The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-07-12
WANDERERS TN THE CITY
How the Poor Master
Straiglltens Out Many
a Mystery.
ROMANCE OF a PRosY PLACE
The Story Of Lost Rich Man, a
Neglected Girl and an Aban-
doned Babe.
or a PRosY PLACE

a glance at the records of the past few
months brought to light one or more
things thai have been for some time mat,
teFs Of speculation.
This item catching the eye of the re-
porter. be was led to ask the psormaster
II the mystery had ever been solF
April 25th. Female founding on
stoop Of No. A. Mercer street: brought TO
police station, First precinct, by Officer
Stuckeg, at 9 p. m, April "a, 'gI, age
three months
The readers of THE NEWS viii doubtless
recall the account published In THE
NEWS Of April %, concerning the finding
q female infant on the stoop ofssAlillion-
alre McAenzle's residence, in Mercer
ttfeet. the night before. and how one of
she women living IN the house came near
stumbling over the child and tainted
away when she discovered that the bun
die on the steps contained a real live
baby.
There were all sorts OF rumorg flying
around concerning the incident, bur the
one more generally accepted was that
some romantic, perhaps hayward moth
er had thus cast her child upon the sea
OF fate, in hopes that the charitably dis
posed millionaire would adopt 1t.
The child was reclaimed by its par
euts,n said the Poormaster "Ou May 8,
respectfully dressed. middIe-aged man,
who said he WAS an engineer on a tug
boat, called at my house, accom- panied
BY sister Of the child's mother. He was
searching for the child. which had been
taEen to the poorhouse the day after Il
was found. The parents of the child
lived in Varick street, New York, but
cannot remember their names. Their
story was 20 the effect that the chfld,s
mother was out of her mind when the
child WIS born, and that she remained in
a very serious condition for seeerRl weeks
afterEard. Her husband renamed By
her bedside until she recovered, when,
as her convalesenee was rapid, he re-
turned to his boat.
ION April o. while her husband was
aboard the boat at Albany, the woman
left her friends at home in New York.
saying she was going cut for a little
stroll. she took her baby along. at night
she returned: her mind appeared cloudy.
and she was utterly una0ie TO give any
account or Der babe. For several DAYS
she was delirious Her friends wondered
what had become of tbs child, They
watched the newspapers and saw an ac-
count OF babe being found on Million
ARE Mckenzie's stoop in this city. But
as the report they read ia a New York
paper stated that the child was q male
they didn't think Il worth while to follow
mp the clue.
& ION May ) the mothers mind cleared
slightly and she muttered tbs name Nc
kenzie. OF course her friends then knew
that the babe reported found on Mr., Nc
Kennels stoop was the one they had
searched for.
s'1'm not sure,n resumed the Poor
master, "but think before the mother
was married she lived at McKenzie's--at
any rate IN Jersey City She has sister
living in Seventh street and visited this
sister on April "a She left her home
apparently In healthy condition of
mindn
The Poormaster's story was interrupt
ed perhaps dozen times by various APP
piicants for charity. Some were regulars.
whose stories had already been investi-
gated; others were known professional
beats, who We're unceremoniously driven
from the office: while others. through a
sort of ticket window, told the Poormas-
ter narrowing tales or misfortune which
the Poormaster will investigate.
No money passed over the little coun-
ter. The known applicants were merely
given stamped tickets for groceries. and
a neat account was kept Of all dis
bursed.
Referring again to the records, the
PoormasIer continued
Some Of these items here recorded
contain interesting sequeis with moral
Here is the case OF Bernard Draper.
On June 5 he was picked up by the police.
wandering aimlessly around the streets.
He had nothing on but q dirty flannel
shirt aud pair of overalIs. He was bare
footed and hareheaded, and in a most
filthy condition. II was easily seen that
he was demented. Police Justice Davis
sent him to jail and notified me of the
case.
Something the man said to German In
terpreters led US to believe he had arrived
in this country month previous on the
steamship -Aller, Of the Bremen line. We
set him down as a scullery man. who had
been Intentionally left behind by the
ship. [ aseertained the ship was due here
again on July 8, aud told Justice Davis
to send him TO Snake Hill until the ship
came back, and we would compel the
company TO ship the man back to
Europe.
Two weeks later splendidly dressed
woman called at the police station look
ing for one Bernard Draper. | happened
to be there at the time She said the
search had been made for him for two
weeks He had two weli-to-do sons liy-
ing at No. Ito Essex street. New York.
he himself had money piled away in
three separate banks In New York, and
bis life was insured for thousands OF dol
lars. He wandered away from home, well
dressed. Those people we're to blame for
allowing demented father to 60 out at
will.
NOW, continued the IoormasJefr
there is case of fathers blame On
Monday. June 1, hne-looking young
girl Of thirteen years applied TO the Sis
ters Of ST. MichaePs Orphan Asylum, at
Erie street and Pav0nia avenue, to be
taken care Of She told the Sisters her
father ard mother were both dead. She
had no home. no friends. So the Sisters
kept her for three or four days. On the
following Friday the Sisters sent for me.
They said the girl acted wild. and they
were afraid she'd get away.
THE girl said her nams was Annie
Schuessler. / found the girls story was
wandering. She said she used to live in
Hoboken. Her father and mother moved
away to Williamsport and died six years
ago. Some woman brought her TO Jersey
City three weeks ago, and she had been
living with her in Erie street.
THE girl failed to give any ae-
count OF herself between the time
her parents diedand her advent into
Jersey City three months ago. per-
suaded the Sisters to keep her a
few DAYS longer and find out. IL pos
sible. il she was really depraved. 1t was
a pity TO allow ner at that age 10 90 out
upon the streets Among other things
the girl told me was that her father used
to work in a butter store over in New
York.
Next day a gentleman called upon me
and we were discussing the queer people
the city has to look after, and incid
ally referred to this case, menti onipg
the girls name. tSchuessler. repeated
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