The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-19

DEALING THE DOLE.
How Poormaster Hewitt Re-
fieves the City's
Needy.
ALL SORTS OF HELP WANTED.
Wealthy Women Seek Warrants
for kecreant husbands
Scenes in the Old
Engine House.
ALL SORTS OF HELP WANTED.


sThIs has hsen the hardest ummer I
have experienced In years. said Pc, n.
master Hewitt to d reporter of THE
JERSEY CITY NEWS. as he closed the BOOK
in which he keeps a record of those who
are relieved from the poor farm, OF the
city. aud leaned back Ia his office chair.
Jersey City's poormaster Is somewhat of
a philosopher. The years during which
he has so efficiently flied the Office OF the
city almoner has given aim u a wide
experience ia misery and want that he
has formed zone excellent ideas upon
the subject of public charity. Moreover,
he Is full of Interesting "reminiscences
and one can spend a profitabls o 10
conversation with aim.
The city's Poor Department IL on the
ground floor of the nous of old Passaic
Hose Company No. 4. on Bright street,
Just west of Grove. In the old Volunteer
Fire Department days the hose c~ompauies
were NUMBERED BIZ ths Roman numerals.
sud Passaic ~. was com monty known US
sIvy A." 1t is in the old house Of this old
company that Mr. Hewitt has his office.
AT the extreme north end OF the long
room, In which the gorgeous hose car
rage of old Ivy 4 used to stand. a private
office has been boarded off, having In the
partition q small window. A railing ex-
tends along the window y few feet back
of the partition and leaves a small space
between, so that only n person at a
time can approach the window. Around
the sides OF the room are benches upon
which those seeking relief sit until IL
comes their turn to pour their tales OF
woe into the sympathetic ear OF the large
hearted Poormaster
HARD mi THE CAUSE.
tr rkfr{n,r. rla fact That lifa ia QUNh n
hald summer" Mr.. Hewitt went on, ITO
the general financial depression and un-
settled condition of the labor market.
Most Of the increase In the applicants for
temporary relief this summer have been
the families of those who are out of
work OF of those who have gone Co other
places seeking work and have either
deserted their families, becoming tles-
pondent, or are still seeking for employ
meat.n
II came to see II ron could help me
find my brother" said q tfmid voice at
the window which looks from the ma IN
room into the Poormaster's private room.
Mr.. Hewitt glanced up and saw at the
window y pale, grief stricken face with u
pair OF large blue eyes that looked st him
most pleadingiy.
walk in, Madame. walk in,' said Mr..
Hewitt, opening the door aud ushering in
a poorly but neatly dressed little woman.
She said thai she was . widow with two
emall children. She had a brother who
took care Of her and the little ones until
almost two months ago when. losing his
employment in this city he went to Phila-
delphia to look for work. Sin had re-
ceiyed one letter FROM him in which he
told her that he had secured . place, and
when his first payday came around he
would send her some meney.
Since then she had heard nothing from
him. although she had sent tive letters TO
- 49,. r-n-.A IA said hA x1aNhAA aud
had put on them the usual notice: IF
not found TO return to the writer" Shs
had managed to get along until this time.
but there was nothing 10 eatin the house,
and the children were In want OF food
and clothing. She did not come looking
for help. wanted TO fnd her brother.
She mad tried the police but had gotten
little satisfaction from them. The Poor
master told her to write 10 the Pht.adei-
phia police aud they would undoubtedly
hnd the brother II he was In their city.
He rave her some change Ont of his own
pocket to relieve an Immediate w1nt aud
told her to come TO him wheh the child
rem got hungry ana he would see that
they had something to eat. The woman
went away with prOfuse thanks.
ALL SORTS OF RELIEF SOUGHT.
ST feeding the hungry Was all had to
left the room, 81 wouId> have a com-
paratively easy job. But they come here
TO me for all kinds OF things. Mu CHI of
the work l have to do In summer is the
burYing Of the dead children Of the pooF.
l.
You teka da boy t, Snykill7n
The interruption this lime came from
as villafnous a face as I'VE appeared at
the poormaster's window. 1t was u face
all SCARED and marked with bright red
bletchas which look like fresh burns. A
bunch of matted grizzled hairs, through
whfch larOa fv0ria0 Ifkn fhp fnska nf tho
Waverly prize bears. ~protruded. was
where the moth ought to have been,
while thick lunches OF the same hair
stood up all around the profile.
Here was all Italian who SPOKE English
very imperfectly and it took a good deal
of questioning to get from him that there
was an orphan boy &C his home on Rail-
road avenue. whom he had been keeping
since the boys father died some time g
aud that. being unable to care for the
child longer, he wanted the poormaster
TO take him to the ~almshouse.
Mr.. Hewitt was Interrupted several
other times during the half hours con-
versation, with applications Tor all sorts
of relief, but he tmRuaged between times
to give some interesting details of his
work.
THE HARD sTUGGLg FOR BREAD.
He referred To q large number OF cases
upon his books Of noble women who are
fighting a desperate battle win hunger
for the lives OF the little ones whom
death has deprived of a father. He ins
stanced one woman SILL young who had
four children. She managed TO keep
them in food, but the poormaster suu-
piled her with shoes for them. There
was another whose husband had deserted
her aud eight children. aud it was a hard
struggle for her eyen with the assistance
she gets from the city TO Keep her
children from hunger. There was
auother woman whose husband died
leaving her with i've children. Sue
opened a little candy store and managed
to secure an existence for; herself and
her little ones. She was attacked with
q swelling OF one OF her knees. The
City Physician said that II she could get
into a hospital and recsive taeatment at
oil ce she would undoubtedly ecuver.
Mr.. Hewitt arranged to put her In St.
Francis Hospital, and secured places for
the children while she was there. Some
meddlesome people, however, nersuaded
her not to go to The hospital, aud she
listened to them. Now her knee is In
such q condition that she Is q chronic
invalid aud the city is taking care OF her
aud the children.
Mr.. Hewitt declares that the greater