The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-04-10
St. JOhnsbwy, Vt April 10, 1S47,

with the arms or skirts torn off, were sitting
by the roadside breaking stones. 1t was
painful TO see human labor and life strug-
Cling among the lowest interests of society.
Men, once athletic labOrers, We're irving TO
make out few miserable days to their exist
ence by toillng upon these works. Poor creu-
lures! Many of them are already famine
stricken: they have reached II point from
which they cannot be recovered. DIR Dono-
van informs Inc that he can tell alta glance
whether person has reached this point or
not. And am assured by several expert
enced observers that there are thousands of
men who rise i'll the morning aud 90 forth to
labor with their picks and shovels in their
hands, who are irrecoverably doomed to
death. No human aid can save them. The
plague spot oflamine is on their foreheads;the
worm of want has eaten in two their heart
strings. Still they go forth accomplishing
to their labor and toll, cold, furnished. and
half naked, upon the roads; and divide their
eight or ten pence worth Of food ut night IL
mong II sick family of five or eight persons
Some are kept at home, and prevented from
earning this misery plttunce, by the fear,
that some of their family may die before they
return.
The first habtation we entered in the Cas-
tlehaven district, was literally hole in the
wall, occupied by what might be called, in
America, Il sguattcr, or man who had bur-
rowed place for himself and family in the
acute angle oftwo dlupidatcd walls by the
roadside, where he lived rent free. We en-
tered this stinted den by an aperture about
three feet high, and found one ortwo chill
dren lying asleep, with ti!clr eyes open, in
the straw. Such, at least, was their appear
ance; for they scarcely winked while we
81
told us IL ptiiu story of want, saying that not
Il morseI of food had they tasted for twenty
four hours. He lighted II wisp of straw, and
showed us one or two more children lying in
another nook ofthc cave. Their mother had
died; and he was obliged TO leave them alone
during most otthe day,ln order TO CLEAN some
thing for their subsistence. We were Soou
among the most wretched habitatlons that
had yet seen far worse than those in Skib-
bereen. Many of them were flat rooted how
els, half buried in the earth, or built up u
gainst the rocks, and covered with rotten
straw, sea weed or turf. In one which was
scarcely seven feet square, we found five
persons PROSTATE with the fever, and appu-
rentIy near their end. A girl about sixteen
the very picture Of despair, was the only one
left could administer any relief; and all
she could do was to bring water in II broken
pitcher to Stake their parched lips. As we
proceeded up the rocky bill overlooking the
scene, we encountered new sights Of wretch
edness. Seeing cabin standing somewhat
by itself in hollow, and surrounded by u
moat ofgreen filth, we entered it with some
difficulty, and found u single child about
three years old lying upon kind of shelf,
with its little face resting upon the edge OF
the board, and looking steadiastly out ut the
door us if for its mother. Ii never moved its
eyes us we entered but kept them fixed tow
ard the entrance: Il is doubtful whether the
poor thing had mother or father left TO her;
but it is more doubtful still whether those
eyes would have relupsed their vacant gaze,
II both oflhem had entered at once, with ev-
erything that could tempt the palate in their
hand. No words can describe this peculiar
appearance Of the furnished children. New
or have | seen such bright, blue, clear eyes,
looking so steadtastly ut nothing, couldal-
most fancy that the Angels of God had been
sent TO uuseal the vision Of these little, pa
tent, pcrishing creatures to the beattiludes
otanother world; and that they were listening
TO the whispers of unseen spirits bidding
them to "wait II little longer" Leaving this
we entered another cabin, in which we found
seven or eight attenuated young creatures,
with mother who had pawned her cloak, and
could not venture QUITO beg for bread because
she was not fit to be seen on the streets. |
Hearing the voice of wailing from cluster
of Luts further up the hill, we proceeded to
them, and entered one, and found several
persons weeping over the dead body ola wo
man lying by the wall near the door.
Stretched npon the ground here and there
lay several sick pcrsons and the place seem
ed den fpestilence. The filthy straw was
rank with the fostering fever. Leaving this |
woman in an agony of despair, because no
one would give her coffin to bury her father
i'll. She pointed to u cart some distance, up |
on which his body lay; and she was about to
follow it to the grave; and he was such Il
good father she could not bear to lay him |
like beast in the ground; and she begged Il
coffin "ior the honor of God" While she
was wailing and weeping for this boon,
cast my eye towards the cabin we had just
left; and sight met my view which made
me shuddGr with horror. The husband Of
the dead women came staggering out, with
her body upon his shoulders, slightly cover
ed with piece of rotten canvass. will not
dwell upon the details of this spectacle.
Painfully and slowly he bore the remains of
the late companion of his misery to the cart.
We followed him IL little way off, and saw
him deposit his burden along side of the ia
Their of the young woman, and by her as
sistance. As the two started for the grave
yard to bury their own Dead we pursued our
walk still further OF, and entered another
cabin, where we encountered the climax of
human misery. Surely, thought, |, while
regarding this new phenomenon ofsuffering,
there can be no lower deep that this, between
us and the bottom ofthe grave. On asking
after the condition of the inmates, the woman
to whom we addressed the question, answer
ed by taking out of the straw three breathing
skeletons, ranging from two to three feet in
hninht nnG er1LireLll llnked and these IhlImnn |