Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-09-20
soNE or THE FINEST.
A story Of Distress that Touched the Hearts
OF Two squads OF Police.
New York Heraldl

Of Two Squads OF Police.
New York Herald
Sergeant Thomas Farley sat in the
Oak-Street ststion-house on Wednesday
evening bordering over the cases OF
"drunk and disorderly" and Of the
"petty crimes Z" that had been brought
in by the patrolmen since the closing OF
the court that afternoon. There was
the sound Of faltering footsteps at the
street door, aud of woman's low sobs.
Z" Another intox.." said the Sergeant
TO himself, raising his eyes from the re-
cookbook
But there was no policeman with q
bedrsegied, bloated prisoner in sight.
Instead of such spectacle a weeping
woman, with n sickly child in her arms
and two more little ones clutching her
.kirts, stood before him. I'VE are
poor. hungry, and foot-sore, the woman
said between her sobs. 1--WE have no
Mace TO Law our heads. will you, for
.bo roke or the helpless children. let US
have nights lodging?"
The Sereeant. versed from long expe-
rience in the tricks of mendicancy, saw
that the applicant for the rough accom-
mediation Of the police-station's COM
mon sleeping apartment was not an or
binary beggar. Her manner showed
that it was more for her unfortunate
offspring than on her own account that
she had overcome the natural repug-
nance that every respectable person
feels to ask for lodging in the temporary
prison Of crime and vice. His interest
was therefore aroused, and he ques-
toned her about her history. Bursting
into tears, she told her pitiful story.
Her name, she said, was Mary Nc
Gilliget. The three children were her
daughters, respectively twelve. nine,
and four years old. They had been
roaming the streets all day without any
place to go to or any money to buy
food. She, her husband, and children
had arrived in this city from Westield,
Mass, at midnight on Thursday of last
week. They brought their household
furniture with them, but did not have
the money to pay the freight. The
next dav her husband sought work,
but could not find employment. The
following day he was equally unsuc-
cessful. Since Saturday evening she
had not seen him. lie left her to again
try to find work, but did not return.
She could not say whether he was still
looking for it, and, unable to get it,
was unwilling to heighten their sorrows
by his story of unsuccessful efforts, or
neither in his desperation he had aban-
doned them.
But" she said, smiling through
her tears. she was too loving a hus-
band and too kind a father to desert
US. He never used to come from work
Of an evening without bringing this
little one in my arms something in the
way of present.
The Sergeant'S heart was touched.
He saw that the poor woman was re-
spectacle and that her children were
neatly dressed. When she told him
how she had pawned her shawl that
very evening to answer the wants Of
the little girls his cup Of sympathy was
full lie showed her and the children
into the waiting-roOm, and returning to
his seat forgot. for the time being. all
about the ways Of the eyil-dOerS who
were imprisoned in the cells below, and
fell to planning how best to relieve the
misery. the account Of which had but
moment before, let the truth be told.
brought a tear into his eyes, used as
they are to sad scenes and tales OF woe.
At midnight the second platoon
marched into the front room Of the sta
tior- house, prepared to 20 on duty, aud
to them Sergeant Farley addressed ~
eloquent appeal on behalf of the poor
woman and her children. lie told her
story to them just as she hal told il o
him. and then asked MEN of the
Fourth precinct, will YOU help her"
AS if it were n part of their every
day drill, each great big right hand
sought the pocket nearest it, and in a
few seconds e. for the objects Of his
appeal lay in front Of the desk at which
the sergeant sat. Then the second pa
toon marched forth to battle with crime.
The Sergeant waited until the first pla-
toon came in off post, with Policemen
Patrick O'Sullivan and Thomas Barrett
among their number. To this small
body Of the finest the Sergeant made a
like eloquent appeal, and g. more were
laid before him. The Ala were placed
in Mrs. McGilliget's hands. She tried
to return her thanks, but words failed
her, so she wept instead.
Then Patrolman Barrett, who some
time before had been sent by the Ser
geant to hunt up apartments for the
woman and children, reported that he
had secured two rooms in the rear Of
No. 43 Oliver street. Mrs. McGilliget
and her daughters remained in the STA
tion-houSe over night. Yesterday morn
ing they were installed in their new
quarters. The subscription Of the two
platoons of the Oaks rect police ena-
bled her to temporarily rent the rooms.
pay the freight charges on her furni-
ture, have them taken by express to
her new quarters, and leave her a little
sum to keep herself and her children
for few days from starving.
A Herald reporter yesterday visited
the woman at No. 40 Oliver street.
She had not yet got everything to
rights, but it was an easy matter for
the visitor to see that she had been
hard at work since morning. In an
swer to the reporters questions she
said that three years before the late
war She came to this country from
Ireland. She worked as a servant and
cook in number Of places in this
city, which she named. Then she
found employment in a village on
Long Island. There she met and mar
ried her husband. He was a farm la
borer. They had many children, of
whom only three girls survive. His
wages were not enough to properly keep
his large family, and this fact induced him