Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-04-23
STARVED TO DEATH.


About month ago man named kaufman,
and his wife and two children came TO this
State. They bad formerly resided In New York
where Mr.. kaufman was lin business. In an
vilhour be fell IN the way ola Wall street
shark, who had lot Of Little Rock and Fort
Smith railroad bonds to diapose of. DESTROYS Of
leaving New 7 ork to try his fortune somewhere
in the great Southwest, MIR. Kaufman too rea-
Oily listened to the oily CANON of the broker,
and, almast before he was aware Of it, had ex-
changed his greenbacks for the worse than
worthless trash, yeleptbonds. He and his fami-
Iva wife and two children arrived In this
city, after prospecting tour through Kansas
and Missouri, about two months since. And
here his eyes were first opened TO the enormity
of the swindle perpertsted upon him; confident
Of the negotiable character Of his $50 900 In
bonds, he thought TO dispose of sufficient to
meet q need Of q little ready money, and the
poor fellows despair may be imagined when he
received the Information that bushel- basks st.
fhl of the trash would not buy a breakfast In
this or any other market. Sad at heart but not
entirely bereft of hope, he made a desperate
effort 10 retrieve his losses aud place his little
family beyond the reach of the wolf already
glaring at them with his greedy eyes. He went
from this city TO Lewisburg, near which village
he secured a small tract of land, built tenn
porary cabin, and made preparations for putting
in crop. He had, meanwhile, procured lum-
Der wherewith to build comfortable dwelling
But 1t was not TO be; climatic fever laid Its hand
upon the poor fellow, and he was soon upon
his humble couch raving in dellrum. When
taken III his scanty supply of provisions had
been consumed, money he had none, and he
was stranger in strange land. His forlorn
and wretched wife, almost crazed with her bur
den of multiplied sorrows, was soon to bring
into the world an heir ~ the misery around
them, but love for the mau who lay moaning
In the howell overcame her physical weakness,
and she went to neghbor to ask that q mess
| enger be sent fora doctor. The hesrtless
| scoundrel refused 10 give the assistance askeu,
| and the heart-broken woman took her weary
way to the railroad track, hoping to halt pas
sling train and obtain some aid in her dire ne.
cessity. There beside the rails she stood In
| drenching rain tour hours-ierIlble TO her who
was striving TO snatch from the brink of the
grave the lives of her loved ones. Exhausted
nature at last demanded relief, and without .
ray OF hope, she sought the mockery of home.
| Tie exposure aud her condition were too much
| for hel feeble frame, and she, too, succuInbed
| 70 the fever, hope fed and In stupor OF des-
par, she laid herself down to die, praying only
that the end would come quickly. The father
died tirst-starvcd; then a little boy slosed his
eyes, aud was in land where starvation Is uu-
| known. Mr. Chapman, a gentleman living
| about mile from kaufmaIi's hut, heard SUI
dry rumois of the sad condition ofthe family,
and repaired to their relief, fortunately in time
| TO save from the death of hunger, at least, the
mother whom he found in the agones of child
| birth. There was not an ounce Of food in the
house, nor a soul at hand to render assistance
| 10 the suffering woman and her little daugh ter.
Mr.. Chapman hurried TO Lewisburg, and sent
| doctor to the house, pledging to pay the fees
himself. He also, on the statement Of the wo-
man, reported 10 the Masonic fraternity Of
| I.ewisburg that the dead man was a member
OF that ordersur posing that the ties OF brother
hood as well as humanity would induce them
10 give prompt assistance. They, like the rest
| OF the citizens OF Lewisburg-and to the eternal
| shame OF all OF them be it sad--turued deaf
ear to his appeals and his pitful story. He
| could not get a dollar, and so paid foi shruuds,
and secured plain collins for the dead father aud
son himself. One merchant there did man est
| extraordinarily comparison with his neigh
bors-libeiaty in selling the shrouds al cost
| Mr.. Chapman also procured some food and
noutlshment,anda again vent back to the cabin.
The action Of the Masons in l.ew,sburg ia-
| duced him specially to inquire if her husband
mad been Mason, and, as proof of the fact
she gave Mr.. Chapman the key of trunk
which, on being opened, was found to contain
very handsome sci of Masonic regalia, evil
uentiy appropriate for member high in the
degrees Of the order. In the same trunk also
were discovered $4,000 In bonds Of the For
smith road. When these facts became known
to the fratsrnity in Lswisburg a ssdden dis
position 10 render assistance possessed them
MIR. Chapman, however, deemed it wise aud
more profitable to appeal TO the brethren else
where, aud 50 he came to Little Rock and pre-
sented the case. The fraternity here, withou
delay, raised 500 OF so, aud now, thanks t,
Their generous hearts, the mother and her tw,
children have every necessary comfort. Their
is little hope that the mother will survive, a
she is suffering from pneumonia. and the it'll
Gtrt 10 so reduced flUm want OF food that oul,
the most careful nursing can restore her /
health. The baby, which is now ten or eleve
uays "ii' Is, we Understand, not expected t
live many days more. Republicm,