Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-01-20
ALICE IN HUNGERLATD.
The TRIALS o. 4 LITTLE CRIPPLED
eUTTOSHoLE MAKER
The Author OF the Famous "1Iicky Finn"
stories Writes nf the iItrslshi2s Which
Pail to the Lot of = Big City's Poor
and Unfortunate.

fSreciai Cgrr,zsDJlltl --l.e.l
The unequal distri ri51tign q wealth in
I this country has never hal more strik-
. ing example than is furnislelin the c. a
. Of Henry Rev, an intelligent Brook "A
/ laborer. 81 years oil Rev. with his
I wife and daughter, cane 70 this country
T four years ago from England he got
along fairly well for two years, until an
/ accident rendered the amputstiOn Of his
/ right hand at the wrist necessary. Since
I that time he has been practically help
| less a. a provider for his family, and the
/ burden Of its support fell upon his
| daughter Alice The LITTER is q years
old. Her right leg was amputated at
/ the calf when she was but II years old.
/ She walks with one crutch. Alice has
| scrofulOus tendencies, and the constant
strain upon her left leg in walking has
/ developed an alarming weakness in that
/ member. Alice thinks that if she could
/ afford to buy a cork right leg her health
Z would improve. because she could then
move around with more ease.
While in England Alice was appren-
/ ticed 20 a tailor. and she picked up fair
/ knowledge Of the trade She was unable,
! however. 70 secure work in Brooklyn as
( a tail0ress, aud 50 she fell back upon
/ buttOnhOls making. Now buttonhole
making is not a. profitable as cutting
your own coupons of government bonds.
/ Il takes rank as an industry, perhaps,
with ragpicking. But it is a perfectly
honorable occupation and unremunera-
| tive a. well And 50 while the brokers
in Wall street were doing all they could
70 elevate the prices Of pork and -four
Alice was pegging away at the button
/ holes, in order 10 procure those necessities
/ for her father and mother. While Alice
was perfectly willing to make button
holes all day and late into the night, she
could not get the work 10 do. Il was fur
nished By the small tailors in the vicinity
| Of 23l Gold street. where the Rews live.
/ As the custom Of these tailOrs is limit
ed, all the work they could furnish TO
Alice was su average Of fssventy-fve but
/ tonholes per week, which, at two cents
| per hole, brought in the priIcely income
| Of Sl.jO, the price Of a comfortable seat
in the theatre Somebody has very truly
said that forty JumD0s could not draw
/ the wealth Of the AstOrs if il was welded
I into golden inyOts. but according TO prev
| alent conventional ideas this has moth
I ing 20 Do with butt0nhOle making This
/ $50 per week went y buy the terrapin,
canyasback duck and champagne with
which the Rews regaled themselves.
| Sometimes Rev himself came in for a
share Of these luLuries and sometimes he
/ didn't For, cunOusly enough. Rev had
a thing called a heart in his manned
hulk, and while his daughter was stitch
ing away at the buttonhOles he was
walking the streets looking for a Job
There is a grim and ghastly humor in
the way Rev relates ms experiences in
search Of work
| lie went into stove mandatory one
day, and the fat ana prosperous proprietor
| asked hln IN a gentle, bantering tone if
| he could lift one end Of a 500 pound
kitchen range with one hand. Rev did
not reply. He went out Of the door and
looked off upon the East river. which
flowed temptingly near him. But the
thought Of Alice and the buttonholes
prompted him 10 try again. This time II
was at paper factory. Here ne met with
the marrow curdling reply that when
two armed men went begging there was
no chance for the one armed. But
just at this critical time an inspiration
came 10 Rev. IL occurred 70 him that
II he could have a steel frame fastened
over the stump Of his right arm ne might
then be able % handle the bundles Of
paper. So he hurried over 70 New York
and asked the price Of a frame such az
he desired, with a cup shaped extremity
into which could be screwed the coveted
hook. The clerk replied that such an
appliance could be bought for $50.
Rev set to thinking, and he was sur
prised to find that it would require
$500 buttonholes, and that his daughter
would have to work nearly thirty five
weeks in order to earn that sum. And
50 Rev, like sensible man, gave up the
idea OF purchasing the hook, and went
home to lie awake all night and listen TO
the groans Of his daughter as she tossed
on her bed Of pain. 1t was rs impos-
sible for Rev to get his hook as it would
be Tor Jay Gould to crawl through the
eye Of needle Meanwhile, to make
the situation more interesting, the land
lord called upon the Rews for the $s
which they owed him rs occunants of
two small rooms in the basement of 2S1
Gold street, in neither Of which would
II he possible 10 swing a cat by the tail
Naturally enough the Rews did not have
the money.
Some 80 called crank has said that
rent Is murder. Perhaps starvation will
ut tins situation as well. Alice had
earned twenty-five cents in two days
when the landlord called. The button
hole industry happened to be rather
quiet Just then. She hobbled 10 the
door and was politely informed that if
the rent was not paid ON the following
day tho family would be evicted. This
brings 10 mind the command Of r,-
hgious Eealot, who, when a martyr was
tied 20 the stake, said, Put green wood
under him 50 that he'll burn slow"
That Is what the wealthy capitalists. as
represented by the landlords, are doing
every day-ruasting the poor slowly
Alice was dazed aud frightened. She
seized her crutch and hobbled half
eEazed AcrOss the Brooklyn bridge, and
wandered aimlessly on her halting way
about the srVets OF New York She
Was gone for week. ami was returned
70 her home 10y a charitable man Who
had found her famished upon a door.
step. Meanwhile the Rews were saved
nom eviction by a man who forgot to
leave his name. But the next u,ontb,s