The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1860-01-10
A Horrible Case of Destitution
A Woma Freezing to DeotA-Fire =.

MAI DCfCAduAJ WIN u1Cu Naboi va
| Sunday morning at shanty in the rear of
| No. So West Van Buren, street. The Coro-
ner found the inmates Of this shanty, which
| contains one small room, in state OF utter
| and horrible restitution. Bitter cold as the
weather was, the thermometer standing a t
| 25 degrees below zero, and the thin wall OF
| the howell allowing the freezing wind to pen
| citrate through and through its insufficient
| defenses, the family, consisting OF two men,
a woman, and two children, were without
fire or food, with scant7 clothing, and it'll
their only bed occupied by the stark corpse
| OF the dead woman.
From the evidence of Mrs. Bridget Miles,
Edward Miles and John Donegan, it appear
ed that the deceased was single woman,
about thirty-fve years old, and earned her
living by working out. She was intemper-
ate in her habits; and had lived with Mrs
Miles about three months, during the alb
sence of Mr.. Miles, who had been off South
| working. He returned home Friday night,
| with ears frozen, but no money The Miles,
being very poor, and their house very small,
Mrs. Miles told the deceased on Saturday
morning that she must leave. She went
away, and returned about dark, very drunk.
| Miles, his wife, their two children and Don
| egan, all went to bed in the same, early III
the evening, leaving the deceased sitting By
the stove, in which there was little fire.
| They had no more wood
| Some time during the night Mrs. Miles
got up to get a drink for one OF the chill
dren. She felt of Mary, who was then ly
ing behind the stove, and who was then fro
zen stiff. She told her husband and Done
| gan that Mary was dead. AS there was no
fire in the stove, and they had no wood to
make one, they thought they might restore
her to life by animal heat. SO they took her
in the bed with the. N, and all got in togeth-
| er, making six persons in one small bed. In
| the morning they found that Mary was fro
Zen just as stiff as when they put her in bed.
"She had not thawed Bit"
| This was on Sunday morning. All day
long the CORPSE of the woman lay in the
| only bed of this wretch ed family, while the
mother sought the Coroner, who, owing to
some neglect on the part OF the police, was
| not informed of the death until sunday
| night. While holding the inquest, which
resulted in eliciting the facts just mentioned,
| the cola as so severe in the shanty that
the Coroner became nearly frozen. Moved
with compassion, he made the father Of the
family procure wheelbarrow and accom-
! pany him home, where he loaded him up
with wood and sent him home with enough
to keep life in them for few hours more.
This is one case from many which have
come to our knowledge, illustrating the eX
IRENE and heartrending poverty and destitu-
tion which prevails to so great an extent at
| present in our city, and which all our relief
| societies, charitable Institutions, homes for
| the iriendless, &c., seeai unable to prevent
| or relieve. What in the name of our COM
mon humanity is to be done with such cases?
| Chicago Democrat.
Expulsion of Free Colorcd Persons from
Arkansas.-At the last SEES sion of the Ark
ansas Legislature an act WAS passed, giving
the free coored population Of that State,
the alternative Of migrating before Jan. LIST,
1860, or of becoming slaves. AS the time of
probation has now expired, while some have
preferred servitude, the great body OF the
free colored people OF Arkansas are said to
be on their way northward. The Cincinnati
Gazette, of Wednesday, says:
We learn that the upward bound boats
are crowded with them, and that Seymour,
indiana, where several steamers are stopped
by the ice, is filed to overlooking with these
poor outcasts.
A party of forty, mostly women and chill
dren, arrived in this city last evening by
the Ohio and Mississippi railroad. They
were welcomed by committee of ten, APP
| pointed from the coored people of the city.
| They were assured by the chairman of the
| reception committee that if they were indus
| trious and exemplary in their conduct, they
| would be sure to gain good livelihood and
many friends. The exiles, as before stated,
are mostly women and children, the hus-
bands and fathers being held in servitude.-
They report concerning, the emigration that
| hundreds OF the free colored men of Arkan-
sas have left for Kansas, and hundreds more
about to follow.
Burned to Death. Miss Ann McA lister,
millner, aged 40 years, was burned to
death at Amissville, Rappahannock county,
Va, on the 3rd inst, in consequence of her
dress taking fire. She was a single lady,
living alone, and when discover ed by gem
| tleman passing her residence, was still alive,
but so horribly burned that she survived
! only few hours.
In the public schools Of Boston the aver.
age attendance is about $4,000 pupils. The
whole number of teachers employed in the
service is 494. The whole appropriation tor
the present financial year, including the
cost of new School-houses, was $532 100
| being more than one fifth part the gross tax
for the year ls59-G0.
MuRDER.-We learn from the Harrison
burg papers that young lrishman named
Dennis Tomay was killed by a man named
Harrison jackson, near tnat place, ABOUT III
O'Clock, on Saturday night, the Oath ult.-
He was stabbed to the heart with pocket
knife, and died instantly. Garrison delivered
himself up, and was committed for trial.
A troop of cavalry has been organized at
Boydton, Va. Col. Thomas +. Goode, cap
tain.
Francis B. Baker, merchant OF Savan-
nah, died on the 4th inst.
white man was whipped in FIuvanna
coanty, Va, recently, for stealing.
The Cincinnati and New Orleans steam
packet Diamond was sunk in the river, be-
low MemphiS on the 10th uIt