The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1847-03-30
THE VANISHING PEOPLE OF IRELAND

dulous men, that the sketches given in the Emo
lsh papers, or letters from Ireland. from time to
ume, and describing the appalling restitution and
mlserles OF the Irish population are greatly ex-
aggerated, and are not faithful portraits of the
condition OF the people. To all such we would
commend the perusal of the following extract
from letters of Elhu Burritt, published in the
Christian Citizen. This phildnthropist passed n
week in Ireland, with the object of investigating
the actual condition of the peasantry. His re-
marks are of a character to kindle emotion in ev.
cry feeling bosom, and to make the contributors
to the Irish Relief Fund rejoice in having aided
in the good work, of ameorating the dreadful
suferings of furnishing nation:
SKIBBEREEN, Feb 20.
Rev. Mr.. Fitzpatrick called, with several gen.
tiemen OF the town, and in their company took
my first walk through the Potter's field of desti
tuition and death. AS soon as we opened the
door, crowd of haggard creatures pressed upon
us, and with agonizing prayers for bread, follow.
ed US to the soup kitchen One poor woman
whose entreaties became irresistibly mportunate.
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 consign-
ed yesterday. She had left five children sick
with the famine fever in her howell, and she rails
ed an exceeding bitter cry Tor help A man with
swollen feet pressed closely upon US, and begged
for bread most piteously. He had pawned his
shoes for food, which he had already consumed.
Inc soup Kitchen Was surrounded by cloud of
these famine specters, half naked and standing or
sitting in the mud beneath cold drizzling rain.
The narrow dehle to the dispensary bar was
checked with young and old of both sexes, strug
gling forward with their rusty tin and iron YES
IN IF
falnshed beasts
There was cheap bread dispensary opened ia
one end OF the building; and the principal pres
sure was at the door of this. Among the attenu-
aed apparitions of humanity that thronged this
gale OF stinted charity one poor man presented
himself under circumstances that even distinp-
ulshed his case from the rest. He lived several
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 Lille was worth the last struggle of
nature, and the miserable skeleton of father
mad fastened his youngest child to his back: and
with four more by his side, had staggered IN to
the door, Just as we entered the bread depart
ment oil the establishment. The hair upon his
lace was nearly as long as that upon his head
His cheeks were fallen IN, and his Jaws So disin.
tended that he could scarcely artculate word
His four little children were sitting upon the
ground by bis feet, nesting together, and irving
TO hide their naked limbs under their dripping
rags: How these poor things could stand upon
their feet and walk. and acoik FIVE miles as thew
had done, could not conceive
Their appearance, though common TO thou
sands in this region of the shadow of death. was
lndescrlbable. Their ptleness was not that of
common sickness. There was no sallow tinge in
It. They did not look as il newly raised from
the grave and to life before the blood had begun
to MI their veins anew but if they had been
thawed out OF the ice, in which thew had been
imbedded until their blood had turned to water.
Leaving this battlefield of life, accompanied
MIR. Fitzpatrick, the Catholic minister into one of
the howell lanes of the town. We found in every
tenement we entered, enough to sicken the stout
est heart. In one we found shoemaker who
was at work before hole in the mud wall of his
hut, about as large as small pane of glass There
were live In his family, and he said when he
could get any work he could earn about three
shilllngs week. In another cabin we discover
ed mailer by the small light OF his fire, WORKING
III space not three feet square. Fl lie too, had
large family half of whom were down with the
lever; and he could earn but two shllings a
week. About the middle of this filthy lane we
came to the ruin of howell which had fallen dur
ing the night and killed man who had taken
shelter in II with his wife and child He had
come in from the country; and ready TO perish
with cold and hunger, had entered this falling
mouse OF clay. lie was warned OF his danger
but answered that die he must unless he found
shelter before morning. He had kindled small
fire with some straw and bits of turf and was
crouching erit, when the whole roof and gable
end OF earth and stones came down upon him and
his child, and crushed him to death over the
slow fire. The child bad been pulled out alive,
and carried to the work house but the father
was still lying there upon the dung heap of the
fallen roof, slightly covered with piece of can
vas. On lifting this, humating spectacle pre-
scented itself. What rags the poor man had upon
him, when buried beneath the falling roof, were
mostly torn from his body in the last faint strug
gle for life, his neck and shoulder and right arm
were burnt to cinder. There he lay in the ruin.
like the carcase Of brute beast thrown upon the
dunghill. AS we continued our walk along this
filthy line, half naked women and children would
come out of their cabins, apparently in the last
stage OF the fever, to beg for food for the honor
oil God" AS they stood upon the wet ground
we could almost see it smoke beneath their bare
feet, burning with the fever. We entered the
grave yard, in the midst OF which was small
watchhouse. THIS miserable shed had served
as grave where the dying could bury them