The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-09-13
FIFTEEN OR EIGHTEEN MONTHS OLD.

Inc III was notnlng ese-made no pre-
tense 10 be a dress. 1t had no shape, and
was merely and literally a wrapper.
The child seemed to sleep, and though the
sun shone fullinto its lean and dirty little
lace, no instructive contraction of the eve
nus showed that the glare was painful. Its
breathing was loud and stentorous. The re-
porter turned from the woman to her charge
at once. He said
rs that child asleep?'
She replied:
''Sleep-yessa-si signor."
He asked how long it had been sleeping,
and the following conversation followed:
Woman-He sleepa ALA time
NO CAN KEEP AWAKE
dis .wezzer.
Reporter-How old is he?
Woman-Howa old? No sure. | thinka
be tree year old.
Reporter-Is it boy or girl?
Woman with hideous grimace) )-CorpO
dt Christie! Ftgid sure. Eetle daughtare
Reporter-Are you its mother?
Woman (again grinning)-Sure mother
My eetle fgLid (whininglyl.. Nutting eat all
day. Give fivea cent.
Reporter-Hold hard You have got black
eyes and your hair was once black also. This
chlld's hair is rather red, lifting up an eyelid
while the child continued to snore). And,
by Joye, its eyes are blue. Come, don't give
me any of your nonsense.
Woman (whining and backing, as if to re-
treat-I tella truta. Dis mia fgtiola Sure.
Yessa. de madre. Fader gotta
BLUE EYE AND REDDA HAIR.
Reporter-Thats too thin, old woman.
You're confounded sight too old to have
child like this.
Woman (snarlingly)-I tela truta. l no
tella lie. l forty years old iself have tree
child of more, and my mamma have a one
child. He big boy, that work in restaurant
Bleecker street.
Reporter-Excuse my incredulity, fair
dame, but be good enough to tell me who you
are and where you come from.
Woman (snappishly)-i no want to tells
what not your matter. Give me fivea cent.
DIS SUN TOO HOT.
Reporter-Come in the shade and let me
know where you belong. I'll give you a
quarter.
Woman Gerkily)-My name Antonina.
NV mamma lame ALA time. Fella down hatch
way and hurta his back. His big boy verra
bad, do noting ALA time. Dissa my child.
l come from Napoli, Italiana.
The reporter having given the wretched har-
ridan her promised quarter, prevented her
from beating the retreat she intended, and
dragged her, with her miserable burden, into
the shade of a corner. He then took the
child out of her arms and felt its extremities.
The Lands and feet were cold and dry, the
toes and fingers being clinched as if by mus
cular convulsion. The mouth remained open
and the tongue was coated with thick brown
fur. On raising
THE UPPER EYELID,
which usually painful operation failed to
awaken the tiny sleeper, the pupil of the
rif fn ha dread G1ltu
ed-a mere thin black slit. The left eye pre-
sented the same abnormal appearance,
and the abnormal appearance indica-
Gated nothing more or less than opium in the
child's system. Turning angrily to the wo-
man the reporter said:
You have been drugging this child.
Woman-I no understand.
Reporter-You wretched old hag, this child
is stupid from laudanum, and you have been
druggingit long time.
| Woman-I give
EETLE MEDICINE,
nothing but eetle medicine.
Reporter-If you lie to me shall call the
policeman.
At this threat the hag burst into hideous
fit of weeping and besought permission to go.
The reporter having prospective eye on her,
turned on his heel. Before the week is out
this bed.am will be under lock and key.
The facts OF the case were that the she
devil who was numbering this helpless little
creature by inches was no more its mother
than the recorder Of the interview.
She was Italian, the child Irish, and prob
badly some founding or orphan purchased
from heartless guardians.
THE DRUGGING WAS BY OPIUM,
and had evidently been long continued. The
result viii he in very little while violent di-
l l.
arrnoea ana deatn.
Whie pondering olsgusteoiy on tne specta-
cie the reporter was approaehea Dy Weh-
dressed, stout fellow, with white straw nat
erilIlineu WIN o,ue, ne Was .ae e1ppes S q,
or TOUT OF nelgnDorihg sKih-game' Dut Ior
all his profession kind hearted and consider
ate fellow to all but his pigeons. lie SAID to
the reporter:
There are any number OF those devils in
this street. They cruise around about noon
and go into every gin-mi in the neighborhood
Their lay is to look so id frightful that a
fellow gives them nickle to get up and dust.
The Kids don't belong to 'em. Ihey PICK EN-
up and dose them nearly
ENOUGH TO KILL THEM.
Then they drag 'em around. As soon as the
kid croaks they get announcer. tell you II !, !
'n1 %olse - BUSINESS III ene mollu.
aAnis nis suSlo9, .ne ~ i.ei ielialneu ~
WIZ no stoVu' anu si'nousn ~ nay oeeil ~,
Sacu1Te T, anu ue iuss{ uenfeu ecu ny Sone uouDt
ny inoliias, h0 s iess 1llah nvS Moilan, nous 1,
Vi it wnoni e Mere no1eisnerSi eaJn eguiPpeu wiz
70 S y, anu S;a,. ~ ntoI,oau hl uaoy, DIS19n
nls ehSliiy' olch A. nealS ae the liueous
| spectacle ne repulsed the Dsiuames ana maze
up his mind to put In some tail work toward:
hrsnoI Uoit;ng wv '''''
DOWN NEIGHBoRING STREET,
be sawtvo women sitting only two block.
from each other, both of them provided will
drugged babies. One of these women sells
newspapers, and the child, which sleeps al