The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-03-17
Mrs. Riley Loses Her Life in Chicago
While Struggling for Bread.
POVERTY AND DISTRESS
Weak with Hunger and Burdened With
Age She Is Pushed Against an Iron
Post by Starving People.


and hungry yesterday morning. Last
night her feeble body was bruised and
battered and lacerated. In fight for
bread-in this case no figure of speech
but simple statement of truth-she
was wrenched and crushed until only
thread of life remained.
Mrs. Riley lives at 1882 Deering
street, in a district where noisesome
orders poison the air. The descent of
of dozen steps below the street level;
a trip of 100 feet back from the street
through a narrow alley f9ored with
loose, rotten and broken boards; then
the ascent of long, steep, irregular,
rickety stairway brings one to Mrs.
3iley's door. There she lives with her
husband and two sons in two small
ooms. The first is kitchen, dining
room and sitting-room, and in the other
these four sleep.
Rotting wood and uncleanable corners
inside; and outside the fostering filth of
a country undiscovered by the street
and alley cleaning bureau throw off ex-
haltations which no ventilation be-
low the power of a hurri 'ane could
carry away. On one stove is cooked
the food when there is food to cook, and
it heats the house when fuel is to be
had. Both fuel and food have been too
scarce this winter in that place called
by custome home.
John Riley, the head of of the family,
could not work much in the winter if he
would. He is too old, being past 20.
John and James, the two sons, stunted
in growth and looking older than their
90 years, would work if they could.
They are teamsters and said to be
sober, honest ooys, but teamsters have
found little to do this winter. When
the hard times came on in the fall they
found themselves with nothing TO do.
Day after day they looked for work, but
everywhere met the same answer-no
men needed. They had few dollars
10 hope. But the dollars were too few
TO hold out against long reaches of cold
days and colder nights. Soon they
were all gone in spite of scrimping.
Then the narrow margin of credit, COM
mon to the very poor, always narrowed
in hard times, disappeared entirely.
No work, no money, no credit, no food,
no fuel was the prospect stretched be-
fore the Rileys. Rather a common
place story, this of the Rileys SO far,
but none the less hard in the living.
Mrs. Riley was in the wrangling,
iostling crowd in Clinton street around
the county agenre Office all day Satur-
day, but too many were there before
her. They went there again yester-
dav morning, walking all the way from
2s32 Deering street, before daylight had
fairly come, TO get a place near the
outer door. They we're successful, and
were among the first admitted to the
big room where the long lines are
formed before the supply windows. AL
though almost as old as her husband,
Mrs Riley was stronger than he. She
took her place in the line, while he
stood apart from the crowd.
Every day this winter the county
agents, assistants and police on duty
there have found these crowds to
manage. The impatience of hunger,
almost in sight of the food, often sends
those in the rear to the front with a
rush, and the policemen are able to
hold the crowd in line only by the exer-
else of main strength.
In such line Mrs. Riley took her
place. 1t was jostling and squeezing
all the time. Age and insufficient food
for days past made her weak, and more
than once she thought she weuld fall.
Her will held her up. One by one the
applicants for aid before her reached
the windows, then moved on out of the
way. Mrs. Riley moved on with the
line until half dozen or so men were
between her and the coveted window.
An iron pillar stood near, and she
leaned against it for a moments
rest.
1t may have only been a momentary
relaxation OF viligance by the police,
or one of the usual rushes from the
rear; anyhow, the crowd broke loose
from control just at the instant Mrs.
Riley leaned against that iron pillar.
The weight of half hundred bodies