Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-01
By Way! Of Contrast.
An Incident of Life in a Great
and Wealthy City.
A CHICAGO FAMILYs SAD HOLIDAY.

How Thanksgiving Found the Dodd House,
IdIeness, Brought Home Dead Shortly
After Finding Work-A Daughter Lying
in Bed Frightfuiiy Burned-The Mother
Weak and Ailing and All Starving.
CHICAGO, Dec Where the happy sounds
Of the Jesuit church bells easily reach, bring
ing joy and hope to thousands of hearts, sat
the most wretched and unhsppy woman in
Chicago yesterday. She sits there still, heart
broken, desolate. and forlorn. Misery is her
portion. A terrible shadow is on her humble
household
This woman is Mary Dodd, widow of James
Dodd, a Waterman for the Chicago &
Northwestern railroad, who was struck and
killed by Burlington engine Wednesday
while walking along the tracks near Sixteenth
street and Centre avenue. Never, perhaps
was there brought to light sadder or more
striking and beartreuding example Of FAM
lily perishing of hunger in the midst Of plenty
than when this case was Investigated yester-
day.
The Dodd family lives in small, decay
ing, badly ventilated, ramshackle shanty
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house at 70 Waller street. The shanty
might better serve the purpose of a roal-bin
than that of place of human habitation.
No valuable animals would be sheltered
there by any owner of ordinary discretion
Yet here has been housed for months and
months, at the rate of IS month, this
family, consisting of father and mother, and
five little children Here the family came
near dying of starvation 1t was a long
time poverty stricken; the father was
out of work all last summer:
kind hearted neighbors brought in small
contributions of food from time 10
time; but the children often went to bed cry
ing for something to eat Six weeks ago,
when James Dodd secured work as a watch
man, there started to burn glimmer OF
hope. When bis mutilated body was
brought home Wednesday hope was changed
to despair. Then few weeks ago Julia, the
eldest child, was accidentally burned almost
to death and is still in a critical condition.
Three weeks ago another child was born,
adding to the mothers burdens. and she has
never recovered from her sickness.
Yesterday, when the neighbors who had
heard of the family's calamities began to
EdlDti lnEU tue Hills nOFtt 10 OtttI
such comfort and sympathy as they mig at,
it was pitiful sight that met their ewes In
the little square front room, where no ray
of light or fresh air entered, lay the dead
and crushed body of the father. whiJe-sheet-
ed and laid out for the grave The bag
gard, emaciated, sickly, and starved-look
ing widow walked to and fro, swaying her
weak body and m gaming and weeping in des
olation and woe. Around tine walls sat kind
hearted neighbors talking in whispers, as in
awe at the presence of death in so hdeous
and CHASTITY form In the next room-not
much larger than a Saratoga trunk-on a
cot which filed it from wall TO wall lay the
scalded child Julia, moaning in pain, her
mother drying her tears and going in from
time to time to try to comfort the little
sufferer. Another child, still younger and
| pale and emaciated, lay helplessly beside
Julia The babe and the other children
| were temporarily cared for by neighbor
| women
An od-fashioned wake was in progress,
round the fathers corpse Burning tapers
1 were at the head and at the foot of the rud.
| stretcher on which he was laid James Dodd
| and his wife were members of the Jesuit
/ Catholic church on West Twelfth street
| They have lived in Chicago about ten year.
/ and were married eight years ago The wife
/ was born in Vermont, her maiden uame be
! ing Mary Burns, and her age is 50 years
The husband was about the same age Mrs
/ Dodd says she has never appealed to til,
( church for aid nor has she ever received any
/ from it 1t is expected that the Burlington
road, whose engine struck the unfortunat,
man, will defray the expenses or help t,
} do so