Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-02-23
TIE POOR OF A CITY.


have comfortable bed to sleep in and
three square meals day, are not ia-
miliar with the fearful pictures of pow
erty, in every shape and form, which
tho journalist or those whose business
takes them almost everywhere. daily
encounter. 1t would seem startling to
tell the average New Yorker that as
many as seventy persons, of both sexes,
occupy alone double tenement garrct
on Mulberry street. And when one is
told that thirty. two families, averaging
four to each, reside in four-story ten
ement on Bayard street, he is apt to
be surprised. Such however is the fact
In Cherry, Park, Water, Oak, Roose-
welt, Baxter, Vandewater, Mulberry,
Mott, Thompson, Sullivan, Greenwich
Washington and hundreds OF other
streets, the reader, if he chooses TO in
vestigate the matter, will find every
building crowded, while small, damp
cellars overflow with tenants, all OF
them unfit for even u pig. In a garret
on Thompson street a reporter found
a poor woman, with sick child in her
arms, lying upon bed Of rags. Her
husband went out seven months ago
in search of employment aud has not
returned yet. Save the rags, which
are unclean, she has no bed clothing,
and the first thing noticed on entering
were crust Of bread and fragment
Of dried fish, half hidden in the re-
ccsses of an otherwise empty closet.
No other food had been In the house
in four days, Neither in all that time
had fire been lighted there. All
alone with her sick child, cold and hun.
cry, and perhaps praying for death as
relief from tortures almost unendur.
able, she had kept her vigil, dreading
the approach Of day and fearing the
coming OF night. roiele : tl f19il
On Vandewater street, in front
basement, were found o family without
food, without furniture, sleeping on the
floor with such articles Of covering as
their 6cighbors can spare them. Such
arrangements have certain disadvan-
tages. On warm nights their neigh
bors smother them with kindness, and
on cold nights their offerings are very
scanty. The united ages Of theyoungcr
half Of this family give sum total OF
four years. In the back basement q
woman has been sick in her bed for
the past twelve months. With death
from starvation as well as from disease
staring her in theface she cannot move,
and has to be helped in and ont of bed
by passers by, whom she can call to
her aid. 1880 l
As the reporter was passing by an
alley way on Mulberry street, leading
back to number of filthy tencments,
he saw woman, ragpickcr perhaps,
bending over wee mite of shivering
humanity that stood half hidden in
the shadow. A little girl, fou!ly clad,
whose pale face took more ghastly
hue from the quivcring gaslight across
the pavement.
"Chccr up, cushla; sure yer dada
may be alive an doin' well hundred
years from now; Lord save his sowl
Oh, darlint, don't yc cry, sure t'sonly
the long fhstin' he have been goin
through wild, that wnkened him out
right. The Guild docther'll be here
soon, and yen see how bowld and
sthrong he'll be viii his gil of bully
yon, as they calls 1t. Whist, now
here's a pinny; it's livery one have
an | was kcepin it jist to f'righther
the divil out of me pocket
"Is there sickness herc?p inquired
the reporter, Ms he caught the old wo
nuns words.
"Sure there is, sir this childls father
Mr. Murphy, sir, is well nigh gone
Sure, eyed see the cellar they live il
yc'd not wonder it's no moro nor the
brc'th Of yer across, an three or fou,
yards long, an the wet crccps in"
"Havc they no fire ~
as it fire, yer honor? No; nathcl
fire nor food, an they sleep on the bar,
boords for want of bed. Well mint
them comm herc-a nice, dacent re
spectacle family-but the sickness II
come, an when he couldn't work b,
had to lave his rooms an sell their fur
niture an crawl in here to the cellar
It's pity to sec thin here but, morci
the shame, they're not the only wan
in Park sthreet Ali here comes th,
docthur an man wild u basket" and
gathering up the weeping child, the olt
woman led the way through an alley
down few steps into dingy subtcr
rancan abode, heavy with fetid case
and with moisture, and shc pusbct
open a crcaking door, revealing fear
ful picture of poverty. There was nj
fire in the place, and the only ligh
came from tallow candle. Not A. YES
tigo of furniture was anywhere to b
seen, and lying in corner, covered b.
a tattercd quilt, lay the father Of tb
child. The hand Of death was alrcad,
upon him, disease having beaten down
one by one, every barrier that natu
rally vigorous constitution had present
ed TO It's cncroachmcnts. Driven a
last 70 this dark corner Of wretche
underground abode, the wreck an
skeleton Of a man was giving up th
gbost,--Nsc York Paper. gi
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This Is the difference between stal
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