The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1874-02-19
One of Life's Dark Pictures.
Lrom the Louisville Commercial.


Almost every day for more than week
we have published the account of one or
more robberies. While none Of them
have been of much moment, or netted the
thieves large booty, they indicate de-
plorable state of affairs There are doubt
less more idle people in the city now than
there ever have been. Many of them are
in destitute circumstances, have families
to support, but are without the money to
buy the actual necessaries of life.
Every night the station houses are
crowded with strangers, who wander
through the streets during the day in
search of work, but how they live is a
mystery. The robberies committed du-
ring the past week all bear evidence that
they were not the work of experts. In
every case the object has been money, or
articles that could be easily converted
into money. No we'll planned robbery
has taken place, and the increase of
crime may be attributed more to idleness
than to any other cause.
Several days ago young girl, who,
judging from her appearance was not over
sixteen or seventeen years old, called at
% house on West Chestnut street, and
asked for employment The lady of the
house who went to the door, replied that
she did not want any help. The girl
pleaded hard for work, telling sad story,
and created warm sympathy on the part
of the lady, who told her to come back
the. next day, and if place could not be
found for her, something would be done
to assist her. As she was leaving, the
girl turned and asked for money to buy
bread, and as the lady was opening her
pocket book snatched it. out of her hand
and attempted to run away, but was caught
and brought back. She laid the pocket
book in the lady's hand, and looking up
with tears in her big, bright eyes-for
they were bright-cried in piteous tones,
"Oh, please don't do anything with me;
[ couldn't help it; | am starving" There
was something in the girls manner, and
an earnestness in her voice which seem.
ed to say that she was speaking the truth.
The lady quieted her apprehension by tell
ing her that she need have no fears Of
punishment The girl talked for some
time. 1t Was not much of story she
had to tell, but the picture she drew was
dark and gloomy. She said that her
father had died some years ago, and that
since then her mother had found it very
hard to get along. Both her and her
mother had worked out, and her brother,
a boy about fourteen years old, had work
ed in factory, but when the panic came,
the shop shut up, and shortly after, the
mother and daughter lost their situations.
She had striven for months to obtain
work, but was unable to do so. She re-
ceived the same answer wherever she ap-
piled. No one had any work for her -
She said that before She went to the house
that morning she had gone to more than
dozen houses, but was turned away with
the same answer; some had no employment
for her, and others did not believe her
story. Frequent disappointments and re-
Dukes had made her desperate and she
had determined to set money some way,
if not ty her own labor, to steal it rather
than starve. The lady listened to her
story, then gave the girl the money, told
her to call the next day, and secured tor
her good situation, having ascertained
that her story was true.
This is only one case. How many 9TH
ers are there in this large city whose lives
are told in the sad story? Here we have
a young nature earnestly struggling with
poverty against crime, at every turn met
with opposition, and its brightest hopes
crushed, until at length, sunk almost into
despair, savage determination takes pos
session of it to wrcst from the world, by
fair means or foul, that little for which it
yearns, and the world too often denies.