San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-01
SUB ROSA.
ABODE ON SAN PEDRO
AVENUE.

Some Questions Raised That the
County Judge and Commits
sioner Hoefling Should
| Answer.
On the corner of San Pedro Avenue
and Macon street is block of little
| shanties that contrast strangely with
the fine buildings that surround it,
and is rather an eye sore to the nei GIL
borhood. This block is the property of
a colored woman well known in the
city, named Rose Denison. Rose is a
native of Baltimore, Md, and at the
age of 10 years went out into the
world to gain her own living. After
working in cotton mill in Florida
for five years, she came to the city in
1859 and has remained here ever since.
During that time she has acquired
some property and good reputation.
Some time ago the county
court engaged her to receive
and attend young spinsters who
had been betrayed and were await
iug unlawful maternity, married wo-
men in a similar predicament, and de-
serted children, and the practice has
continued until the present day. Many
are the tales of sorrow and shame that
| have been told under that rC1f, tales
| that would ast)nish San AntOnians,
on account of the dramatis persOnnae
that figure in these sensational
| dramas.
At the present time there are only
| two county paupers in charge of Rose
DenisUn. One is Eliza Bell, an adult,
admitted May 2lsJ, 1887, the other a
| cOlOred child named NIilly, the
daughter of q prisoner now confined
in BeXar county Jail. Notwithstanding
| the face that Judge WurZbach denies
sending pauper children to Rose Deni-
son on the ground that it was an in,-
moral house, it is stated that on Oc-
| tOber 18th, County Judge WurZbach
issued an order authorizing Rose
DenisOn to receive this child from the
| jail authorities, that she presented the
order to Taller Applewnite and r
| ceiVed the child; moreover, it is now
! being cared for as county pauper
This is a cOlOred child. and perhaps
| Judge Wuwbach'S denial only re-
| ferred to white children, but human
| tarians are apt to think that if the
| place is, as alleged, immoral, there is
no good reason why even a colored
child should be sent there for con-
tamination.
Rose Denison, having acted at the
county's request as its lying-in hospi-
| tai found it well to carry on the same
business for private patients, and
| many unfortunate females have been
nurtured here when they could not
help themselves, crime has been
avoided, homes for their children pro-
vided and the women, repentant, have
gone forward to commence life anew.
There being no lying-in hospital this
filled necessary requirement and has
unquestionably done good. Many
well known ladies are interested in
| and appreciate Roses work and assist
it in various ways. They call there
from time to time, inspect the place,
| and give counsel to the unfortunates,
that shall put them on the right path.
This rather negatives Judge Wurz-
bach's immortality theory, which Rose
Denison most Indignantly denies.
Many young women who have been
led astray and delivered of children
| in this house are now married and
are reputable members of the commu-
mites in which they live. But for
| Rose Denison's timely assistance what
might have been their fate?
In this house are now eleven chill
dren. Most of them are white, but
there is some colored shading in the
| group. If an announcement of the
putative paternity of some of these
children was made San Antonio
| would have something to talk about,
but money bushes the voice,
and like the mantle of char
ity, covers the sin. All these
children are healthful and happy, and
evidently love the woman who nour-
ishes them. The support for most of
these is paid by interested parties,
but some are entirely dependent on
the charity of Rose, who says, "there
is always something to spare from my
large family and l would rather feed
one or two little mouths than
waste"
Having now shown the house, the
character of its mistress, aud the
work now being done there, let us
now come to question of vital i'm
portance to the public at this time
when they are considering whether
the county commissioners court shall
be reelected or whether change
shall be made.
The LIGHT is confidently informed
that during Judge Mason's term of
office paupers were sent to Rose Deni-
sons, and when County Judge Wurz-
bach was elected there was a tacit
understanding with Rose that the
contract should be continued, and
several orders signed by the county
Judge for the care of pauper patients