Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-11
A FEMALE. MlSER.
An Old Lady Literally Starving
HRrsslf to Death.
A HOrrid Picture Of SqualIor and Desttu-
tion-Ihe Scene in Brooklyn
Tenement House.

MAI anu Auuty chuulS, tiSulJ-
six years old, and reported TO be
wealthy miser, was discovered yester-
day morning on the verge of starvation
in her attic room, in the rear of No. l66
North Fourth street, Brooklyn. She
had locked herself in the apartment
about six days ago, and the other ten
ants, thinking that she was dead, yes
terday burst open the door. They
found her reduced to skeleton, lying
stark naked on the floor, and barely able
to moan. y policeman was sent
to the house. He raised up
the woman, who was literally
overrun with vermin, and placed her
in bed. Then he left her in charge Of
the other tenants, saying he would no.
tify the Charity Commissioners and
call again. Up to s O'Clock p. NJ, how
ever, neither he nor any of the Charity
Commissioners had appeared.
The front building at No. lG6 North
Fourth street is occupied by livery
stable. The rear is known as "Bulls
alley" and is probably the most misera-
BILE and
Poverty Stricken Spot
in all Brooklyn. A swinging door adj
mits one to the alley, a narrow, dirt be-
grimed passage, paved with cobblestones.
The alley leads into yard, and facing
the latter are two whitewashed frame
shanties. Mary Marsh lives in one of
them. When TIE reporter opened the
door of Mary Marsh's room, a sickening,
SIMPLIFYING OdOr issued from it that for
moment made him stagger. The room
is about eight by ten feet in extent, and
opens into another, smaller in size. EG-
cept the bed and stove there was not an
article of furniture in either room
They were crammed with the most
Heterogeneous mass of articles ever seen
outside Of junk shop.
There We're old and broken pots and
pans, dozen empty tomato cans, soap
boxes, empty bottles, pieces ofiron pipe
and bundles of rags of all sorts. All
these articles were strewn ABOUT both
rooms in confusion, and on them the
dirt rested an inch thick.
The Bedstead
is of painted pine wood, and worn with
age. On it were mass OF filthy rags,
which supplied the place with bedding.
4 snow white object stood out from its
dark cOlOred surroundings. First it
was mOtienless, and 1t was only when
il moved, and mea rs issued from it,
that the reporter realized that it was a
human face and head. Imagine the
skull OF an aged person with a trans
parent skin, without the least sign OF
flesh, drawn tightly across it, with
every bone of the skull protruding, and
the eyes staring wildly from out the
depths of their sockets.
Picture this animated skull with
head ofhair as white as snow, and one
will in some measure be able to realize
the face and features of Mary Marsh.
As she became aware there were visi-
torsin the room she raised the torn and
tattered cover with her right arm and
hand, VIII ich We're as thin almost as
those of q babe, and revealed the upper
y mart of her body, which was entirely
nude, and which was that of a verlta-
BILE skeleton She was in full possess
! sion of her senses, though able only 10
futter disconnected words.
a In answer to the question how she
lirame to be i'm that fix, one of the wo-
tlnen pre- ent said that it was the belief
# every one in the house that AUNT
Mary" had
% Deliberately Starved Herself,
because she was too misery to satisfy
the cravings ofhunger. She had lived
for wears in the vicinity, and was well
known character. The boys when
plaguing her in the street, called her
hAupty Peanuts" 1t was not known
whether she was married or had any
children. They had heard that she had
two nephews. She did nothing for a
living, but for years had been accumu-
IstinS all the rubbish in the room, never
selling any thing and never permitting
ANYTHING to be moved, She always
| had money when she wanted any.
| In the severest winter weather sae
had begrudged herselfa fire. she never
cooked meal in her room, but woula
| bnv some cabbage or potatoes, ana
| cook them on the fire in the room OF
| some ofthe other tenants, and Deg the
grease and clippings from their meat,
with which she would make some soup
| She was never known to bay any
meat. She would occasionally senu
| ona of the children in the alley Tor
some bread, and when they returne,'
would charge them with having oougnt
a smaller loaf and cheated her out oi
new penny. Then she would
Fly I'm q Rage
and beat them. This she did so often
| that the children had finally refused TO
| o,o ON any errand for her.
She would not permit any OF the
neirhbors to go into her room II she
eould help it. She charged them WITH
wanting to rob Der, and locked herself
in her room day and night. It was IN
that way that she came to be in her
present plight. She had, as usual,
locked herself in and denied herself
food until she was too weak to leave.
The neighbors heard her moan, but
didn't pay any attention to it, as she
had a habit of doing that almost con-
sfantly, and was very angry when she
had been disturbed on previous oe-
cssions. When the door was finally
broken open the neighbors gave her
some cabbage and potatoes, which she
ate ravenously.