Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-11-07
DEsFITUTION AND MISERY.
a Mother aud Eight Children Starving
ready Dead.


From the Chattanooga Union. ,NQy. 9th,
1t often tails to the lot OF the journalist
and the newspaper reporter to become
acquainted with scenes of misery and desti-
tuition, while in the performance of his du-
ties, but never, we think, in a civilized COM
munity and amoug people calling them
selves Christians, in community so gener-
ally prosperous as that of Chattanooga, has
il been our province note such narrowing
scene of poverty, disease, destitution and
death as We were called upon to witness on
last Sunday evening.
At that time, while the church bells were
ringing, calling worshippers to prayer, a
friend called on us TO go with him short dis
lance from the Crutchfield House. to see a
family who in his language "werc dying of
starvation" On Ninth Street, below Chest
nut, within a stones throw of two Christian
churches we found the family. 1t originally
consisted of a mother and eight children,
but two Of the latter already were dead,
while a third was family catching the last
few gaps before passing away. The scene
as it presented itself to Ii, was horrible.
The howell in which they were, was open on
all sides to the keen, chilly night air. Oh
a board at one side of the room lay the
corpses of a little baby, which had died on
Saturday evening, and girl five years old,
which had expired on Sunday morning. The
pinched and CHASTITY features Of tie poor lit
tie ones, told too plainly of their lingering
painful death. On a blanket on the floor,
lay the mother, herself sick unto death, hold
ing in her arms a third girl, seven years
old, who was near her last. At the feet of
the mother lay the eldest daughter, girl of
seventeen.
The appearance Of all Of them showed the
want Of food Of any kind. In one corner
another daughter of eleven years lay, suffer-
ing with cramps. Some of the children had
not eaten a mouthful of food from Saturday
morning to the time we saw them. The
baby, the first to die, expired in its mothers
arms in commissions, on Saturday night. The
poor woman, herself unable to stand from
weakness was forced to sit on the floor and
hold the little thing till its eyes closed on
the troubles of this world. When the Sc
cond one died in the morning, she was I'M
able to do anything for it, and now lay hold
ing the third one. While we stayed,
noble-hearied lady, wife of one of our citi-
zens, who had heard of the family, came in,
accompanied by a servant bearing food and
clothing for the children. Some Of the vet
living ones were so weak that their stomachs
refused all food, except little boiled milk.
The diving child asked for a little piece Of
bread. but was unable TO swallow il
after it was placed in its mouth. When
asked il she was hungry, she replied, mot
now; was a little while ago" and in
few moments after il expired and was ont Of
its misery.
The lady alluded to had the body de-
Gently laid out and procuring a bed-stead
had the mother and one of the daughters re-
moved to it. A woman was found to stay
with tie family through the night and care
for them. In the morning collins we're pro-
cured for three corpses, a gentleman doing
business on Market street. gave enough of
clothing and material for shrouds to clothe |
them. During the morning the bodies were |
inferred. At dinner time the mother and |
the rest Of the children were removed to a |
more comfortable place a short distance be-
low where they were first found
The unfortunate family are named SIM |
MONS and are from ST. Clair county, Ala /
bama, where they had n little farm. The |
father diving, the mother had left her home /
and came this far in search for a brother, |
whom she understood was living here. They 1
arrived in this city about three weeks ago,
and during the very cold weather which
prevailed in the last week of October, they
lay IN the Union Passenger Depot, without
any other shelter than that afforded by n
few blankets. ON Tuesday last they were
removed into the howell where We found
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