, 1891-03-06
HNNCAR
BEN
PrTIFUL TA-E5 o. sTkHVATIoN m
THE MIDST OF PLENTY.

OF H~eaven"-'O the street, On the
street"-A sad Home Coming.
More men, women and children starve
TO death or are driven TO suicide by
want zach week in New York city and
its suburbs than were lost in the awful
ConemaUgh flood, yet the gay world
wags on, the Patriarchs dance, the com
mercial leagues dine and the church
people sing psalms. Scores Of cases are
passed over with bare mention in the
daily press, but occasionally one is
brought to light that is so pitiful as to
arouse even the newspaper man, who is
accustomed to seeing the dark side of a
big city's life. The following sad sto-
ries are taken from one weeks issue OF
the New York dailies. The cases cited
are those Of women:
POOR MARY CARLTON.
Tragedies! You needn't go to the theatre
and pay a couple OF dollars for a good scat
from which to view the heroine as she grows
desperate and takes poison. You can nnd
within a stones throw Of your home misery
enough for all your spare tears.
II Il a queer world, and It's good fortune and
bad seem TO be very unevenly distributed.
There are many with too much, and many
more with not enough, There are dollars by
the bushcl in one house, and In another not
coppors enough 10 buy a loaf Of stale bread.
Take the case OF Mary Carlton, for example,
She tried TO commit suicide, and now lies on a
hospital cot. She Is young, but the struggle
was too much for her and she swallowed dose
OF laudanum.
Mary Is a product OF the tenement district,
and perhaps never in her life had quite enough
10 eat. Long before her teens she went to
work; has been working ever since: always
thought she was in rare good luck when she
could put in twelve hours a day and get sixty
cents for II. Now she Is % years old, is tired OF
the grind, has breakfasted, dined and supped
on despair, and concluded that even in a city
fun Of churches and charities II f. easier for "A
poor girl To die than 10 live.
Il am very hungry" she said 70 her landlady.
Then she moved out finer little cherries room
at the top OF the house, for which she paid s2.5O
per week, into an i'll ventilated closet with n
rental Of half that sum. II was TO no purpose,
though. she kept hoping. but hope can't last
forever, She trudged over the city seeking
employment and got none.
At last she pawned her dress, paid her land
lady what she could, all except nfty cents, with
which she bought the drug. She drained the
bottle and waited for death to come.
The doctors may save her life. but what IL
there to live for2 Who cares either for her or
for the thousand other Mary Ourltons who are
yainly trying TO keep the wolf from the door,
We are oil OF one family-are all brothers and
sisters. It's "a beautiful theory, but only a the
Dry. II sounds like n great truth on Sunday
morning when we listen TO the sermon, but on
Monday morning Il Is n prodigious falsehood.-
Editorial in New York Herald.
HER BABY IN HER ARMS.
In the Jefferson Market police court yester-
day there appeared before Justice Mcmahon a
forlorn, sad eyed woman who had been nc-
cused Of abandoning her child, a bright little
fellow I years Of age, The mothcr's name IS
Margaret Schmitz and the boys Is Nicholas.
The child was found in the hallway OF No.
li9 West Thirtieth street on Wednesday night,
and Ia now In charge Of the Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty to Children. The mother
Is undoubtedly n little out Of her mind.
Whom she appeared in court yesterday in
the custody OF Policeman Warner she held in
her arms a baby only four days old. The IN
FAINT appeared strong and we'll, while its mother
looked III and weak. The woman was asked
why she had abandoned her boy.
II didn't mean to abandon him." she an
swercd, with a far away look In her eyes, but
what could | do2 This child, q" pointing to the
little bunch OF humanity in her arms, was
about to be born. Sunday l was homeless and
was walking the streets. with no place to lie
down. ! remember creeping into a basement
as II grew late. No one saw me. | had a piece
Of candle I'm my pocket. struck n light, and
the bit Of a candle burned for a little time.
II was all alone: there was no one TO help
me. This child. ." she said. pointing To the bun
die AT her breast, was born there. had some
clothing ready for It, aud l remember putting
it on the babe. Then 1 don't remember much
more. didn't want TO give the people in tho
house any trouble. so | kept very quiet. / re-
member that, Judge"
The mother went on to say tina she leaned
against the wall OF the hallway waiting for the
milkmRn. He came at last In tho carly morn
ing, and she gave the new born child some
milk. Then she recolected uftcrward that she
walked the streets again. On Wednesday she
said she became crazy.
After that she didn't know what she did.
Regarding the events before that time, when
questioned by the judge. her mind seemed to
wander Us sho had wandered Sunday about
the streets.
"Oh | don't know; | don't know" she
boy. only wanted some one to take care OF
him till | could get well again and look out for
him myself. l have had no home for quite n
time. you know. | was all alone, With no one
to help me."-NewY York World.
OFF THE STREET TO DIE.
\ woman tOttcred down the stone steps into
an eating house in the basement of % Park
street on Thursday night \ tattered black
serge dress covered her wasted body, and a thin
shawl was thrown over her head. Shivcrlng
she sunk into the nearest seat. and feebly
called for a cup Of coffee as she placed in front
of her the last two cents in her possession.
When n boy brought her the coffee she drew
from her pocket "A dry crust and tried to eat
IL, but found Il too hard and cold. The boy
offered to soften the crust over the stove, aud
the woman handed 1t to him with a sad smile.
In q few moments IL was returned, warm and
soft. She tasted Il and swallowed "a sip Of the
coffee, then put the rest OF the crust back In
her pocket. Her hand stretched toward the
coffee again, but fell short upon the bench In
front OF her. Her eyes closed and n c~onvulsion
shook her frame. Her head fell forward upon
her breast, and her earthly troubles were over.
The inmates OF the miserable place lowered
about the dead woman for a minute, and then
went on with their eating, drinking and card
playing. One old waif OF the street lifted the
apron which some one threw over the dead
womnn's face, and said as she Gazed upon the
features:
oh, that's Annie Mullerr' and then she
turned away with a shrug OF the shoulders and
hurried TO her home-the street.
The dead woman was found by Deputy Coro-
n7r Donlin yesterday seated just as she died and
watched by a big policeman. The business Of
the place was in fun blast. a glance showed
the deputy that death was due to Bright's dis
ease.
The womau's clothes. though torn, were clean.
Her face was fair and without u trace o. the
dissipation in which she had lived, and he big
blue eyes, open and vacant, were rs innoceu. us
a child's. Her heavy dark brown hair was
neatly Coiled.
Her life story was pathetically limited by the
contents of her pocket, her swollen feet and
her worn shoes. The pocket contained, be-
sides the crust OF bread, two neatly embroid-
cred hnndkerchiefs two broken sticks Of candy,
a cheap wooden rosary, and two Salvation
Army tickets on which were printed:
"Lost-Au have sinned."
~"LOOk-Untom me-"
"Liyc-Jesus saved"
ON a piece Of neatly folded and re, fectly
clean paper was the following;
ION the street. on the street,
To and fro, with weary feet,
Aching heart and aching head;
Homeless, lacking daily bread;
Lost to friends. ana 10Y. and name:
Merit wins.
We desire to say to our citizens that for