The San Francisco call., 1896-02-03

F. Holbrook and McMurray of the
Children's Society visited the place the
same afternoon. They found an indescrib-
able state of filth and restitution.
In the tumble-down shanty was an old
woman dressed in rags. With her was
little child about two years of age.
with her head wrapped up in dirty shawl,
old bits of flannel tied to her feet by pieces
OF string, and everything she wore foully
dirty. The shanty contained couple of
broken chairs fastened together with wire,
a number of battered milk-cans and q
quantity of broken mildewed harness. a
wooden shelf holding few rags was the
only apology for bed in the rooms, and
the broken stove filed the place with
dense black smoke.
The roof was broken in dozen places
and bore evidences OF having admitted a
large amount of the recent rains into the
wretched rooms. In a shed adjoining two
bony horses were standing knee deep in
mud. The younger OF the Two had evil
IDENTIFY had food that day. but the old
horse was in starving condition, and had
eaten away large portion of its manger,
as well as part of the post to which it was
attached. Standing in the yard was
an old cart, which Mrs. McNally
said she used to peddle vegetables and
before the carts days of usefulness de-
parted, however. Yesterday it looked like
battered ship cast up on the beach.
The officers of the two societies politely
suggested that they had come to relieve
Mrs. McNally's necessities. The old
woman answered Indignantly that she
wanted no charity, but, on the contrary,
was well-to-do. In reply to questions she
said she was native OF Oregon, that her
husband had been killed couple of wears
ago while driving through the streets of
San Jose, and that she came down in No
vember from her ranch in San Benito
county, leaving her son to manage her
property there. The child, she said,
was her niece, the daughter of her brother
in-law, Barney McNally, who lived in Ore
gon, and had given the child to her to take
care Of
The neighbors, when questioned, scout
ed tie idea of the child being taken care
of; they said the little one was neglected.
They also said that Mrs. McNally was the
owner OF the property on which she was
found, as well as of lots on Howard street.
Her daughter, whose age she refused to
divulge, lived with her, the old woman
stated, but was wild girl and frequently
stayed out all night.
The officers believed that there was
every reason for arresting Mrs. McNaiiy
on the grounds of cruelty to children and
to animals. Early the same evening they
went to the shanty on York street with
warrant for her arrest.
Just as they were leading her to the pa
troll wagon she begged Nj. McCurrav and
/. McMurray to allow her to see the
horses before leaving. The woman went
straight to the woodpile. and after cropping
there a while and hiding something in the
waist of her dress, announced her readi-
ness to go to the wagon.
On reaching the Seventeenth-s sta
tion she was found to have the sum of
$4742 so tied up in f1oursack and then COW
cred with a gunnysack hidden in the waist
of her dress. Most OF the money was in
$40 gold pieces and was blue and mildewed
with damp and age. Evidently this money
Of the woodpile when she went there ac-
companied by the officers.
The woman remained at the station,
booked on the charges of cruelty to chill
dren and animals. The little girl was sent
to the Youths Directory.
Mrs. McNally gave her age as 40 years,
but she looks much older.
The weazened little widow, who seemed
aged by care and privation rather than
years. gave up her gold to the care OF the
officers with much reluctance. From the
wicket of her cell she watched them count
it and when they missed one tiny gold
piece she told them where they would find
it in the old gunnysack. She did not
close her eyes through the night hours
Her face never left the wicket for mo-
ment, and the officer who dozed by the
fire said her fierce, uncanny gaze gave him
the nightmare three times.
Early yesterday morning she was taken
to the Central Police station, and after
three hours in the bastile her resolution to
remain in jail rather than pay the bail
wavered. She at last paid the $50 required
for the charge of cruelty to children and
$40 for cruelty to animals and wended her
way from jail, poorer by $50. Before leav-
ing she engaged Walter Gallagher to de-
fend her.
She walked from the City Hall to her
miserable home on York street, carrying
her gunnysack with its precious load. 70
the few who accosted her she hastened to
say: II have some meat in that bag"