The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-26
CHRISTMAS OF THE POOR.
Turkeys by the Thousands for the
UnfortunateS in Gotham.
BOTH THE DESERVING AND THOSE
WHO ARE NOT, REMEMBERED.

SICK III the Darkness of the Tombs Had
Some Holiday Cheer-New York Had
Many Guests-Hard Up Men from All
over the Country Flocking to the Me-
tropolis.
New York, December 25.-The very
air of New York tlrobs with the senti-
ments and virtues which the chimes of
Christmas have already run in. The
chief of these cardinal graces is easily
charity.
Eighteen thousand four hundred and
fifty-two pounds of chicken and 4613
pounds of turkey were provided for the
the city institutions alone, 1900 pounds
going to the city hospital on Blaekwelrs
Island, over 400 pounds to the peniten-
tiary, $500 punds to the alinsh house, 1876
punds to the incurable hospital over
1000 pounds to the workhouse, and $500
bounds to the city asylum: On Randall's
Island the hospital got almost 400
pounds, the Infants Hospital 45o pounds
and the branch of the penitentiary so
pounds. On Wards Island the hospital
100 pounds. and the asylum almost 1000
pounds. The city asylum on Harris
Island received almost $500 punds.
Nor has the Egyptian darkness of the
Tombs. missed the genial Humiliation of
the. official philanthropy which shines
fol-. one day of the year to mitigate the
sufferings of imprisonment. The caitiffs
thereconfined got 800 pounds of poultry,
to say nothing Of the apples and oranges
galore. TO the minor jails of Jefferson
Market and Essex Market and Yorkyille
and Harlem, no less than 900 pounds of
turkey and chicken were consigned,
while in addition to the lavish Christ
mas fare received by the inmates of
Bellevue, Harlem, Gouyerneur and Ford
ham, the asylum for the insane at Cen
trail Island was remembered to the ex-
tent of 800 pounds of various fowls. The
sacrifice of the typical A american bird in
the interest gofhpublic and municipal
charity was pheno menal.s sx,1@a& :.
!. In addition to the magnificent com
fort and succor provided by the city.
private benevolence invaded every pris-
on, every hospital, every asylum, every
house, every. place in which poverty and
distress listen with indescribable hope,
for words of sympathy and cheer. For
ests OF Christmas trees blossomed with
dolls and toys and goodies for those to
whom such remembrances would other
wise be denied. At the Barefoot Mission,
SO Wests oath street, were distributed
5000 pairs Of shoes from the Christmas
tree. Children are mainly the beneficial
ries, and toys, stockings, candy and
clothing were given in addition to the
shoes. The newsboys were not forgot
ten. Their annual Christmas dinner
took place in their lodging house at p.
m.
Most of the commitals to the penal
institutions on Saturday from the up
town courts were able-bodied young men
who had come from cities in Connecticut
and other parts of New England. One
of these visitors from the East was a
gentleman who said he had embezzled
$500 in Boston three years ago, and under
stress of hunger desired 20 be at once
returned there at the expense of New
York. s3A
ported themselves from Chicago, where,
by all accounts, the ebb of the EXPOSE
ton had left behind an appalling amount
of restitution among mechanics. Others.
who, in the spring, had listened eagerly
to the advice of demagogues in Denver
to bring proud and pitiless New York to
her knees, demanded without hesitation
the shelter of her hospitality and taste
of her good cheer.
In the Tombs, President Porter, as
sisted by Warden Fallon, made an at
tempt Saturday and Sunday to sort out
the city's own poor from those of other
cities. 1t was the warden's report that
only 100 Migrants had been committed in
all to the Tombs, which he considered
q remarkably small number considering
the hard times.
The general consensus of the police
officials seems to be that the native and
resident poor are not at all in excess of
the usual and normal figures, but that
New York is literally overrun by strang-
ers who come to share in the public
benefaetions of the town.
For the Poor of Belfast.
Belfast, Me-, December 25.-Mrs. David
Perrie of Belfast, has made a Christmas
gift of $500 in money for the suffering
moor of the citv = s-5f7