The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-12-25
Freezing a.d starving.
IIhicagn Trihune.I

"Will you give lie 10 cents worth Of can
dies, please, Mr.. FIscher?' And the speaker
laid down a dime With sigh.
The request was granted, and, as Mr..
Fischer, tue grocer, did up" the candles, he
thought to himself, What does Mccormick
want Of 10 cents worth OF candles" He
looked at he face of the buyer, and saw
nothing but care, ard want and woe.
''There must be something wrong" thought
the kind hearted German to himself After
Mccormick had gone out, the grocer, moved
by an unsought motive, followed him with
his eyes and saw him descend the steps that
led down TO The yard in which stands the
''relief shanty" No. "a Wesson street. He
buttoned up his cardigan jacket and went
out into the cod and the snow. Crossing
the street he carefully picked his way adOwn
the ice covered steps, through the dismal
front yard, and entered the door OF the
one story house No. "a Wes-
open, he paused. What was it that stopped
him? A corpse. On the floor where the
colo drafts from the i'll fitting door and The
paneless SASH swept over him lay the body
of a small boy, naked as on the day OF his
birth, cold in death. In front was a rickety,
rusty cboking stoye. No freight glowed
from it's open front; no candle light lit no
the dismal scene. No lamp shed its flicker
ing rays around. There on the dirty floor,
in a room bearing the most heart rendlng
evidence Of want and destitution, lay the
boy. Around the room was nothing of COM
fort-nothiDg of cheer. Dirty rags Struggled
TO keep The chilling blast from the empty
sash. In back room-the only other room
in the house-lay five small children, the
oldest z ri eight. years Of age. Sucking
twins raised tnelr he pless hands TO heaven
in the agony OF neglect and want and the
older ones moaned aloud in their sleep for
nourishment and atebtion. The Oldest
whet zed at every breath with q lung milan
nation that tarea ened her young life.
Upon q pile Of filthy rags lay two others, one
three and the other five years Of age, while
over the dying daughter and the dead son
the father and mother sobbed convulsively
Hunger, povery, dirt and death stared them
in the face, aid the father too proud TO tell
his wants.
The grocer paused. Tears sprang to his
eyes and he reuested. 1t was not may
minutes ere the ssovu sent forth q cheerful
glare, lamps burr ed brightly, food was
placed before the starving people, and the
body of the dead boy was laid out in respect
fui dress. A subscription had been taken,
and the kind hesriei ne,gnbors had noby
saved a family from starvation and freez-
ing.
A Tribune reporter was dispatched to the
scene WHAT he saw may be gathered from
the above. The house the most wretched he
had ever seen, the corpse of a handsome little
boy laid upon door supported by two saw
hCrses-a substitute for q table; bare floors
covered with dirt; glassless windows q
broke hearted mother and a dispirited
father. KIND nsighb0rs came ana went
bearing dOnsi ioT s of food, fuel and clothing
The mo her, with eyes dimmed and sad
dened with sorrow, nursed her youngest and
tried in vain TO comfort her eldest. The
father came and went in despair, as each
attempt to SECURE employment proved
fruitless. To the reporter be told bis story.
His name was Oliver +. Mccormick, and
he had been a cook at the st. Charles
restaurant till that closed, and then at the
Peerless till the sickness of his children
and wife necessitsted his presence at home,
and for days aud nights he had watched,
and waited, aud hungered- The county
agents visitors had come, but neighboune
grocer to whom he owed 81 bad reported
that he was a drunkard, and the visitors de
MED his worn out wife and his dying child
ran any assistance. He was not drunkard,
and had tried earn ,stly to secure employ.
ment To neg he was ashamed; steal be
would not With watching and nursing he
was worn out Every cent had gone FOL
medicine. Eating was not to be thought Of
He had worked for Sc per week, but what
was that among so many?
The child will be buried to-day at III
O'Clock There are yet five children living
one of them near the verge OF eternity. The
wife and mother Is sick. The father 10 with
out work. The house Is forlorn and dirty
The charity OF the impoverished nei2hbor
hood Is limitsd. Can not the Christian com
munity Of Chicago spare enough time from