The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-09
Starving to Death in New York
A CHARITY SERMON OF FAcrs-A TERRIBLE
ARGUMENT FOR THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
SOCIETY.

From the Now York Catholic Rsview.I
One of our illusions, shared in, we be-
lieve, by the entire world, has been that
emo one need starve to death in New York"
will be wherever the following terrible pic
ture is set before the eyes of the world.
We find it in the New York correspondence
of the Valley Iader, of Waterbury, Conn.
The noble St. Vincent de Paul Society
calls on us now to aid them to help the
reading this.
New York Corresponds nee of the Valley Index.l
NEW YORK, Oct. z, 1S73.-Yesterday was q
cold, rainy day, and to poor people it must
have been a discouraging one, as it could not
fail to remind them of the near approach of
winter The coming of this season to the poor
is a sad announcement, rs it invariably recalls
to their mind the death by starvation and cold
of dear relative or friend in some previous
period.
In largo city like this, where we have,
cording to newspaper logic, hundreds of phil
anthropists, whe are ever ready and willing to
scatter their fortunes to assist all who are
in distress, it appears strange that women and
children, without fire, food, clothing, or even
from sheer starvation. To exaggerate on the
misery of the poor in New York during the
winter months, would be next to impossible,
as many of the most distressing cases re-
ported at the nearest station-house, and in
turn dispatched to the office of the Chief of
Police in Mulberry street, from which place
the reporters OF the daily papers GeU Lncm.
When a sudden death occurs the coroner is
| always notified to hold an inquest, and except
reporter is present during the examination,
| all the details of the case are unknown to the
public as the death of the man, woman,
child, whichever it happens to be, is simply
inserted in the local column OF the paper, Civ
ing the name of the deceased, residence, etc.
The cause of the death Is sometimes G ven but
in SO brief a manner that there is nothing to
excite the sympathy or charity of the public.
l remember some three years ago visited
with one of the Bellevue Hospital physicians,
DR.. Dougherty, house in Park street, near
Mott, where a woman had died suddenly, and
Coroner Young was notified to hold an inquest.
| AS it was our intention to inquire infinitely
into the details of the death of this woman,
we started for the house at an early honr. AT
ter wading through slush and snow, we at last
| found ourselves in what is known as the Five
Points. The day was so intensely cold and 80
disagreeable that few people were on the street
and as We trudged along we conjectured in cur
| own minds what kind of apartments the de-
No. %, which was a dilapidated tenement
house, with scarcely whole pane of glass in
any of it's windows. The apertures, however,
we're filed with all sorts of rags, hats, etc. but
we're stuffed in SO carelessly that they impeded
the cold from entering but very little. Alter a
fruitless search for bell or knocker, We
opened the front door, and in order to attract
some of the tenants attention, commenced to
stamp in the hallway, which brought to the
rear door the head of n negro woman, who in
quired our business. Having stated our mis-.
| W
the house and knock at the door of the rear
apartments. After a moments consultation as
| to what course we should pursue, the Doctor
| led the way. The stairs were very steep, mar
row and winding, and it required considerable
| ingenuity to prevent ourselves falling back
| ward. The bannieters were in such ricketty
| condition that they afforded no protection, and
were SO dirty that nothing but fear of instant
| death would induce q stranger to touch them.
After desperate struggle we at last reached
the top floor, when we espied two women
| oto Iiro OF fha
two was a woman about thirty years of age,
but her face, which in years past was no doubt
| passable looking. was bloated to twice It's SIZE
| with liquor. The other woman was forty five
| years or thereabouts, and from the red lines
which surrounded her eyes, it was easily seen
that she had been crying. The Doctor making
and two wooden chairs placed near us. In one
| corner of the miserable apartment hung sa-
dred picture, while at the opposite end was
| another representing the tree of life. In the
fire place, which was half filled with snow,
| stood tinsmith's furnace, from the top of
which issued smoke, as if fire had but lately
| been built in it, Around this poor apology for
q stove were huddlcd two little girls, about
| four and six years of age respectively. Their
faces were almost blue with cold, and traces of
starvation were plainly visible in their faces.
| Their bodies were scarcely covered with
clothing, while OH their feet were shoes
long enough for almost any man. Their
eyes were red with weeping, aud sunk far
back into the sockets Our presence attracted
their attention, and they trembled vio-
lently, both of the unfortunate creatures gazed
steadily at u.s. To the right of the fireplace
was q row of shelving, upon which was ranged
few cups and saucers, an old tin coffee-pot
and some crumbs of bread. The floor was ex-
ceedingly dirty, and looked as though it had
never been washed. Back of the children lay
an object partly concealed by an old sheet.
This was the mother. She had died that
morning of
STARVATION.
As the Doctor advanced near the corpse, the
two children arose from their little benches,
and with frightened look upon their faces
watched every movement of the Doctor. The
latter without the slightest hesitation moved
back the covering. The picture presented was
terrible one, and of woman about thirty,
five years. The face was terribly distorted
and almost blue, and it appeared mystery
why the cheek bones had not broken through
| the skin. The eyes were only half closed,
which made the sight even more decreasing.
The clothing of the women consisted of an
old calico wrapper and quilted petticoat,
while her feet were encased in pair of worn
out cloth CATERS, without any sign of a stock
ing Having completed the examination, the
doctor asked the Oldest Of the two children
what was the matter with her mother The
Ii title girl who vet appeared unable to real