The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-23
RESCUE HOME WORK.
The Oft Told Tale of Della Laugh
lin and Mary Ellen Brady.

At the Grand street Free Reformed
Church last night. Mr.. M. Guindon.
New York evangelist, told of some OF the
good deeds performe by New York mis-
sionaries in the dives of the metropolis.
The meeting was held under the auspi ces
of Mr.. d. n. Bergen and II. G. Newman
the Rescue Mission, and the proceeds
were devoted to the Industrial Home
which it is intended to build in Ihis city.
Mrs Guindon is stout, pleasant look
ing lady. She is the wife OF New 7 ork
banker and for several years she has
been actively engaged fD rescue WORK In
New York. The Rev. Charles Ciist, the
pastor of the church, was Chairman OF
the meeting.
Mrs. Guidon spoke first on the rescue,
life and death of Della Laughlin. Della
Laughlin was one of the most remarkable
of women" she said. Reared in an at
mosphere of vice in the heart of the New
York slums, her parents poor
and lowly. and she subjected to
all kinds of temptations, she soon Became
a woman of the town. At sixteen years
ofage she looked like full formedwoman
She WAS powerful and handsome, aud
owing TO her great physical strength was
a terror to her female companions,
and many men dreaded her strong right
arm. Its said of her that while drunk
two policeman and it required the COM
bined efforts of six to lock her In a cell.
She boxod at several concert gardens on
the Bowery ana was terrible woman IN
more ways than one.
"The Rescue Circle of New York, of
which nm member, has permission
from the Mayor of New York to visit the
dives in the different parts of New York
city once week, and the police
have orders to see that we are not
molested. On the night that Della
Laughlin was rescued. the members of
the circle visited the dives In Mulberry
Bend. They we're thesworst in the city.
the rear. When We entered the room
it was so full of smoke
that for a few seconds we could not dis
tinguish anything. Then we saw this
Amazon, Della Laughltn, sitting Oh
beer keg surrounded by group
of men. She was the only female
in the place; anu the aa fumes
While we were looking on the scene there
was racket overhead, and an old gray
haired man came tuln bling down flight
of stairs. The old man was bleeding from
an awful cut in the head.
"sWho hit you, pop?' cried Della Laugh
lin, jumping from the beer keg and wip
ing the blood from his gray hair with her
dress.
The old man murmured the name of his
assailant, and the next instant Della
LaDghlin was flying upstairs.
"There was short struggle, and soon
we heard fellow begging for mercy. He
was Delia's victim. After what we saw,
we believed there was some good
in Della Laughlin, the terror
of Mulberry Bend and we spoke with
her. At first she laughed at us ana
said we were chumps. But we persisted
and spoke with her for over an hour,
and finally she listened to us.
That was the beginning of
the end. Della Laughlin gave up
most aggressive workers for the cause.
She worked for seventeen months with
the Rescue Circle, and converted hun
dreds Of souls and died a happy death.
'sThen there was the case OF Mary
Ellen Brady, one OF the prettiest girls
night she came into the Florence Mission
drunk. No notice was taken OF her. She
came in drunk several times, but
finally one night she came IN
sober, and the mission workers reasoned
with her, and in a short time succeeded
in inducing her to give up her life OF
shame, and Mary Ellen Brady became,
aud IS to this day one OF the greatest mis-
sion workers in the country.
sAud you have Della Laughlins and
Mary Ellen Bradys in your cityr' con-
cuded the speaker.
1T is only two weeks ago that a
young woman, handsome and refined,
came to our home in New York
where she had been sent By Mr.. Newman
because there were no Accommodations for
her in your city. The young woman was
graduate of the Philadelphia High
School and was talented. Her father was
drnnkard. and her ster-mother drove her
from home. She came TO Jersey City
met some evil companions and visited the
Washington Garden. She was about to
go on The downward career, when, one
night, she stepped into the Newman
Mission, where her beauty and apparent
loneliness attracted attention. The mis-
sion workers talked to her, and Mr.. New