The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-05-03
STARVED TO DEATH.
A Tale for the Half of the World That
Does Not Know How the Other Half
Lives.

'I want some money, sir; l must have
it," said an old; ragged, eaunt-eyed woman
in a commanding tone to prominent
member of the bar, as he was ascending, a
few evenings since. the steps of his Spruce
street residence. "That is rather strange
manner in which to seek charity" replied
the attorney. 81 don't wan< it for myself.
I want it for that woman" and the speaker
pointed towards wrethed looking female
who stood upon the payment. "Her baby
is dead and she has no means of burying
it," The gentleman procured the woman's
address aud promised to visit her at eight
o'clock that evening. AZ the appointed
hour the lawyer stood in front of narrow
alley leading from Lombard street, above
Sixteenth, and he tells as follows what he
saw: 81 groped my way along the alley,
for it was so dark that l could not see my
hand before me. l 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
the floor and soon heard light footsteps
coming down from some invisible region.
is you the gentleman as vas to come to see
the baby? was uttered in a childish voice
and upon my replying in the affirmative a
| little hand was placed in mine and l was
led slowly up Eickety stairway. The
child knocked upon door that could not
discern in the darkness, and at once disap
peared. The door was opened, and looking
into a little room, lighted by a fickering
lamp, l beheld scene that I shall never
forget. Victor Hugo, in his Les Misera
bles,' tells of terrible looking creatures
who appeared upon the streets of Pari
only in troublous times, and who, whel
quiet prevailed, were never seen. The!
were the people before me. Around fire
which one was feeding with the fragment
of a box she had just broken into pieces
were three of the most repulsive-lookinG
women I had ever beheld-gaunt-eyed
shriveled up, perfect pictures of Macbeth
witches. Upon bed lay an old woman
or rather hag-and beside her sat an lido
boy, staring vacantly around and gnawInl
bone, munching it as would starvin
. dog. The mother of the child bowed t.
me quietly, but no one uttered a word
She approached a little mound placed up
on shutter, which was supported by tw
chairs. She reverently drew back the tin
coverlet and exposed the face of her chill
, starved to death. ! saw it at once; tn
pinched features, the little blue vein
protruding, the skin drawn tightly upo
the bone, told the story. The mother kiss
e ed the little forehead, and looked at m
! piteously 'On what did you feed thi
child? inquired. She told me that sh
had been unable to purchase milk and ha
been obliged to feed it herself. Feed
It herself! and she even then scarce able I
: stand from actual starvation She worke
= on coats and pants for a living-if such
term could be applied to her miserable e1
9 istence. don't often cry, but felt like
o on that night. My first duty was to obtai
1t the entire family food and afterwards hay
"a the baby placed in consecrated ground; f'
poor as she was, this was the mother
: chief source of trouble, and the reason Il
d old woman came to me. She did not wal
her child to go to the Potter's Field"