The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-25
K1NDEReARTEN DONATIONS.
They Supply Four Topeka Families
With Dinners Today.

From the donations made by the lit
tie boys and girls attending the Cen
trail Congregational kindergarten, four
families were supplied with Thanks
giving dinners today. The supplies
were taken to the kindergarten by the
children yesterday morning, and yes
terday afternoon Mr.. Harry Overholt
and Mrs. E. G. Manning made the dis
tributions.
The names of three supposedly de-
serving families were furnished by
Mrs Thorpe, the police matrOn, and
she Informed Mr.. OverhOlt that he
would probably find a particularly sad
case at 30 Locust street. The first
trip was made to that number, and Mr..
OVerhOIt found that the information
OF the police matron was correct.
The head of the family was, up to
three months ago, employed in the
Santa Fe shops in this city, and had
succeeded in comfortably furnishing a
home for his wife and three children.
But one day while at work he engaged
in an alteration with his foreman and
was discharged, and a few days af-
terward his wife took sick with a lin
gerlng illness He made every effort
to secure work, out failed to find it,
and with sickness at home, what little
money he had saved, soon dwindled
away, and in a little while he found
himself in abject poverty. Since his
discharge his time has been spent in
endeavOring to secure work and in
caring for his wife, and of late it has
only been through the kindness of
neighbOrS that the family has had suf-
fcient to eat. The neighbors say that
the man is almost distracted over the
condition of affairs.
OF the other two families mentioned
by Mrs. Thorpe, one had moved into
the country within the last few days
and to Mr.. Overholt's way of thinking
the tale of destitution in the other was
an imposition. He was informed that
at 500 Tyler street, North Topeka he
would find a family consisting of
man and wife, a grandmother 104 years
old and 1! children; When he arrived
there he found that the grandmother
was quite aged. but instead of II chill
dren, there were but eight, and that
the youngest of these was u years old.
However, a basket of provisions was
left with the family.
While making inquiry for the family
that moved into the country, Mr.. Over
holt was accosted by a little girl who
asked if was taking things around to
poor folks" He replied that just at
that time he was following that busi-
ness, and the child pilOted him to a
house on East Eleventh street. In re-
sponse to the child's calling. the door
opened, and first, one woman, and la
ter, four others, made their appearance
and approached the carriage. Mr.
OverhOlt's eye could detect no traces
of deserving destitutiOn on any of the
cOuntenances, and he was about to
drive on when the chorus of women de-
manded in a very determined way that
they be given sonnet hing, and caused
him to reflect that he was some ten
blocks from Kansas avenue, and a po-
Hceman. He hurriedly thrust a basket
of provisions into the hand of the
child's mother and left the scene as
rapidly as possible.
The fourth basket was presented to
a German widow. residing in Park
dale, who is compelled to support her
self and several children by taking in
washing.