The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-21
AMONG THE WORKERS.
The Ladies' Tell of the Large Amount of
Suffering In the City.

The Ladies' Tell of the Large Amount of
Suffering In the City.
The poor of Roanoke are suffering::not
only for food. fuel and medicines. but
there are cases where worthy peo-
pie are destitute of clothing. Only
yesterday some of these people
were taken care of by the la
dies OF st. Johns Church. Their con.
dition was discovered only by accident,
and when found these unfortunates were
almost nude. There is a depth Of
charity in the benevolent organiza tions
OF the city. Though they give with
anxious hands it is with tho utmost
difficulty that these societies are able to
learn OF the distress. The worthy poor
are cautious even in their indigence
TIMES reporter who visited last
evening number of ladies, who arc de.
voting thor time and means to the
amclioratiion of poverty in the city,
was surprised t the unusual mum bers of
actual distress they cited. In every in
stance numberless new cases were
spoken of. There are two benevolent
societies in the city composed entirely
OF ladies They arc the Ladies' Union
Benevolent Society of Roanoke and the
Circle Of Charity of the Kings Daugh.
ters.
OF tho latter Mrs. Frank Hueer is
president; Mrs. Horace Patterson, vice.
president; Mrs George R. Henderson,
treasurer, and Mrs w. e. Miugea, sec.
rotary. The former has for it's officers
Mrs. Lille w. Mccoy. president: Mrs.
Stuart secretary, and Mrs. Van Horn,
treasurer. Tney are doing wonderful
work. One OF the earnest workers of
last named society, Miss Josephine M.
Woltz, said to the reporter last evening,
while speaking of the amount of poyor;v
in tho city:
Mayor Trout said to mo to .day that
the sum appropriated for the poor was
almost exhausted" and in reply to
query by the reporter, she said: There
are number at cases of absolute desti-
tuition in the city, but 1t seems as if
they would not ask our aid.
"The most necessary thing that we
need to further our object is the earnest
assistan o Of the ladies' of the CITY. We
want workers. Our meetings take place
on the second Saturday of each mon h,
but II necessary sps cial meeting could
oe called in order to have q thorough
understanding as to the disposal of the
funds now being collected bv The
INES There is great need OF an i'm.
mediate di. position of the donations.
We are obliged in our organization to
deal with various Kinds of cases. We
see, for instance, husbands who will
not work, yet arc surrounded by fami-
lies who are in alb, olute want, bnt we
cannot withhold our charity from these
two fold sufferers.
There is unusual suffering in the
eastern portion OF the city, especially
among tho colored washerwomen, as
during the c'ld weather they have been
unable to procure water with which 10
do their washing. IL is peculiar cir
cumstance that we are never obliged to
help widows, ths calls being made
mostly by mothers who are burdened
with INDECENT husbands. The poor need
Clothes more than anything else We
advanced So today for clothes to fam
lily IN the north western part OF the
town who wers almost nude.
hTherc arc sOmo undeserving poor
who are taken care OF for the sake of
the:s cnildren, yet thev still write beg.
cling letters. For this reason charity
should be organized. The Pocahontas
Coal Company has been very generous.
having already donated three car loads
OF coal, which has been DISPOSE Of.