The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-04-08
The Horrors OF Washington Life.


The Horrors OF Washington Life
The following. narrative, Ml.ich "
clip from the Washington correspond
ence Of the Chicago Tribune, illust rnte
the dark side of Washington iif. II
man wants to bury himself alive, b
subjected to all manner Of temptation
exc out miserable existence, sinkin,
all the time into semi.slavery and un
fitting himself for independence ant
manly exertion let him seek Wash
ington clerkship. The correspondent
| writes:
I Among my acquaintnnccs Is II young
practicing doctor, of this city, and witt
him ! frequently make the round Of h
patients. Last summer, during the re-
cess, he stopped for me one afternoon
and we drove over toward "thc Island y
the fiat, swampy, unsocial part Of town
Il have bad casc,' lie said, "dow,
here In Murder Bay rMurier Bay I.
the guilty street of the street walkers
and must stop u minute on the way
there at the ------- Department"
At the - Department the doctor
sent his name up tor = certain clerk.
The clerk came down--a shabby, sickly
being, with limp walk,an atienuaied
form, haggard face.
"How's Elisas'' safl the doctor.
mo bsttsf,n
did you buy the medicines accord
1ng 70 ny prssofiptlon:'
ssNoip
why not7 l told you they we're 81
vital importance. The girl viii de-"
The sickly clerk threw up his head,
- fit panied him to carry the distresses
In It. e.
my God!" he said, II can do no
more. My salary is anticipated for
eight months. paid sixty dollars for
. hundred tho last time, I have ex.
haustcd the LIST friend and pawned my
!, last and leas: Possessions, my shirts, my
boots. My very comb and brush l
pledged last week for twenty-five cents.
ssTheg'tl will die any way. So will 1!
..H'ctor, my God. what can l do?"
The doctor drove away to drug store
and paid for tho drugs himself, saying,
"this Is s,na.her privilege Of a physi-
Giant" Then we drove to Murder Bay
end the Doctor said to me:
"Come zap here. Everybody knows
the doctors gig and will take you for a
physician
We passed into house ofiost women.
1t was bright day. A few negligent,
half-dressed females were lounging in
the parlors with "lover" or two, the
privileged pensioners of the day. The
mistress of the place, cold faced as fish,
showed us up into dismantIed room,
where on bed, unmade apparently for
weeks, in the odors of liquor, smoke
and dispeptic exhaIations, y young girl
lay with the mani" eS City In ... |
The doctor til.
IN the SKY =. two hu"' ~
ed o,sssed from rev up the sash ana let
|i',..t w~ and the wind. The girl turn
an er aud said, through her baked
.ps:
.Haye you seen Jim "
"Yes! he has sent these medicines.
"Where did he get money? He has
pawned his comb aud brush, and my
ring, that was. to. have been,
went before them, kept to the last 1y
crazy superstition. Ii he sent the med
icine he stole the money. | heard him
threaten to steal; for he's got chances,
and they say everybody steals in the
Jim didn't steal anything said the
doctor. II bought the medicines"
II won't take them," said the girl.
they will make me well. I shall get
drunk again and come back on you for
more medicines. A little Of this money
would get me dose that would cure me
for good. Oh! Doctor" cried the girl,
lido buy me that medicine. l have
prayed with Miss Betty (the housekccp-
err have offered the black woman all
my hair, every lock Of it, to get me II
little
Her voice softened and became indis.
tinct. l knew that the word was
"poison.'
The doctor and the girl demonstrated
with each other in suppressed tones. ]
could see the pleading imploring eye OF
the girl, her hand upon the doctors
coat, wrestling with him for the gift of
death. Merciful death! How holy it
would make this shamble The girl
was Of q good, round, buxom figure,
country like in accent and expression,
very young, not above sixteen she after
wards said. Her hair long, and combed
from time to time with her fingers, was
Of golden fax color. The sin Of despair
and NOT, the sin Of folly was expressed
- eyes. Her oaths were crude and
% Ward, IS If just learned. It was
70 degradation all taken at plunge.
The doctor after while turned to me
and said in his professional way, partly
business, partly sweetness, as / had
sometimes seen him mix honey aud
aloes, pill-mashing:
.Gath, this is hard case. never
r,od Int ono afhar like /: This GIRL