The morning call., 1892-09-29
In POVERTY and In rags.
A Starving Woman Found
in a Shanty.
CONVEYED TO THE HOSPITAL
Sad Phase of City Low Life-Mamie Evans
Deserted and Left to Die
Alone.

A phase of low life in this city was
brought to light yesterday by Officer
WhaleD.
In a rookery near the corner OF Eighth
and Brannan streets he discovered young
woman who had been four days without
food and almost at the point of death
And the discovery was made in this way:
When the Board of Health determined to
place the city in frst-class sanitary con-
dition the policemen were in their capacity
of ex-offieio health inspectors directed to
make house to house inspection on their
respective beats. and report any that should
require the attention of the Board of
Health.
Yesterday afternoon officer Whalen
started in to make an inspection of num-
Der of shanties and novels on Eighth street,
near Brannan, and the aggregation Of
buildings which are part Of the Treadwell
estate and known as "Jim Less Ranch"
where low women and men who are no bet
ter, copgregate.
The officers found several of these places
| passably clean, and then passed to the rear
OF the lot and discovered a pile OF foul
smelling garbage thrown up against the
wall OF two-story tumble-down structure
| that would be used by few as a place Of
shelter for dumb animal.
The officer concluded to investigate fur
| ther and if he found any one in the prem
! ises arrest them for maintaining a nuisance
| detrimental to public health.
He ascended rickety flight of steps that
| creaked under his weight, and pushed back
a door.
| The interior was dslapidated. filthy in the
| extreme and barren of furniture. In fact
he thought the place was deserted and was
| about to retire, when he gave another look
around the rooms, and in the corner of one
saw what he supposed was bundle of rags
He approached ii, and saw that in fact il
was bundle of rags, but that. soiled as
they were. they covered the form or a
woman with pinebed face, CLASSY eyes,
disheveled hair and fevered brow.
The woman seemed as II she was about to
breathe her last, ,sand she was so weak that
she could not speak above whisper.
The officer questioned her and learned
that her name is Mamie Evans; that she Is
81 years of age. She left her home. corner
of Sixth and Harrison streets, TO link her
fortunes with one Jack Evans, notorious
character, who, when he tired of her,
placed her in this shanty and then deserted
her.
She said that she became sick, was with
out money, that no one came to see her. and
that for four days she had not tasted food,
because she did not have it,
The discovery soon became known and
several teachers Of the Eighth-street
School went to the shanty with food and
clothes for the woman.
These kind women made the almost
starved woman as comfortable as possible.
and in the meantime the hospital ambulance
was sent for.
One of the officials from the Health Office
ordered the removal of the woman. but In
feeble manner she protested, declaring that
she wanted to die where she was. She was
lifted up tenderly and carried to the am
bulanee, and was then rapidly driven to the
Receiving Hospital.
DIR. Somers, who examined her, found
that she is partially paralyZed and suffering
from the effects of some powerful drug.
To-day she will be sent to the County
Hospital