The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-06
An ILL-sPENT LIFE.
meath of MRS. KelIy-A story With q
Moral,


Battle her bones over the stones,
She's poor pauper whom nobody KNOWS"
Last evening Officer Gillespie called at the
Central Station and reported that an old woman
was dying at the house No. IS Perdido street
and wished to see the sergeant of police. The
sergeant and this reporter Immediately re-
haired to what was called house. but which
proved to be an old dilapidated shanty situated
on Perdido street. near Rampant.
After passing through dark. narrow alley
way. which led into equally as dismal-looking q
yard, we came to door which opened into q
room Ave feet wide by seven long.
On the floor an old woman, from appearances
seventy years of age. lay dead. Her face,
wrinkled from age and dissipation. was con-
siderably distorted. and appeared more horrible
by the death .pallor Of the skin when In con-
trast with the hectic crimson splotches on each
cheek. ,as. hua,a4 .,...
Ing that IN lie sne Laa pacna T. anets u Valn
attempt to check pain IN tnae portioh OF ner
There was no furniture In the room nothing
and a few garments scattered about the floor
remained to show that the place had ever been
occupied by human being; Around the CORPSE
melancholy e over the fact that the outcast had
died before the arrival Of the priest. -
What is her nameY" INQUIRED the ne reporter.
why. that's old Mrs. Marie LannfRan; now
she goes by the name Of Mrs: Barney Kelly"
Continuing. he said. She 10 an old staRer. /
knew her when she was just blooming into
womanhood. but she went down. Just like many
more Of them that have seen. 1t was whisky
whisky ruined her. and yor can Just rely on II
that il will bring down the best Of them. She's
been drinking for the last forty years. don't
suppose there Is another woman, out OF all the
hard cases we have to deal with. that has cost
the city as much as she has. don't suppose
there Is brick In the Parish Prison that she
did not know. or quotation on its walls"
Here the sergeant was interrupted by one OF
the old women who stood at the head OF the
corpse: "Ah, sergeant. but she has not touched
drop for the last nine months, and she was
getting to be q regular lady,"
Maybe not" responded the officer; put she
was terrible drinker before that, and night
after night haYe | seen her brought into, the
station 80 drunk that she could not stand up;
Frequently In the colder part Of the winter. l
| and when she reached the station she was go
| benumbed with cold that we have been forced
| to make half dozen of the dodgers rub her for
hours to rescuscitate the little life that remained
| In her. In her young days she would frequent
| ly take pledges. but the moment they would ex.
| pire she would start to drinking again, and
keep 1t up for a week at a time.
| she wasgfven good advice, but she would
never heed ii. and 1t can be said with all candol
| that she has been a veg and drnnkard fol
the last forty years. Death has at last claimed
| her and to-day she will be taken to her las
/ resting pace-PoJter's Field. She Is the las
| Of her line, and consequently leaves neither
kith nor kin to mourn her DEATH"