food "lor the honor of God. -
As they stood upon the wet ground, we could al.
most see il smoke beneath their bare feet, burn.
| ing with the fever. We entered the graveyard,
in the midst Of which was Il small wa,ch-house.
| This miserable shed had served as a grave where
the dying could bury themselves. 1t was seven
feet long aud six in breadth. 1t was already
walled round on the outside with an embarkmcnt
of graves half way TO the caves The aperture
of this horrible den Of death would scarcely ad-
nit the entrance Of comon sized person. And
| into this noisome sepuchre living men, women,
and children went down Ia die; 10 pillow upon
rotenslraw, the grave clothes vacatcdby proceed
ing victims, and fostering with their fever Here
they av as closely 10 each other us il crowded
side by side on the bottom Of one grave. Six
persons had baen found in this felid sepuchre AT
one time, and with one only to crawl 10 The door
and TO ask for water. Removing a board from
,ha entrance orlhis black hole of pesliIence, we
found it GRAINED with wan victims Of famine, rea
dy and willing to perish. quie, listless despair
broods over The population, and cradles men for
the gave.
Returned from this painful walk, nearly wet
through and sad ut the thought that could not
administer any relief 10 my perishng fellow be-
ings. Spent this evening in writing letters 10
England.
SKlBBrREsN, Feb. 2l.--Dr. Donovan called at
2 P. NJ. md VIC proceeded together TO visit a lane
ofhovels on the opposite side of the village
The wrelchedness OF this little mud.city of the