The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-05-24
STARVED TO DEATH.
Tale for the Half eff the World That Does
Not Know How the Other Half lives.

Not Know How the Other Half lives.
Il want some money, sir; must
have it," saida II old, ragged, gaunt-
eyed woman in a commanding tone to
prominent member Of the lar. as he
was ascending. few evenings. since,
the steps Of his Spruce street resi-
dence. That is rather Il strange
manner iii which to ask charity, re-
piled che attorney. Il don want 1t
for myself.i want it for that woman. .
and the speaker pointed towards a
notwithstanding female who stood on
pavement Her baby is dead and
she has no means of bufrylng 1T.
The gentleman procured the woman S
address and promised to meet her at
= {, clock that evening. At the APP
pointed time the lawyer stood III front
Of narrow alley leading from LON
bard street, above sixteenth, and he
tells rs follows what he saw: Il
CROPPED my way along the alley, for 1t
was 50 dark that | could not see my
hand before me. | found a door at
the rear end Of the passage and opened
it, but the darkness was even more
Intense than outside. | felt around.
but could discover no stairway.
stamped vigorously upon the floor and
soon heard some hight footsteps, com
ing down from some invisible region
Is you the gentleman as was to come
10 see The baby?' was uttered i'll .
childish voice. and upon my replying
in the Affirmative a little hand was
placed IN mine and | was led slowly
up Il rickety stairway. The chic
Knocked upon a door that | could moi
discern III the darkness, and ut once
disappeared. The door was opened
and looked into little room, lighted
by d flickering lamp, / beheld scene
that | shall never forget. Victor
Hugo, in his 'Les-miserables. tells o
terrible-iooking creatures who appear
ed upon the streets of Paris only il
troubIous times, and who, when Quie
prevailed, was never seen. The,
were the people before me. AromC
fire. which one was feeding with TIL
fragments of u box she had jus
broken into pieces, were three Of tn
most repulsive-looking women I ha,
ever bcheld-gaunt-eyed. shriyale'
APP perfect pictures of Macbeth
witches Upon a bed lay All Oh
Woman-or rather hag-and besid
her sat an IDIOT boy, staring Vacantl
around ana knaWing Il bone .munchin
II as would q starving dog. TIL
mother Of the child bowed to III
quietly, but no one uttered Il WORD
She approached little mound place
upon shutter, which was supporte
by two chairs. She reyerently dreN
back the tinty cOVerlet and expose
the face Of her child starved t
death, | saw it at once; the pinche
features. the little blue veins pro
truding, the skin drawn tightly upo
the bone, told the story. The mothe
kissed the little forehead, and locke
ut me pltcouSly. ON what did 70
feed this childT | inquired. She tol
lne She had been unable to purchas
milk md had been obliged to feed
herself. Feed it herself and sh
even then scarce able 10 stand frol
actual starvation She worked o
coats and pants for a living-if such
term could be applied 70 her miser;
bic existence. ! don't often cry, bl
! felt like it on that night. My fir
duty was to obtain the entire tamil
food and afterwards have the bal
placed on consecrated ground: Tor poo
rs she was, thiS was the mother
chief source of trouble, and the re
son the old woman came 10 me. 81
did not want her child sto go to til
P0tter's Field.