People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-06-23
HUNGER CONQUERED HIM.
And So AIphOnse Miller, a Homeless
Man, Stole Milk.

New York World.
Locked up in the Yorksville prison,
with common thieves, wife heaters
and drunkards, is poor fellow who
stole because he was hungary.
He was taken to the Yorkville
court yesterday morning for stealing
two bottles of milk from an areaway.
His name is Alphonse Miller, and as
he is Swiss and has only been here
five months, he could not say very
much for himself and hardly under
stood what was said to him. His
face was so honest, and his clothes,
though very poor and threadbare,
were so neat that a World reporter
went to his cell after he was locked
up and heard his story. He is
twenty-four years old, and was born
in Canton Basel, Switzerland, where
he learned the trade of machinist
thoroughly. Five months ago the
glowing stories of the wealth of this
country led him to emigrate. He
had saved some money, and at first
managed to get along, although he
found that 1t was not easy for a
stranger to secure employment. Still
he managed to get odd jobs here
and there. He had a room at No.
403 East Thirty-fifth street, and paid
his rent till about three weeks ago.
Then he could not get work, and
since then he has been that pitiable
creature, homeless man. He slept
where he could and ate what he
could, and it was little enough. He
managed to keep alive somehow, as
poor men do, and with hunger gnaw-
ing at him he walked the streets,
looking vainly for work.
On Friday morning he was faint
with exhaustion. All that day he
had nothing to eat Night fell, and
he slept under the open sky. When
the dawn of yesterday came he be-
gan to ''move on" again. He was
very hungry. On Eighty-ffth street,
between Ninth and Tenth avenues,
a wagon Of the Smith Dairy Com
pany passed him. The rosy-cheeked,
well-fed driver was whistling cheer
fully and did not observe the man
who was watching the full milk bot
ties so greedily. The man turned
away twice, but he could not resist
the temptation. He followed the
wagon. Near Ninth avenue the
driver left two bottles in the area
way of one of the houses. The
starving man crept down the base
ment steps, seized the bottles and
started to go. But a night watch
man, Philip Piper, of No. 232 East
One Hundred and Eighth street,
saw him. Piper Is not more hard
hearted than other people, probably.
But he had had his morning meal,
and here was a man stealing, and
stealing is crime. So he called
Policeman Hazleton, of the West
Sixty-eighth street station, and they
caught this criminal red handed. He
was a thief, and the murmured
words, ''Ich war so bungrig," had
nothing to do with the case He
pleaded guilty and was held in court
for examination in default of $500
bail.
The reporter found Miller in a lit
tie dark cell with about six others.
His blue eyes were moist with tears
while he told his story, and he said
helplessly: "If I could only get
work. 1 have tried hard, 50 very
hard, and it is terrible to be locked
up as thief. But was SO hungry"
The prison keepers, who could not
understand the poor fellows broken
English, when they were told of his
case, promised to give him a cell by
himself and to make it as easy for
him as their orders would permit.
He will have the freedom of the
tiers. A man who became interested
in his case Informed the Swiss Con-
sui about it.