The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-02-05
Starvation Amidst Wealth.
People Starving to Death In the City OF
New York.

People Starving to Death In the City of
New York.
A New York daily, the Sun, notices
the death of several persons in that city
from actual starvation. OF one case It
says
Information was received that q man
was starving to death at IL Thompson
street. The place is tenement inhab-
tied by the very poorest class, and the
indifference with which the inmates
answered questions as to the where
abouts of the dying man amply evil
denced their familiarity with destitu-
ton.
The mans name was Michael O'Con-
nell, and he lived with his family in
room in the rear on the second floor.
Ascending as directed, the reporter
knocked at the door and was admitted
by woman so careworn and emaciated
that it was difficult indeed to believe
that there was any one in the room in
more dire extremity than herself. A
bed stood opposite the door and on it
lay the form of man so pale and still
that for a moment the reporter feared
he had arrived too late and the object
of his search was dead. It was the form
Of what had once been large and pow
erful man, but nothing of the old vigor
was left; the face was more like that of
skeleton than of living man, and the
ragged but scrupulously clean pillow
on which the head lay was scarcely
whittier than the skin, which was drawn
so tight that it hardly concealed the
bones. 1t seemed incredible that man
could endure SO much and still live,
but while the reporter looked at him in
astonishment a low hacking cough
showed that feeble spark of life still
remained. A moment afterward the
eyes slowly opened, and without ex-
pressing any surprise at the sight of q
stranger in the room-the man was too
far gone for that--as YEARLY closed
again.
The other occupants of the room, be-
sides the woman already mentioned,
were mere boy and girl the boy,
mere child, bore ghastly resemblance
to the figure on the bed the features
were terribly pale and emaciated, and
the end seemed almost as close at hand.
The girl was very small, and did not
seem to be more than thirteen years of
age, but her life had been too full of
hardships to be favorable to speedy
growth, for she was nearly eighteen.
The mother said she had another boy
who was not then in the house. She
spoke of her misfortunes with marked
reluctance, and it was only on the re-
porter's representing that if her neces-
sity was known there were warm hearts
and open hands in New York able and
willing to assist her that she was in
duced to tell her story.
Her husband was painter, earning
a tolerably comfortable income until
about five months ago, when scaftold
on which he was working at building
belonging to q Mr.. Strong, at Broad
way and Spring street, gave way, and
he was injured severely. He was en-
abled, however, to reach home, where
he remained for some time, but at
length he was compelled to go to the
hospital on Randalls Island, where
partial cure was effected. He said the
place was insuf1iciently heated, and he
suffered so intensely from the cold that
he was forced to quit it, his system i'm
pregnated with the germs of consump-
tion. He was, of course, unable to
work, even if he could have obtained
employment, and the duty of support
ing the family devolved upon the young
girl, Mary O'Connell, who had learned
the trade of card-cutting. She worked
faithfully and well, earning six dollars
a week, until the panic brought penury
and wretchedness to thousands of
homes beside her own. 1t was then the
real sufferings of the unfortunate family
began. Work as she would, she could
not earn more than three dollars a
week with which to support five per-
sons, one of whom depended upon gen.
erous diet for his very existence. The
father sank rapidly, and it soon became
a question whether consumption or in
anition would end his sufferings.
Two weeks ago the climax arrived.
The girl could obtain no more work,
and there seemed to be nothing left but
to await the end as patiently as they
might. No aid could be expected from
the other inmates of the house, who
were themselves hardly able to obtain
the bare necessaries of life. They had
little coal, and this they eked out
with such care that low fire was burn
ing in the room, and will probably con-
tinue to warm it until one of the group
at least should have no further need fol
warmth. The reporter asked the poor
woman what she would do when hel
coal was all gone. She looked tearfully
at the pale little boy, and replied sim
ply, "God help u.s." A physician from
the Centre Street Dispensary has called
upon the starving family, examined the
dying man, and prescribed nourish-
ment," but even were the nourishment
at hand it is more than probable that
it would now be too late.
How the man has lived through the
past fortnight on the scanty saving:
which the faithful wife had managed tt
lay by when her daughter was in re
ceipt of three dollars week is prob
lem difficult of solution. Several times
as his wife repeated her sad story, sh'
referred to him for information, bu
though seeming to understand her, h,
was far too near exhaustion to reply
Prompt aid may save the lives of hi
starving wife and children.