The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-08-15
HOMES OF ADJEcr POVERTY.

| HOMES OF ABJkCT IONEKT1.
In the bog swamps OF Cahernanelly
found three families OF Woodworking people
at a distance OF about quarter to hall mill
apart. My visit was at night. Not one .
the cabins had light. None Of the people
had been to mass for ten years for wan
OF decent clothes. Not one Of them had I
change; and all the females had but on'
garment each, coarse, patched woolleI
dress. The only food any OF them has Il
Indian meal, and they do net have enougl
OF that. One family Of seven have been tC
bed several nights within the week fasting
They all have little land, but 1t Is boz
aud won't produce; besides, the times sinct
| 20 have been so bad that they are notable
| 10 get seed to SOW. In each case The father
bad been living on the land before them
one forty and one sixty years back. When
by tilling and draining and clearing Of bog
the land was 30 it would raise little crop
the gent rackrsnted them.
SAD SCENES OF POVERTY.
The first house was that Of Michael Han
nifty. He has eight children. A pig stye
is walled off in one end Of the cabin and q
chicken coop in tho other. Both are
empty. Boards are laid over the tops o.
these, and on them with very Bcant straw
tlsep the family. The father and boys
sleep over the pig stye and the girl on the
shelf over the coop. She has a wisp oi
straw between TWO poles, and there She
sleeps without any cover but the dress she
wears. Now, mark you, 1t is even difficult
and often impossible for these people to
have straw enough to lie on, The horse
fares far better. Hanniiy has nine acres,
for which he has 10 pay 90 6s.
Thomas Whelon has seven in bis family,
de has goat and donkey. The goat
gives milk iUr the Indian meal sIirab0ut,
which his neighbors cannot have. Instead
OF sleeping on a shell, he has u room where
the chicken coop in Hauniiy's is. 1 saw
the bed, dirty straw, aud old sacks FOL
sheets, with one filthy blanket for cover
He has three and one-hali acres tor.eS
He has been. forty years on the place, and
the land even yet is not fully reclaimed. II
has taken two and three, aud sometimes
lour generations to reclaim few acres o.
bog land. He has one rood OF potatoes
sown and the came space III oats. That II
all the seed he could get.
DWELLING IN HOPELESS MISERY.
7. Reilly's house is worst OF all. The
front wall ia bulslng, and the turt.sed reo
is held up by three poles from within. He
is delicate. He has wife and eight chill
dren, and only one acre and a half o.
grouRd. When l entered this house, the
family were standing around small plate
Of Indian meal stirred about with sugar
butter or milk. When it was gone, little
child far from satisfied, said: Mamma, il
there no more in The potY" "No, Alanna
there is not" was the sad response. These
people have not straw. They sleep on
green rushes, which l saw with my own
eyes.
Duringthe summer these families earn
two ahilliugs day. When that Is over and
cold winter comes they have no other pros
pect than to starvc. They Eeem to realizS
their sad plights, Their vacant stare ol
hopelessness is heartrending.
It was 10 o'clock ut night, dark and rain
ing, when Ileit this sad abode. Outside
the door, TO my surprise, were two police
They followed US from there all the way tC
the main road and on as far as their bar.
racks. They had been eayesdropping.