Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-31
THE MOTHER OF THE TOAIBS

THE MOTHER OF THE TOMBS
Straps of the Story Of Old Mary Valentine,
Who Died in the Prison.
From the New York World (Aug. 49,
Mary Valentine (Which, by the way, is
not her real name the octogenarian whose
approaching death in the Tombs prison
was reported yesterday, died yesterday
morning at daybreak. She will be bur
| led to-day, in plot Of ground at Green
wood cemetery, which had been saved by
| a distant relative, who is now very poor,
from the wreck of former fortunes. Her
relatives, however, are too poor to pay
for the burial, and ex Commissioner of
Charities, Isaac Bell, has assumed the ex-
penses Of the funeral. AS was said yes
terday, Miss Valentine was one of the
first inmates of the Tombs. Mr.. Bell, as
guardian of the aims house, under the old
regime, and as commissioner afterwards,
was nearly twenty years in Office. He
took great deal Of interest during her
lifetime in the eccentrlcities of the
old woman's habits and the story of her
life.
"Have you ever read Little Dorrit?"
asked little old man whose face is ia
miliar in the corridors Of the tonlbs,
''rhen, OF course you remember the father
of the Marshalseasprison. In like man
ner Mary may be said to have been the
mother OF the City prison, or at least Of
the two main branches IF it; and in many
respects Dickens description of the ia
Their Of the Marshalsea and of the consid-
Grafton that was paid to him by the other
and younger prisoners would apply to this
mother OF the Tombs. Mary was the
daughter Of New Jersey farmer. I have
heard my father say that she was one OF
the most beautiful of woman in her youth.
If you look at her as she lies in her coffin,
there you will see Meg Merrilies, because
the only beauty she had preserved-her
eyes-are closed. She was noted for her
pretty feet and pretty hands. A temper
ance lecturer or a member of the female
Guardian society could get an excellent
moral out of Mary's life. She went
to the bad under the inspira-
ton OF a Wall street man, who was after
| wards killed IN duel. Icould give you
names and dates Of all, but it would be
no matter. Much of it is told in Mack
enyie's pretended life Of Jessie Hoyt.
The broker was very good to her so long
as he lived. Then she was befriended by
one Of the most popular hotel-keepers Of
fifty years ago. Mary, who had lived
twenty-five years in the tombs and con-
sorted with all the dregs of humanity
without being herself entirely among
them, once rode IN her coach on the old
Bloomingdale road, suppcd at Cato's
and gratiied her vanity behind her fan
at the old Park theatre. She contracted
a taste for strong drink and it was an
easy slip for her down the pyramid bad y
You do not remember Bridewell, nor do /,
but have heard my father tell about it
as it stood in the City Hall park, midway
between the City Hall and Devln's cloth
ing store. Mary was one of it's tenants
often enough. Finally her thirst for drink
and especially for nice wines was un-
quenchablc. On one occasion when she
came to the Tombs soon after it was
built, she surprised Miss Foster, the ma
tron, by asking permission to remain,
and for a quarter Of a century she has
been voluntary prisoner. Like the ia
Their of the Marshalsea prison, she became
one ct the objects OF interest to all visit
ors, and in her way she rather liked her
consequence as Queen of the Tier Wo-
men, She never left the prison except
twice year. Then she would first 90
and see her relatives and next have Jolly
spree and return to recuperate. During
the time she has been in the Tombs, she
has probably supervised the clothing,
cleanliness and cells Of three or four
thousand women. There is wretched
French proverb that women are not kind
to each other in times of distress,
especially that kind of distress
which comes from habits which ladies
abhor~ The proverb was untrue in her
case. Charged to maintain under Miss
Foster discipline in the tier on which she
was engaged, she always had kind
word, smile or bit of CHEEKY advice
for the poor women who went either to
the sessions to be acquitted or who left
for State prison after conviction. She
was especially delighted when any Of the
temporary charges was acquitted. Mary
never grew to be a cynic. Perhaps in her
way she has done thousand times more
good than has been done by some of those
in their lifetime whose t1aring monu-
ments will look down upon the humble
grave that is now being prepared tor
her."
st is evident that you are no cynic,
old gentleman" said the reporter.
"That depends. Certainly not for
such poor waits of humanity as Mary Val
| entine was':