Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-29
SAD STATE OF THINGS.
A Cbicakoan Tells n Terrible Tale Of the
Destitufion Among Spring Valley Min.
ers' Fnmilies-An Answer to Ex.

ers' Fnmilies-An Answer to Ex.
Congressman scotr.
CHICAGO, September 2S.-Mr. Henry D.
Lloyd, of this city. who has just returned
from visit to, Spring Valley, ILL.,, whore
he distributed among the destitute miners
medicines furnished by charitable New
York lady, writes long letter, in which he
describes the wretched condition of the peo-
pie there. He says:
Among other means of getting intelligent
and unbiased information as to the exact state
OF things. visited the Catholic school and the
public school. in which, together, there are
over 800 children, and talked with the teachers
teach in the Catholic school said that their
children gave unmistakable evidence of not
having sufficient food. They were paler than
the year before, and they could not study as
we'll. Children would frequently fall asleep at
their desks from weakness. But so sturdy was
their pride and self-respect that it was almost
impossible for their teachers to obtain from
them anv acknowledgements that they did not
get enough to eat at home. Children who were
unmistakably suffering for want OF nourish-
ment would even refuse food when offered
them by their teacher, and in some cases, the
Sister Superior said, when food was taken Dy
some such child it was Immediately rejected by
the stomach showing how far the exhaustion
of hunger had gone.
One Of the teachers in the public school
stated that on her way to the school In the
morning she would sometimes meet as many as
dozen of her class, out with baskets, going to
beg As they saw her the little ones, ashamed,
would try to hide from sight until she had
passed. In both schools numbers OF the chill
dren are insufficiently clothed, little girls and
boys of the tenderest years having on only
some light sack or jacket, with no undercloth-
ing. 1t was cold. bleak day, but many were
barefooted. How the people have lived at all
is mystery. There have been during the last
four weeks, ending September Is, five distri-
buttons by the Relief Committee-ali in goods.
No money has been given out, and the extent
Of this charity" is sufficiently indicated by
the statement taken from the account of the
committee, that each family of seven, and
tire period offour weeks flour, meat, etc, to
the value of SIS 88, or "a cents worth for each
person for the whole four weeks.
The Mayor OF the city, the editor OF the
Spring Valley Gazette, the Congregational
clergyman. Mr.. Stringer, all the physicians OF
the pace, everyone, in fact. stated without
qualification that were It not for the relief
from without, the people would have starved
and would be starving. To check SO scanty
stream of relief-84 cents worth OF food for
each person monthly-by talk about .exaggera-
tion." seeps to me nothing short of inhuman.
Mr.. Lloyd declares that the death rate is
high there, and that it will be greatly in
creased as the weather grows cold. He de-
clares, of his own knowledge, that the sick
and poor have been refused medicines and
medical advice by the poor authorities
there. He urges that contributions be sent
to these people.