Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-27
BENEATH MAMM0N'S CAR
PlTlFUL TALES OF STARVATION IN
THE MIDST OF PLENTY

More men, women and children starve
TO death or are driven to suicide by
want each 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
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.
Tragediesl You needn't go TO the theatre
and pay a couple of dollars for a good seat
from which TO view the heroine as she grows
desperate and takes poison. You can find
within a stones throw Of your home misery
enough for all your spare tears.
1t Is queer world, and its good fortune and
bad seem 10 he very unevenly distributed.
There are many with too much, and many
more with not enough. There are dollars BY
the bushel in one house, and in another not
coppcrs enough to buy loaf Of stale bread.
Take the case OF mary CaFlbOus lot bAtlilDle
She tried to commit suicide, and now lies on
hospital cot She is young but the struggle
was too much for her and she swallowed a 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 it, Now she is 30 years old, is tired of
the grind, has breakfasted, dined and supped
on despair, and concluded that even in city
full Of churches and charities it is easier for
poor girl to die than to live.
81 am very hungry" she said to her landlady.
Then she moved out of her little cheerless room
at the top of the house. for which she paid $3.50
per week, into an i'll ventilated closet with
rental of half that sum. 1t 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 fifty 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 is
there to live for2 Who cares either for her or
| for the thousand other Mary CARTONS who are
vainly trying to keep the wolf from the door?
We are ell Of one family-are all brothers and
sisters It's a beautiful theory, but only the
ory Il sounds like great truth on Sunday
Il
| Monday morning it 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 ac-
cused OF abandoning her child, bright little
! fellow years of age. The mothers name is
Margaret Schmitz and the boys is Nicholas.
The child was found in the hallway of No.
| l4g West Thirtieth street on Wednesday night,
and is now in charge of the Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty to Children. The mother
| Is undoubtedly little out of her mind.
When she appeared in court yesterday in
the custody of Policeman Warner she held in
her arms baby only four days old. The in
FAINT appeared strong and well, while its mothep
looked i'll and weak. The woman was asked
why she had abandoned her boy.
| 81 didn't mean to abandon him." she an
swercd, with lar away look in her eyes, "but
what could do? This child" pointing to the
| little bunch of humanity in her arms, was
about to bo born. Sunday was homeless and
was walking the streets, with no place to lie
down. | remember creeping into a basement
us it grew late. No one saw me. had a piece
Of candle in my pocket. struck light, and
the bit of n candle burned for little time.
al 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, and | remember putting
more. didn't want to give the people in the
house any trouble, so | kept very quiet. l re-
member that, Judge"
Tho mother went on to say that she leaned
against the wall of the hallway waiting for the
| mil<man lie came at last in the early morn
ing, and she gave the new born child some
| milk. Then she recollocted afterward 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 as She had wandered Sunday about
! the streets.
"Oh | don't know; l don't know" she
moaned in answer. ~ didn't want TO lose my
boy | only wanted some one to take care of
him till could get well again and look out for
him myself. | have had no home for quite a
time, you know. l was all alone, with no one
to help me. New York World.
OFF THE STREET TO DIE
woman tottered down the stone steps into
| an eating house in the basement of "a Park
street on Thursday night A tattered black
serge dress covered her wasted body, and n thin
shawl was thrown over her head. Shivering
| she sunk into the nearest seat, and feebly
called for a cup OF coffee as she placed Ia front
| of her the last two cents in her possession
! When a boy brought her the coffee she drew
! from her pocket a dry crust and tried to eat
| it, but found it too hard and cold. The boy
!
| the woman handed II to him with a sad smile
| In a few moments il was returned, warm and
| soft. She tasted il and swallowed 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 a convulsion
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
woman's face, and said as she gazed upon the
| features;
"oh, that's Annie Mullerl" and then she
| turned away with shrug OF the shoulders and
hurried TO her home the street.
Tho dead woman was found hy Deputy Coro-
per nonlin Yesterday seated just AS she died and
watched by "a big policeman. The business OF
the deputy that death WAS due to Brights dis
| ease
The woman's clothes, though torn, were clean
| Her face was fair and without trace of the
dissipation In which she had lived. and her big
! blue eyes, open and vacant, were rs innocent as
"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 handkerchiefs, two broken sticks OF candy,
/ a cheap wooden rosary, and two salvation
| Army tickets ON which were printed;
! "L0st-All have sinned."
| ~LoOk-Onto me"
] "LiVo-Jesus saved"
/ On piece OF neatly folded and perfectly
/ clean paper was the following;
ION the street, on the stroet,
To and fro, with weary feet,
Aching heart and aching head.