The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-11
JACOBSON'S SAD PLIGHT.
MISFORTUNE THWhRTs mrs sTRUG-
GLE TO FEED MS FAMILY

| Utterly Overcome Artsr Working Contins-
ousiy for 50 Hours, ne Falls senseiess,
Upsetti-e = Lamp fRs Own Hs-ss
Hurped sss the Product OF His Labor
Destroyes-Tss F.-iiy Now Destit-te.
In a small, ill-ventilated room on the second
floor of the tenement at 81 Allen street live
Louis jacobson, a slipper maker. his wife,
and their two young children. This one room
answers the purpose OF living room. kitchen, and
workshop. The Jacobsons were always poor,
but they used to live much better than they have
in the last year go. Times were good be-
fore that, and the father could make enough by
working twelve OF fourteen hours day to keep
the family clothed and fed and still have little
TO put away.
But when the financial depression came the
stores TO whicleIscobson sold the product Of his
work began to cut down the prices they paid.
First they only took few cents of each pair Of
slippers But times kept getting worse, and II
soon came TO pass when jacobson received only
as much for two pairs OF slippers as he formerly
got for one pair. He did not complain, but tried
to make up the deficiency by increasing the
hours for labor. So instead of working twelve
or fourteen hours he spent twenty upon his
work bench. Even this did not do to keep his
family living as they had formerly done. So,
thinking times would surely mend, he began
taking little each week from his small bank
account and before he realized 1t all his savings
were gone. There was nothing TO do now but to
cut down the living expenses.
FOR the last three OF -FOUR months the NUMBER
of times the Jacobsons have eaten meat is small
indeed. throughout their poverty and trials
they remained devoted TO their religion and no
matter how hard pressed for money they are,
put on their best clothes on Saturday morning
and went around to the synagogue on Sussex
street near Broome and prayed toQether Then
Jacobson would come home. don his working
suit, and set to work to make up for lost time.
Often he worked thirty hours, with only long
enough inter intern to allow him to eat hi.
Yom KInnur with 81" .od ,s @ppr0uI ~ ha
1t meant to him period OF ideness, and though
.s s s, ,,, ~ we ". nn n.' ~ .,',nA "a'
crease of sustaining food both before and after.
He tried to convince himself that he was too
poor to keep up the custom, but 1t was no use.
so he resolved to work continually until he had
enough supper "sue 70 guy suinc'en. ioou lor
.he family ne inquired that oy working three
amount ~ .linners could no conn,s,ed
"noun. y, ohpp.is .ouiu oo eoi"p'eV"'
h, snrx O%
" 50 49, ,s, ~ VS."
helping him rs much as possible When IL got
late on Saturday night, he made his wife 90 to
hed A. Tor himself bs vorkad on sunday
oeu. as ior h'ihse", no %orA.u vi. ouhuay
began helping her husband again. On sunday
nignt the long straih began 70 zen ON MN.
Despite himself his eyes would shut and his
hands fall all, to o., hi. side Then he would prod
himself WIN n anu .n e, snp pam "ouiu
sewing at the Slippers, HIS wife tried to make
him 20 to bed At midnight bpt he steadily re.
poSdinE away. ' Il Became nscesssry as A tie
hours passed ;, to stick himself with his awl
ished twelve psirs of slippers. and had been
working ffty.two hours without rest or inter
stay awake. He beat his feet on. the floor,
rubbed his eyes, and prodded himself with his
fired natnrs and by
ing the poor slipper maker pitched forward in
oil lamp 6y which he had been working. In
falling he upset the table and landed on the floor
dred pieces, letting the oil escape, 1t
caught fire, and In moment the insen-
His wife, awakened by the crash of the falling
table and lamp, Jumped from the bed with a
Shrek psSd s tine m WIN nsf S snd hfs
not awaken the worn-out jacobson, and when
some OF the other tenants OF me mouse t oroEs
cries, they found her trying TO smother the fire
which enveloped her husband They rushed 10
her assistance and soon put the fire out, but not
before poor Jacobson's hands had been badly
scorched, so that the skin dropped Off OF them
at a touch, and his beard was burnt close to his
face.
They picked him up and laid him upon the |
bed Then some of them got bucket OF water |
and poured IL over his face. The cold water |
awakened him. and still unaware Of what had
happened he got up from the bed and In adaZed
way asked his wife what all the people were In
their room for. When he learned the reason |
the first thing he did was to look and see II the
twalVa pArs of sUperS safe, The coal oil |
had soaked into the plush part OF them and
caught fire, and every pair was badly burned. |