The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-27
sTdRVATION IN PIMA
A Father In the Penitentiary mud Mother
with Neither Food nor Fire.


In back alley, in the rear Of Ogden street,
IL an old brick tenement house, which. prior 20
Christmas day. was inhabited 10y a house car
This family consisted Of wife and six chill.
dren-four boys and two girls. The oldest girl
months The b boys are i and 10 yea axo oi
Toner has been out OF work for nearly half a
year. All they got to eat and keep them wnrm
came from the scanty earnings Of the woman.
who did Washing Tor private families; To say
that tho Toner family were poor would not ex;
press their condition. The two eldest boys and
the eleven year-old girl went out TO sell papers
when they could get any money TO start with.
but withn not enough money came into the
house 10 provide them with anything but dry
bread and sometimes they couldn't get that.
d. On tho day before Christmas. at 3 o'clock.
Toner came into his house and found his wife
and six ragged children seated around the
stove. I'm which burned a wretched fire.
Mary. said Toner TO his wife. what have
There isn't much Lew" answered the wife:
there's Il piece OF hard bread in the cup
Tho husband turned to the door and said;
Well. Mary must be pretty hungry before
take thnt from yourself and the children"
Toner then went out. Shortly after o'clock
that afternoon n clerk in Montgomery grocery,
a Poplar and Terry streets. not far from
Toner'S house. saw a turkey. which was hang
ing up before the door. move suspiciOusy. The
next moment he saw hand draw II toward the
sidewalk while ut the same instant another
hand with an open knife cut he string and took
theturkey. The clerk dashed through the door
and up the street, The cplprii seeing himself
pursued. dropped tho turkey Jumped the fence
into nm open lot and ran harder than ever 10
escape. Policeman Black caught him; Il was
did not care to bother with the man.
~ Let him co. he said to the police, officer.
a, me police 3lfcer. being Obliged to perform
before Magistrate Severn. The magistrate
committed Toner TO Moyamensing prison for
three months. His wife and children knew not
what had become Of him till. on Christmas
Day, a letter reached the wife from her husband
The family were SIG behind in their rent A
constable had been the house. and. after look
ing over their furniture. said there was not
yAcato the house. Mrs. Toner begged him TO
let her remain little longer. as her avn- months
old child WAS sickly. and she could not move II.
The constable consented. Last week he re:
turned. II was very cold. and the woman begged
him not to, put her and her children out in such
weather. He said he would give her four days
TO get out Of the house. Tho four days expired
on Saturday. The constable arrived again.
The youngest child had grown worse. The
woman was without help. medical or otherwise.
Fearing that the child might be worse for
another day. The constable. who had already
levied on the goods. granted her request. hut
declared that he must sell the furniture. The
the child grow worse. and tho woman. without
money, food, or coal. sat with II in her room
and kent 1t ~ warm rs she could with old cloth
ing. On sunday night the child iretted and
cried in way that alarmed the mother. After
long time she got IL 70 sleep. On the morning
she reached for her child, and her hand rested
the night.
Yesterday. In the small dark. comfortless
kitchen Of tho house. the woman sat ut her
stove, weeping, with her Ave ragged children
around her. The body OF her dead child lay
up stairs, The constable. hearing OF her dis
Meantime. on Sunday Mr.. Johnston. on his way
homo from church. was asked by a ragged
child In tho street for penny. He said his
mother was starving. Mr.. Johnston said he
would 90 home with him. and the boy. who was
one Of the Toner children. lod the way. There
dren without either food or Are He provided
soup tick cts and sent some food from his house.
On Monday morning he called to see how they
We're getting along and found the child dead
He says that the childs death Is a clear case Of
starvation.