The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-07-13
Starving In the Streets.

Cfiicer Meehan, of New York city,
charged Elizabeth Worth with abandon
ing her infant son on the steps of the
Roman Catholic orphan asylum. He
charged John Ryan, a school teacher
from Buffalo, with aiding Mrs. Worth
in getting rid Of her child. The officer
said that he arrested Mrs. Worth just ae
she had left the child on the steps of the
asylum, and that Ryan was around the
corner watching for the police. Mrs.
Worth admitted having placed the child
where the officer had stated, for the pur-
pose of having him taken care of by the
Sisters of Charity, but in connection
with this admission she told such har-
rowing tale of destitution and misery
that it won for the woman the sympathy
of the court.
She said she was native of Newark,
N. J., and was the mother of two chill.
dren, besides the infant in. her arms.
She had been employed as wet nurse,
but through i'll health had lost her breast
milk and consequently her situation.
Her other two children were in the care
OF her sister, and, OF course, it would not
be right for her also to become a burden
upon her. Friends provided for her for
several days, but she had not eaten any
thing for two days past, and her weak
and exhausted condition was sufficient
evidence of her truthfulness. In fact
she was barely able to remain on her
feet before the Judge while she told her
pitiful tale. She said she did not want
her infant, who was as dear to her as her
life, to perish in her arms for want OF
food, and she asked the superintendent
of the outdoor poor to send them both
to hospital.
He said that if she wanted TO go to a
hospital she should part with her infant,
who would be sent to Randall's island,
and she had heard such frightful stories
of the cruelty to the children of that
place by their nurses that she refused
their offer. She then applied to the
home of the friendless for aid, but she
refused to leave her child there either,
because they would not promise to re.
turn the little one to her when she might
call for him. She had heard so much
of the kindness of the Sisters of Chari-
ty, being herself Protestant, that she
determined in her extremity to appeal to
them, and for the purpose went to the
Roman Catholic orphan asylum above
mentioned. One of the Sisters told her
that they could not receive the child un-
der the circumstances, but she understood
her to say that if left on the doorstep he
would be taken in and cared for in the
home. She took this as o hint, and
walked from West Third street, where
she slept op Wednesday night, all the
way up town to leave the child at the
door Of the asylum. At Fifty-ninth street
she became exhausted and sat down on
the sidewalk to rest. She then thought
of tho river and how easy it would be
for her to close her troubled life and put
an end to her sufferings under its dark
waters. The prisoner Ryan (who was
on his way to work, and recognizing a
fellow creature in misfortune) kindly Of
fered his services in helping her to reach
the asylum. She had no previous &C.
quaintance with him. The court there
upon discharged Ryan, and Officer
Gemer, of the society for the prevention
of cruelty to children, took the child to
the New York infant asylum. The moth
er was sent to hospital by the court,
and when she is well the child will be
restored to her.-Herald.