Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-21
HER JENNIE Is DEAD.
Touching Story Of Tenement Life in
the Busy Metropolis.
A BRIGHT, HEALTHY BABY GIRL
Dies Of SufOeatiOn, Peanut Shell Lodging
in Her Throat.
THE DEEP SORROW OF TIE MOTHER

Mrs. Isidor Bernstein, the wife Of a cloak
maker who is out Of work, was washing the
dishes on Friday morning in her living
room on the second floor of 1s1 Orchard
street, saws the New York Sun. Her baby,
Jenny, Is months old, was was playing on
the floor with bagful of peanuts. The
child was blue-eyed and gold-haired, and a
jolly little thing, always laughing. Every
now and then Mrs. Bernstein looked up
from her task and said something in He
brew baby talk to the young one.
ALI at once she heard Jenny cough
sharply, and then came that hacking splut-
tering sound which every mother has heard.
Baby had swallowed a piece of peanut
she'll, and it had stuck in her throat. Drop
ping dishcloth and everything, the mother
ran over and took Jenny in her arms, patted
her on the back, held her head down, and
poked in her mouth, but the thing would
not come out, and already Jenny's face was
turning purple.
A RACE WITH DEATH.
Throwing shawl about her shoulders,
Mrs. Bernstein wrapped Jenny in its folds
and flew down the stairs. She forgot to
shut the door of her room. She ran to the
bitter wind, which seemed to be striving to
delay her. The doctor was at home. One
glance was enough for him.
IAN operation will be necessary" he
said.
Mrs. Bernstein understands English i'm
perfectly, but the word operation" she
understood.
mo, no, noP' she cried. ST won't let
you cut up baby"
She seized Jenny in her arms again, and
rushed out. A few blocks further down the
street was another doctor, and to his Office
she ran, and people stood still to look after
her and wonder. This doctor had hardly
glanced at the baby when he said
that same word, Operation" Mrs.
Bernstein ran out of the house. Then
she went straight to the station house,
but physician sign on the way attracted
her attention, and she stopped to ring the
bell. The doctor was not at home. AS she
ran up the steps of the station house she
painted for breath, and all she could do was
to hold up the gasping baby in her arms.
The Sergeant understood, and rang for an
ambulance
NO HELP FOR THE BABY.
It was q long wait, but when the ambu-
lance came mother and child were taken at
full speed to Bellevue Hospital Jenny
was taken. straight to the operating room,
where DIR. Brooke found that the peanut
shell had slipped down the windpipe into
the bronchial tube leading to the right lung.
He opened the windpipe, but could not get
the shell out. The operation permitted the
baby to breathe more freely, but it was
impossible to extract the shell. They told
Mrs Bernstein she had better go home. She
SAYS she went away with the doctors as
suranee that baby would live, an6 that she
need not worry.
She sent her husband to the hospital YES
terday morning. He stayed away so long
that she was frightened. About noon, when
the children were focking out OF the neigh
boring synagogues, a carriage drove up to
the door of the house in Orchard street.
Out of it stepped Mr.. Bernstein in thread
bare clothes. In his arms he carried q
small box. His face betrayed no emotion
as he entered the house and carried his bur-
den up the stairs. His wife opened the door
on hearing his footsteps, and then she saw
the box and tainted.
THE SCENE OF SORROW.
Stepping past her as she lay on the floor.
Bernstein placed the box in the middle Of
the room and then sat down in a chair by
the window. He sat there all day without
speaking or shedding tear, and stared at
the little coffin with an expressionless face.
Nelg0DOTS came anu UEOuSub Inc mObneK TO-
She could not cry either. She lifted the
cover of the box, and said, half in German,
half in Hebrew:
;'Jenny is only asleep. Isn't she pretty7
Look at her beautiful blue eyes and her
hair, which is brighter than the color of
gold. What a healthy sweet-lookiDg child
she isl Hush, baby, sleep in peace; the
angels watch your cradle. Oh, Jenny is in
a cofinl My God! she's dead, dead, deadl
Then she sang a Hebrew lullaby and
knelt by the coffin. A neighbor went to the
undertaken and brought black cloth with
the name Jenny" embroidered in white
letters, which she laid over the box. Then
this neighbor sat on the threadbar lounge in
the room and began to cry, while the mother
went on with her lullaby. This continued
until long after twilight, and the mother
walked constantly up and down the room,
while the father sat in silence. Next day
the little coffin was lowered in grave.