Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-07
A PI'TIABLE STORY.
Told in a New York City Police
Station.
A WoMAN's WRONGS AND MIsERIEs

A CourtiIg Tete-a-Tcte Interrupted in a
Startling Manner-What the Young
Woman Found on the Vestibuie Floor
The Sufierings of a Deserted Wife and
Mother in "a Great City Graphically and
Pathetioaiiy Narrated.
NEW YORK, Feb. "Wednesday even
ing young woman was sitting in the
parlor of Mrs. Elizabeth S-rout's house.
$40 West Fhirtie;h street. She was enter
tanning Young man who had called She
heard some one coming up the stone steps
outside, and thinking it was her father
hurried ont into the hall TO surprise him
as soon as he opened the door. She saw a
shadow or the glass of the door, and knew
that some person was standing in the ves-
tibule made by the storm doors. The
shadow vanished and there was sound of
footsteps hastily descending the steps The
young woman onened the doors and saw a
woman running across the street.
Left a Baby on the Floor.
As she saw this she heard faint cry
from the floor of the vestibule She looked
down, and there lay bundle with a baby's
face sticking out of it. The cry came from
the baby. The young woman called out
the young man who was visiting her, and
pointing ont the running, said: aShe left
this baby The caller had no difficulty
in overtaking the woman, who ran slowly
and stopping as though she were weak
and in pain. He caught her by the arm
and made her come back. Then Police
stood by with her head dropped upon her
bosom and her arms folded tightly. She
neither spoke nor wept She was miser-
ably clad and shivered from the chill of
the cold night.
The Poor Mothers Story.
Warner put the baby in her arms and
she Rugged it tightly and kissed it, pull
ing the old shawl in which it was wrapped
more closely around it. Then they no.
ticed that the woman had no other shawl
Warner took her to the static house and
she sat down near the stove, rocking the
baby softly and muttering to herself
Through an interpreter she told her story,
or part OF 1t, for she was not quite in her
right mind and was also afraid to talk
She said that her name was Marguerite
Schmidt, and that several years ago she
StaaAS W WAS county i'm DtE IUSDduU,
who was 4 laborer Things did not 60
well with them, and her husband had aard
work supporting her and her little boy,
Several months ago she found that she
would soon be mother again.
Desert ed in Her Hour of Need
Four months ago he left her one day,
and never returned. She did not know
what had become OF him She supported
ha,-- -
could, but after two months she had no
more work and no more money. She left
the last miserable lodging place in which
she had purchased shelter, and began to
wander about the streets Sometimes she
and her little boy slept in doorways, some
times in ceilars, or in the shadow of piles
of boxes and merchandise. The time of
her confinement came on, and she looked
about for place to leave her little toy
while she gave birth to another infant to
add to her misery and TO be utterly
wretched itself. She finally found some
people who were willing to look after her
boy for few days.
Corn in Damp Cellar.
Then she went out to look for place
for herself and the child that was to be.
But she knew no English and she asked
only at the houses of the very poor, "A, d
generally they did not understand what
she wanted. On Sunday afternoon she
was allowed to go into dark and damp
cellar in Tnirty-ninth street. where no one
could live. On Sunday evening she Law in
this dreary underground hole and new
human being came into the world Ii is
thought Il at she was unattended The
sorrow and the suffering weakened her
mind as we'll as her body. and she was
unable to move for day or two
Would Leave Her Baby to God.
Some one from the tenement above
brought her some food. On Wednesday
she sat up and gathering her senses to-
gether, thought it all out while the little
one lay in her lap asleep, and not in the
least worried because of its being born in
cellar. She decided that she would leave
the child on some one of the many door
steps of luxury, or at least of comfort Il
thought the good God would take care of
my baby she said. So in the evening she
went out and put the little on the door
step and hurried away.
sent to- Prison with Her Babe.
She was taken to the jefferson Market
police court Thursday morning and held
for trial under Sl.0D bonds for abandon-
ing her infant. She is now in the .Jeffer-
son Market prison with her babe in her
arms the matron says she is out of her
mind. She sits and mutters and watches
the baby and talks to it in German all
day. The society officers hope to find the
little 10y.
To CoIonize Russian Jews.
SAN FRANCISCO Feb An interna-
tional society for the colonization of Rus
q n Inn,-s has hacr inn tod