St. Paul daily globe., 1886-12-06
JEANNE HENS SAD DEATH.

JEANNE HEEN,S SAD DEATH.
Poor Girl " hO supported Her Old
Mother and s.itIie Brothers Until
Her Fingers Could No Longer Do
Their Work.
On Thanksgiving day, says the New
York Star, girl poisoned herself for fear
of being starved to death in New York city.
In fye-StOried house IN East Houston
street in small room just under the roof
JEANNE Helm feared she coul | not SUPPORT
her mother, invalid sister and boy broth
eiS, ana. &" l,Ie dill tile cuunLiy reJO iced in
obedience to the pres. dents order. she took
poison and died in room Just large
enough to hold the bed and it's occupant.
The house. No. 235 Houston street. is di-
vided into thirty tenementS, all occupied by
poor people. Perhaps the poorest of all is
the Helm family on the top floor.
The two rooms they occupy are about
eq Ial to q ordinary small room. but small
a, they are, they are too large for the furni-
ture TO flll The most prominent thing in
the larger of these rooms yesterday, was a
long, stained pine-box. In this box was
the body OF JEANNE Helm. The swollen
hands were still at last over the quiet heart
| that is lately so troubled. Her face told
OF pleasanter Thanks giving than she had
ever before enjoyed,
! Jeann e held the unenviabe position of
elder ser of the family. The father was
dead and the mother washed for the almost
! as poor neighbOrS. The other sister was ill.
and the boys were of the marble and top
age. From childhood JEANNE did all that
! older sisters of poor families are obliged to
| do--to he support the family and personally
surpefN lSe the younger members. She never
entered 5. ETY. of any kind. She was q
| p ;.in-looAi ig girl. used to hard work and
sue never knew any other life. 1t was
question of bread with her, and she dut-
fully obeyed the voice of duty, to which
was added the touch of hunger. No beauS
hovered around JEANNE Helm. While Oh
the street she had but one Object-tO get to
| her work of lace-making at a sture on
| Broadway as soon AS possible and to get
home as soon as possible. She had worked
at lace-making from childhood, and when
she died she was 27 years old. She could
do the daintiest kind Of work, and at an
early age made some of the lace which
graced tie br'es of the German empire.
VIII the Elm family came to America
Jeanne easl found employment in he
lac -lnakng establishments of New 70 k.
As in Berlin she had known no pleasures
outside or the intricate beauties of the
work of her own hands, SO i'll New York
the enjoyments of the idle were not for
her. Her joys consisted in seeing her
mother and her sister and brothers eat the
fruit of her labors. She worked so hard
that her hands began to swell and felonS
ew on them. The hands were not made
.or such constant work. They were thin
and delicate and needed rest once in awhile
as much as much rOugher hands. She could
no longer do the fine work in which she
had taken her only pleasure. Her em-
piover ugh inclined to be kind hearted,
t d r ha she was only spelling good
lace, and he put her OH ordinary work such
,ced years ago. This broke her
pride. What she had been living for she
hau u,L of course, her wages were cut
correspondingly to her work, and this
meal sacrifices of such things as butter
and tea.
The young girl grew melancholy. She
tried to get other employment by which
she could earn as much as formerly. but
she was unsuccessful Her hands panied
her terribly, and she saw that she was use
less i'll a world where none but the wealthy
can afford to be useless. and the pain OF
body and mind eliminated on the day on
which everybody was supposed to be thank
full for one thing or another. She seemed
to be thankful for the poison she adminls-
tere herself. Just aftera scanty breakfast,
winch was all the Thanksgiving dinner the
ia nily could afford, JEANNE went into the
Small room and reclined OH the bed. Her
mother thought she was ordinarily Ill aud
paid no further attention than to arrange
the pillow for her. But before that she
had taken pOlSOn-a cupful OF paris green
and before physician could be called
cha mo Of the world and the famlIV
had lost its chief support.
''Yes. JEANNE was discouraged" said
her mother yesterday afternoon. she
took a great deal of pride in her work. and
when she found she could not do the finer
parts she lost all interest. as she feared we
would all starve to death. But | would
rather she starved to death with us than go
off this way"
A few friends called at the top room of
the house. No. 235 East Houston street.
and looked at the still face in the cheap
coffin and said she was good girl. and
that it was a shame that she should have
died in such a manner. The family awaited
the appearance of the coroner. .befure being
able to bury the girl. and at every knock
al the door it was anticipated that the dread
man of pUSt-mOrtem examinations had ar
rived. But no official notice of the girl's
death had been sent to the coroners office,
and she still lay In her coffin last II ght.
The father of this family was Prof. Levi
Helm. talented teacher of music, who, like
many other professional men. had more
talent than money, and when he died he
left neither behind him. The two girls,
JEANNE and Della. worked on lace at Canal
and Baxter streets. till DeIia became Ill,
and then JEANNE was left with too heavy
load upon her young shoulders. She sue
cumbed on the day of all the year when,
according to the governors proclamation.
she should not.