Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-03-25
SAD SCENES OF IRISH MISERY.


Wretchedness ofthe Dweliings-Harroyv-
ing Details OF the DestItutton of the
People-How Relief is Distributed.
| The New York Tr5bune's special cor
respondent in Ireland spent Sunday at
| Westport, county Mayo, investigating
the results of the famine in that region.
| At the hamlet of Thornhill he attended
church. After the services were over,
he writes, the Sunday-school met and
brace of babies were christened. Mean
while walked down the road with one
of the men to see an Irish cabin.
| pointed out low cottage and asked
him to take me into it. 1t was filthy
hoveEthe foulest and dreariest human
habitation / had ever seen. A las only
five days have passed since ! saw it and
already remember it as tolerable de-
cent cabin! There was no floor save the
cold earth; calf had its share of the
room; it was stable, kitchen, q nur-
sery and sitting-room all in one. As
in most of these Irish novels there is
large niche in the wall near the fire, just
large enough to hold q rude bed. There.
covered with horrible rags, lay an aged
woman. CHASTITY, yellow and gasping.
There she had lain for month OF two,
dying of slow decline" No American
family would have suffered such rags as
covered this dying woman to stay even
in their ash-barrels for single day.
The mother sat near theopen fireplace
| a young woman with a strong and
eomely face and the head of Roman
matron. Her infant, in its homemade
wooden cradle, was beside her. There
was a little dark room back-the room
where the children slept. Six children
| lived here-a family of nine persons.
The mother and children were in rags
but the woman wore her rags with
dignity.
had no wish to see any other cabins,
so went back to the church. Most of
the men had gone home, but there was
a crowd of about fifty women and
score Of old men around the vestry- door.
1t was raining; but no one stirred. The
tickets for Indian meal had to be dis
tributed rs soon as the priest was at
leisure; and for this meager help from
the charity of the world these poor
mothers waited with a patient anxiety
There were few young women, and fewer
girls among them. They were mostly
| women of from thirty to sixty years of
age. At least third of them were
barefooted. Not one--of them had
|
their heads with the hoods of their old
cloaks, Oh with little faded wooden
shawls. Not a merry-eyed woman
among them all! Deep wrinkles and
sad faces everywhere not the fine
noble lines that the old artist Thought
had chiseled; but the sharp cutters
made by torrent of calamity, the dark
shadows cast by mean care and grovel-
ing want. They were the sign manuals
and signets-hunger and despair.
The priest came out, and, one by one,
read the names on the little handful of
orders for two stones, or twenty-eight
pounds, of Indian meal. This was all
the allowance that the funds of the local
committee permitted to be given to fami-
lies of from five to nine persons per
week. One by one wretched women
from the crowd came up and took tile
order that bore her name, and courte-
sled and thanked the donors and God.
They were soon distributed. A babel
of appeals! "Sure have five children
and not mouthful for themip This
was one OF the cries; and it was the
truth. Again and again the priest told
them that he could do no more.
But, he add d, have one blank
order. Tt must be given to the very
is the poorestp"
Only one man named himself, but he
was thrown back by dozen indignant
voices Not another one of the eager
voices that spoke named her own wants.
It was n noble tribute to these poor
Irish starvelinqs-every one seemed
anxious to point out some ore more
wretched than herself. And when one
man and his needs were stated" Sure,
he is the worst off, shouted chorus Of
women. Whatever centuries of mis-
rule and hunger may have made these
people, it has not quenched the holiest
light that illuminates the SOUL
We drove back to Murrisk, that we
had passed on our way to Thornhill
1t is cluster of novels built higgeldy-
piggeldy along the shore and up the
SIDES of the little hill near one of the
arms of the bay. There is rough bar
rier of stone across the water, which
was built to keep the tide from overflow
ing the sweet water of the little pond
that empties into the bay. Without it
the people could not drink the water,
and there are no springs or wells near
by. 1t was badly constructed, and has
been partly demolished by the high
winds and the tides. 1t is dangerous
crossing when the wind is high. 1t re-
quired the utmost care for us to keep
our feet in walking over it.
A woman lay dying in one of these
novels. Father Lynskey entered to ad
minister the last sacrament. As / am
not Catholic, the priest advised me to
visit the other cabins while he sought
the dying woman. | went into one of
them. shall have to grow half yard
or so before can truthfully be called
tall man, and yet had to lend nearly
double before l could get through the
door. There was no fireplace. There
was only hole in the roof at one end
of the room, out of which the smoke
made its way at its leisure. A little
peat fire was burning on the hearth,
or rather beneath the hole in the roof.
There was no ceiling, of course, for none
of these cabins have ceiling. There
was no floor but the ground-few Of
them have even few flat stones here or
there. There was no window. Tie
rafters and the furze sticks on which
the thatch rests, and the walls, and
everything in the wretched room, were
begrimmed with smoke. There was no
dresser for the plates and cups. There
were no chairs There was only one
mean rickety little homemade table.
There were only two low rude stools