The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1871-10-12
From the Warren County Democrat.
A Sad Case-A Poor Woman Buries
Three Children in one Week Shock

O"u OooO n OUI w Ulldu DuIl6S
Three Children in one Week Shock
ing lnhumanity of her Neighbors.
On the southern slope of Scott's Noun
tain, in the township of Lopatcong, and
about two miles from Stewartsville, resides
poor woman of good personal appearance
and about thirty years of age, named
Mary Ann Hyde. Her maiden name was
Castor, aud she was married some few
years bcfor the rebellion to a man named
Hyde, with whom she had three children.
at the beginning of the war the loyal
farmers, among whom Hyde was labor
ing, induced him to volunteer in his
country's service under the assurance
that they would provide for his wife and
little ones during his absence. The young
man enlisted for three years, and having
committed his family to the protection of
the farmers in that vicinity, he bid his
family adieu and joined the Army of the
Potomac. During the war the family be.
came extremely destitue, the men who
had made themselves conspicuous by in
duciug poor man to enlist, in order to
lessen the chances of their being drafted
themselves, soon forgot all their liberal
promises. Thus alone, and suffering for
the necessaries of life, she was made
victim of sin, and her husband, on his
return from the army, found his home
disgraced He obtained, from the betray-
er of his wife, some $500, and then left
for parts unknown, leaving his crushed
and ruined wife to the cold charities of
pharasaical community. Cast of by her
husband deserted in her hour of great.
est need by those whom she had hitherto
regarded as friends, hunted down to the
very lowest depths of degradation by
public sentiment, her very actions watch
ed and criticised by the lynx-eyed guar
dians of public morals this poor woman
was compelled to labor out by the day,
wherever she could find any one charita
bic enough to give her employment, that
she might make a precarious living for
herself and destitute. offsprings.
Some two weeks since her children
were all taken sick with that terrible dis.
ease, the scarlet fever, in its most malig
nant form. Being obliged to remain at
home, and nurse and take care of the
sick, she was unable to go out aud earn
the necessaries of life, and her house soon
became impoverished. Gaunt hunger
sickness, death and degradation all paid
their terrible visits to her at ouce Scarce
ly a neighbor had the true Christian
spirit, the moral courage, or the philan-
thropy to visit that abode of sickness,
poverty and death, because the mother
had been stamped by society as one OF
the fallen. Day and night that poor,
halfstarved, despised woman sat alone by
the cradle and bedside of her starving
dying little ones. Deserted by the world
and in those hours of bitter agony, almost
by her God, that .scorned, but devoted
mother sat alone through the long, weary
nights, faithfully and silently watching
the heavy, feverish breathiugs of her lit.
tie ones, or wiping the cold, clammy sweat
of death from their brows, and worse than
all oh, infinitely more terrible, tortur
ing and heart crushing than all, compelled
to hear their piteous plsaGiugs for food
even while the death rattle was gurgling
in their baby throats, with no means to
alleviate their sufferings on power to APP
pease, for one moment, their dying hun
ger, because her Christian neighbors did
not think it prudent or discreet to visit
the house of ii fallen woman, even, in the
hour of death
On Monday evening, of last week, one
of the children died. Mr. Daniel Stires,
a kind gentleman, with true
Christian spirit, and Mr.. j Ohm Draney, a
generous aud magnanimous Irish gentle
man, with heart abounding with love,
charity and sympathy, and Mrs. Benward,
a woman-God bless her-who had soul
that dared brave the cold and heartless
SCOTS of professed Christian, but Christ
less community each in turn visited
this abode of wretchedness, want and
death, and to the extent of their humble
means, endeavored to alleviate their suf- |
fering. The funeral of this child took
place on Wednesday, and was attended
by only three persons-the undertader,
Mr. Jacob Stone the Rev. Mr.. Sykes,
pastor of the Stewartsville Lutheran
Church, and Mr.. Daniel Stres. On the
same evening another child died. 1t laid
in the house until Friday, on account of
the Overseer of Lopatcong township re-
fusipg to give it burial, becaues its impu-
ted father was wealthy. Mr. Stires, how.
ever, ordered coffin on his own respon
sibility, and Mr.. Wendell Messenger, a
generous and magnanimous young farm.
er of that township, finally induced the
committee. to assume the responsibility
The fuueral of this child was attended by
just two persons, and, as we learn, was
buried without funeral sermon or even
a prayer made over its grave.
A third child died on Friday night, and
this poor heart broken, weary, worn out
woman was left alone during the whole
OF Saturday to watch over her dead child