The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-02-02
5ctcctco 9tory.
THE POOR PARSONS TALE.

tari.I cIo>cl, populated with the ycr,
n,ur. wl,um | am almost powerless I,
assist, anl (knowing how empty an,
rruei ar, words of comfort without tha
helm cannot give to all the hungry
su,nc,i,urs almost fear to preach to. Il
i terrible TO preach oftbc Lamb to pco
nic viii. the wuIf ut the door. In lhi
ur.sh are many rich men, many thri
rin. aud we'll to do merchants aud man
ul.cturcrS, many benevolent neu, who
wisI, well to the poor and mistake thai
for hcuciicencc, many benc6ciont mer
who willingly give ftheir abundance
GOALS and flanne to fund aud con-
mit,cc,-hut never know the poor, o,
yisi, them in their afilictiun men wht
do roul to the poor aud mistake tha,
Ivr charity Men who deceive them
.cIvc>-uay, half fancy in very deed
rhcy derive the Almighty--into til.
hriirf that charity means the contribut-
lug either With >paring or liberal hand
Of our nwn suprrflui,ics. and MT a con
tinurl l"r."nal friendship and sympa.
ID, with ut least some ot his pnor
Nrn wlln, believing tho poor are his
Ie.acy. are yet satisfied to regard thc
runc'uaI payment Of charitable subscrip
,ioIl> 10 the collcc: ors when they call
u> cn'tling them to u receipt in full iol
lc.acy duty which Shall pass them scot
;rcc through his Court Of Probate
food men, who can love their enemies
but to whnm he poor, aud the hungry
anl the ontcast are the lower classes,
never 10 he visited, aud known, anu
loyed aud conf iorted like friends mcn
whuse mammon of unrightcousness
brings them many dependents, many to
eat Of the crumbs which fall from their
table, but never friend to receive them
into everlasting habitations.
have toe much to Go with poverty
to be surprised at crime or to cure to
slp>s it over with fine words I am toe
frequently with the dying, and my eyes
res, too often on the dead, to let me
trick out story in fine dress. 1 will
speak what know, and testify that
which | have seen.
Some years ago, in time Of great
de>ti,ntion, when hundreds Of the la
boring classes were reduced TO the most
ahjccl distress through sudden failure
in staple manufacture. the dwellings
Of the poor became fri.htfully crowded
AS nmry as forty aud fifty human be-
inss hu'lllcd together in single house,
If housc Indeed it could indeed be. cal
led, and ate, drank, slept, washed.l and
rockc'l the sick, and the we'll, young
and Oh, married aud single, all crowded
tngether rs thick as vcrmin. It was II
bal sign often when Il single. family did
have single room. There is an in
s,inc. in birds and beasts, which leads
them to z" away from their kind to suf
fer and to die. And too often the single
room told ot worse straits aud dceper
dcsti,u;inn than could have been borne
in crow.l
\, til" tine Of this distress, one af.
tcrn""n ~ vi>itinga little pari~hion
or Of mine. mere child Of twelve years
old, who. with her younger sister, makes
ma,chb"xcs at five cents per gross, aud
fluids glue an.l thin paper for the insidcs,
too; anl earns Lizzie Dottrell and her
sister together, nearly or quite as much
as her feeble mother can make at sew
ing Between them the three pay the
weekly rent Of their own little room.
and just keep the wolf from coming in,
only just. While there heard a
noise in the street, and going out to see
the cause, some one said "Oh, do go
up into that house, sir there's q man
beating his wife Shameful" l went
whcrc | was directed, mp broken flight
Of greasy stairs, winding round filthy
black passage, up another flight of bro.
ken stairs, and past many haggard faces
Of men and women Outside broken
door paused, uncertain ifit were the
right one. heard moan that sound :
ed like woman's. Then a man spoke
IN weak voice, but passionate, and
broken into pau>cs by sickness or weak
ness. al wish, my God. | had killed
you Jane" "And |. Tom, md | wouI,l
not have cried nor groancd it you had
only kissed me FIRST, and told me you
mcnt It, AMI would forgive me-" III
would-hayc done it," he gaspcd OUT,
but II haven't got The strength"
opened the door aud walked in.
=" nat do you want?" the man asked,
~ "a husky whisper lie wa lying GU
inc ,A!c floor, very faint, and had raised
himself up on his elbow. lie had a
lace like sklcton, in which hunger
a., anu 'cver were contending for prey
!, ! mere was not "crap Of furniture in
tne room, neither bed nor bcadstcud,
caa!r nor table only broken teapot
WIN a little water in it beside the man.
Al another part Of the room, against the
empty fire CRATE, lay his wife, also on
M INC floor, lying on her back. aud pale
from the loss Of blood that flowed from
her head. Near her was piece Of iron
70" that seemed once to have served for
a poker, and now for weapon. "I
aon't know" | said, for | vas taken
aoacK I'll wish only to rcudcr hclp. il
! can. "Go to her." he said Iwcnt
and examined tho blows on the Door
Toman's ,i head. They were not serious.
although ,"s bleeding profuscly-scaIp
Wounds and bruises only. l poured
aome ot inc water from the teapot on nv
them with it.. "''
,,omde "me didn't mean to do it, SIR" the
~o"'ah was crying, while l tied up the