The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-07
HOW THE OTHER HALF DIE.

Edward w. Townsend, in New York Sun.
Me and the murdered lady was the only
American ladies in the tenement said the
woman who had given Tommy a piece of
crust with some sugar on it.
Tommy could not eat the crust and did
not seem to crave for the sugar, for after
he had held it to his pale lips a moment
he let it drop from his little weak fingers
to the floor, where two larger children
fought for it until one of the Italian wom-
en- raped them over their heads and drove
them out CT the room, still snarling and
fighting.
Pietro, the old Italian boarder, who held
Tommy in his arms, crooned, Poor Tow
my. Poor Towmy-" and tried to place the
baby's arms about his own brown and
wrinkled neck, but Tommy's hands dropped
to his side, too weak to do anything else.
Her name was Maggie continued the
American to the stranger. "She come here
from Cherry Hill and took UP with a Guin>
ny here in Mulberry Bend. He abused her
terrible, and the chair is too good for him."
Some of the Italian men scowled at the
word "Guinny." They could not understand
all the American woman said, but they
caught that word and showed their re-
sentiment. The Italian women, who could
understand less English than the men,
moaned, "Oh, Gesui Oh, Gesu! Oh, Santa
Mariar' their feelings moved more by the
excitement than by horror at the crime
or sorrow for the murdered woman. Maggie
had not been popular in that back ten
ement. nor in the court in front of it,
where nearly all the life they knew went
on.
Poor Towmy! Poor Towmy!' crooned
old Pietro, patting the child's thin dirty
little hands with one of his big hard palms.
Tommy turned his pale, pinched face and
big. beautiful, hopeless eyes toward .Pietro,
signed YEARLY, ana then ms ms eye gl, ofoopeo
Il wonder will the society agent be here
first. or the wagon" a young woman tney
called Lena said, with an air or important
The wagon, sure answered Lizzie, the
governmental affairs of Mulberry Bend bet
ter than anyone else, not born there, could.
Rowervl Hester street way. She took up
with a pickpocket, not of her race, ana
had been driven from her peoples colon;
Even on the Bend she dared not go around
to the Baxter-street side of the block, FOR
they are nearly all Jews there; as nearly
SO as on the Mulberry-street SIDE they are
Italians. So she was practically a prisoner
in the tenement and It's court, because the
police would not let her go out on the
the orders came from headquarters TO Keep
the women out OF the saloons there LOT the
protection of Jack ashore.
Its near time for the wagon, then' am
it%' Lena asked of Lizzie.
the cop to go to the Tombs with Joe and
wait till he Is held? And then the sergeant
sends word to the coroner: ana ne don se"uS
Lena was impressed by this display OF
superior knowledge. and renamed silehl
for a time. She looked into the closet bed,
room. where Maggie's body was huddled
in the corner where she had fallen on her
knees while Joe slashed her life out.
The policeman had taken away only Joe
and the knife; all else in the blood-spat-
tered room remained as it was an hour
go ubon fba startled tenants rushed In
and found Tommy crawling over the pody,
and Joe, maniacaly drunk, Laughing ana
the room where the crowd was now; one
of the two rooms occupied by Joe and Mag
gle and Tommy and the boarder.
II wonder couldn't we do something to
make Maggie look decenter," Lena WINS
only sounds had been the moaning of the
women. "Oh, Gesup' and the grooming OF
old Pietro. Poor Towmy! Poor IN
.I wonder you want to go to the island
Lizzie snapped back harshly. Don't you
know you'd get pinched If you touched the
body before the wagon comes When Mollie
Arditti's Johnnie fell from the window and
was lead before Moll.e got there. and she
carried him up to her room. didn't the
island for making them climb all the stairs,
when the kid died in the court! That's the
Mr.. Moran was the policeman left on
guard until the wagon and the society
BABY. He was seated by the window. on
the only chair in the room, reading a news
paper. He told the women to shut their
mouths and not trouble him.
The room where the tenants were gath
cred was not more than ten feet wide and
not quite so deep as that. for the back ten
ements were shallow buildings. Still the
owner felt justified in crowding two sets
of rooms on each floor; a two-room set in
front looking out on the court, and a three
room set in the rear--there was more space
there. the stair well being in f~ront-looking
out on the sheds where the wagon peddlers
stabbed their horses.
me la. ger 81 tie two rooms, the one in
which the rel. bors were, contained the
stove, a tin trunk Joe had brought with
him from Italy. one chair and Pietros cot
In the little room adjoining there was only
a bundle of old blankets and clothes on
which Joe, Maggie, and Tommy slept.
Piefro paid the rent for both rooms. but
he had. besides his bed, his breakfast and
dinner when there was anything 20 COOK
and Magzie was sober enough 10 prepare