The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-01

CRATE to the United States For a time the
Dryers lived in New York, but about 1915
they went to Tennessee, then bowling
wilderness, frequented by characters made
familiar in Simms' border romances.
But little of Miss Dryers early life in
Tennessee is known. There was some talk
of love affair which was broken by her
betrothed, and on the receipt of the news
she resolved never to marry, VOW she
faithfully kept. In 1854, she came to Cali
fornia and rejoined her sister, Mrs. Walsh,
who was the mother of Mrs. Townsend,
now living near the corner of Quinn and
Guerrero streets. She lived with her sis
ter until the latter's death about twenty
years ago and since that time she has been
dependent almost solely upon her own
efforts for livelihood.
A woman so years of age does not find it
easy, however, to prosper in a bustling
city. Miss Dwyer, therefore, found her
lot no easy one. She became a servant in
the family of Mrs. Pepper, but despite
their many kindnesses she declined,
through pride, to live with them longer.
She went from place to place, but with
each successive change she found her lot
becoming daily worse and wondered often,
no doubt, if death had forgotten her in the
lapse of dreary years.
In the meantime her nephew, an old
to provide for himself, undertook to assist
her. Joseph Dryer keeps dingy drug
shop at 613 Jackson street. Yet Mr.. Dwyer
managed somehow to make enough to
supply his aunt and himself with a few
vegetables and the like. The struggle for
existence was hard, and finally they had
to submit to the inevitable.
Three years ago the couple rented a
room at 734 Montgomery street, in lodg-
ing-house kept by a Mrs. Marks, a rough
but compassionate creature. In a sort of
alcove Mr.. Dwyer had thrown some pieces
of carpet, newspapers and old cast-off arti-
cles of clothing on the floor and made this
his bed. To the right of the door stands a
low pallet, covered by tattered blanket
and number of newspapers. This is
Miss Dryers bed on which she now lies
in the throes of death.
The room is in an exceedingly filthy con-
dition. The carpetless floor is deeply COW
cred with dust, and on table stood various
cooking utensils, dishes and the like. The
windows have not been washed for years,
apparently, and over the panes hang some
newspapers as curtains. Miss Dwyer lay
in an unconscious condition upon the
pallet yesterday.
II went to several benevolent societies to
get help for Miss Dwyer," said Mrs. Marks,
the landlady, 'but none of them would in
terest themselves in the old lady. | am
poor myself, but did not suspect that she
was so badly off. She used to tell me that
she was doing nicely, but when she broke
down week ago [ found that she had had
nothing to eat for several days. She was
too proud to tell any one of her condition,
but held up bravely to the last"
DR.. E. ?. Tierney was called to attend
Miss Dwyer and he pronounced her case
hopeless. He stated that starvation and
exhaustion, consequent to old age, would
prove the causes of her death. The wo-
man possessed good constitution and had
she had enough to eat he thought she
m light have lived for years longer.
Miss Dryer is quite well known to local
artists. She has posed for several of them
at the Hopkins Art Institute and had the
reputation of having the neatest little feet,
from an artistic standpoint, of any woman
in the city.
John Dwyer, her nephew, is, by reason
of his advanced years and the paralyzed
condition of his limbs, unable to care for
himself properly and is in need of as
sistance. An effort will be made by those
who know the aged couple to provide
Dwyer with a home and to give his aunt
a decent burial when her death, which can
10k he 60, Dfq