Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-03-30
DOMESTIC NEWS.
THE SUSSEX ALMs-HOUsE.
Shocking and Horrible Description.
Can These Things Be?

The Milford Ne,os and AdUertiser makes long
report Of personal inspection of the SUSSEX
County Alms-House. The description of the
institution is 80 horrible that tho conviction that
the people ought to know these facts, is neces-
sary to make us print them, at all. The Netos
says: .-.
As we said of the Kent County institution, &c
we say Of this that in 30 far fosd is concerned
they doubtless have plenty. But when this is
said, our commentator must end. In most
other respects the treatment is heathenish-
damnable. 1t would seem that poverty is here
regarded as a crime and the man or woman
whom misfortune reduces to the necessity Of
making their abode here is virtually treated as
if out Of the pale Of humanity. The clothing Of
these Wretched people is Of the coarsest kind,
meagre in the extreme, and scarcely sufficient to
cover their nakedness, while many of them aRe
filthy beyond description. In the matter Of
lodging these people the management is
SIMPLY INFAMOUS.
All the quarters are miserably contracted, and
the beds upon which they sleep are crowded
along the walls on either side, leaving narrow
space in the centre, where they sit in crowded
groups, and while away the leaden hours Of the
day, breathing over and over again the fetid at
mosphere, laden with the effiuyia from diseased
bodies until each inmate, even the youngest and
healt hiest--some of them
INNOCENT LITTLE CHllADBEN,
assumes cadaverous hue and imbecile express
sion pitiable to witness. Each OF these little
rooms IN which common decency, to say nothing
Of hygiene, would forbid the lodging of four
persons, contains from eight 10 ttoelue beds, and
from a dozen TO tloerity occupants But the worst
remains to be told. Males and females are
LODGED TOGETHER PRoM1scuoUsLY!
This is 80 horrible as scarcely to be believed, and
yet is the sober fact and ii is not an exception
Il hut -,
every departmnt, and has been the custom for
years. That this promiscous lodging should re-
suit in promiscuous intercourse, will readily be
believed but il it is doubted the evidence
be seen in nearly every Departmental the shape
of little children born in infamy, to a
LIFE OF SHAME,
in an Institution under the guardianship Of men
who, of all others, should be the jealous conser-
vators Of the morals of the people But the
paupers, proper, are treated AZ princes, when
compared with the
This department is little, low pitched, sin
gle-story wooden building, situated in one cor
ner of the inclosure. 1t is about 18 or 20 feet
square, and contains ten "cells"-hve on either
side with narrow passage-way between. These
cells are about Axe feet, dark ,dingy, ,unfurnshed
and filthy beyond belief. An uncovered privy
seat in one corner of each cell, is the entire fur
niture !; and on this the miserable occupant is
cOlupelleu 10 BIZ Nnol uo hltb ut All anu iToH
the accumulated filth under these sinks, arises
STENCIL INToLERABLH.
How any human creature can breathe it, for
year after year, and live, is unaccountabls. The
villainous smell fills the building and ladens the
atmosphere for rods around, and it is this that
attracts the swarms of buzzards that hover
around the ground Here the hapless victims of
cruel fate pass the time year in and year out,
scarcely ever being allo we'd to leave their dens,
even for moment, till the blessed hand OF
death unssAls their prison bars, and takes them
from the care of cruel man.