The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-09
FIGHT FOR REFUSE.
Battle Waged by Scavengers at a
Dumping Place.
Offal Seized on and Carried 10 Homes to
Be- Used as Food.

The pictures OF poverty that have been
drawn of cities OF considerable size and
in districts where nature has not been
generous to the soil have been numerous,
and in strong contrast to the poverty
scenes have been portrayed In the homes OF
the rich. Some have thought that then the
story was all told but even the statement
that there are more persons In this city
az in every community IN this land who,
though In moderate circumstances, enjoy
more of the comforts of life than did
their predecessors on the stage, does not
conclude the case as to the present fit-
ness OF things, at least some thought 90
when this tale was told In newspaper
office.
These remarks are but preparatory to o
sight that NEWS man saw on one OF
the city dumps last Monday. lhe dump
in question 10 to the west OF Federal Hill.
1t is customary for the butchers and
market men OF the city TO dump such
stun as Is unAalsble out there. Some
times they have quite lot OF 1t but last
Monday the amount was smaller than
women gathered there was hercer even
than it generally is, aud the scene was
an animated .one. Not pleasant, no, but
even to the man who sometimes finds In
the daily story, portion Of which he
chronicles, no matter how inadequatsiy, Q
pioturssqusness that must be sadly unap-
parent to the ones chiefly interested In
In - N
had their children with them, and they
ell fought with O strength and determi-
nation for this offal that would have led
one to believe that either there was hid
den somewhere in the decayipg stun
some gem OF great worth, or that no
where else on this fruitful earth was there
food that they could get to keep soul and
body together But this story is written
not to draw attention to the apparent
Rruesome poverty that one witnessed
there, no, the tale has been often told and
| few earnest men there are but know that
OF poverty there 10 enough, but to call at
tention to the fact that many OF these
women who fight like vulturss for the
| stuff over q dead carcass have husbands
working.
"That's pretty bad" said . man, who
| noticed the reporter watching the trouble
and the latter admitted that 1t was,
"stin it's probable you don't see oil II
MEANS" said the man who WAS disposed
| to be communicative. "It looks like
poverty sure enough" admitted the
newspaper fellow. "Bshp' said the man,
whose tongue seemed to have the heart
| In II, "No, 1t means that men, the
women of whose houses cannot do such
things 40 that have to 60 TO the wall. ,
Asked to further explsin 1t hs said
"About all the women you SEQ there hav'
husbands and sometimes more than ont
of their family at work within sight o
your eyes. The men get small wages bu'
they are saving money and either bank
ing 1t or buying property under tho smai
wages that the present Sad condition OF
business makes II necessary TO pay tina,
Q profit be realized.
"1hess women get enough food, no, 4
Is not fair to designate such stun as foot
for their tables and they save; but th'
man who divides his earnings with th
grocer ana the butcher and wants Il
send his childrtn little longer to school
than the law compels him to do, he cam
always wear . happy smile when the Gu
down comes and Q grumbier 10 no
wanted. 80 the, mon with women IL
their homes of this class'get work " her
ono who has lived longer hare and spend
his money does not. It's sad, hare
story, that's ALL"
The man asked for match, but he 60
cigar from his fellow workman, wh'
had listened to ell the tale. Then the re
porter thought and thought, but philoso
piers and statesmen have the rightinI