The times., 1898-11-17
FAMILY SICK AND IN NEED.
Snd Case of Destitution in South
Washing ton.

washing ton.
In the dingy rooms on the second floor
of a frame building at e2i x Street south
west is laid the scene of pitiable case OF
destitution. A fathers alleged cruel
abandonment. a mothers want and mis-
cry and untiring love for her young the
of another. and the exposure of third to
contagious disease. contribute to the
sufferings which the story tells us.
Last Thursday little seven-year-old
Mary Marceron died OF diphtheria- She
was without medical attention until few
days before her death. The attention
came then, but 1t was too late. Mrs.
]. a. Marceron. the mother. washed it
for burial. Friends finally came in and
buried the child
Now Helene, the five-year-old sister OF
Mary. is sick with the disease that car
ried off the little one. She has been sick
for several days. Johnnie. her nine-year-
old brother, is pinched and wan for want
of food and proper care. He is exposed to
the disease which has taken away one
sister and will probably cause the death
of another. He sleeps in the same room
with his sick sister, on a bed which con-
ssts of two chairs.
The mother is pale, haggard and worn
out with constant nursing and the lack of
food and clothing. Buoyed up by her un-
firing. never-failing love. she struggles on,
living for her children's sake. The neigh
bors are kindly disposed and bring her
food. but they are poor and have troubles
of their own. They also have children and
fear for their sake to come in contact
with the suffering ones when they would
like to aid.
The little family is confined almost to
one room. There are three rooms in their
suite, but one is closed to them. This is
the room in which little Mary died. 1t
has not been fumigated yet and no one is
allowed to enter it All Mrs. Marcerons s
wearing apparel and most of her bed
clothes are in the room. but she cannot
touch them. The second room is used as
the kitchen and dining room. The fam
ily has little or no use for that now. In
the third room are the little girl, the
brother and the mother. There is but one
bed in the room and the mother and sick
child occupy il. Johnnie, as stated, sleeps
on two chairs.
The sad story was brought to the atten-
ton of the police of the Fourth precinct
last Sunday. and Lieut.. HoIlinberger and
his men have done everything in their
power to relieve the distress of the fam
lily, but they have no fund upon which
they can draw to provide for the suffer-
ers. DIR. Childs, a physician to the poor.
Ill.
nothing but his skill and medicine.
What the unfortunates need is food and
clothing. They have absolutely nothing.
and even were the mother able to leave
her children to seek nourishment she
could not do so, as she is quarantined
and cannot leave the rooms she occupies.
Mrs. Mary C. Heffron, who conducts
small store on the lower floor of 62i K
Street stated to a Times reporter last
night that the condition of affairs up
stairs was most pitiable.
"Neighbors.' she said, "and myself have
tried to help the poor people. but our small
resources are exhausted. Mrs. Marceron
has friends and relatives, but they do not
seem disposed to do much for her. She Is
a good deserving woman and has been
accustomed to a much better life. Her
husband left her about a month ago. He
went, he said, to look for work. She re-
ceived a letter from him, dated Philadel-
phia, a few days ago, in which he stated
that he was in hospital there with
broken arm
The police say that Marceron wan
tonly abandoned his wife and children.
They claim that he is worthless.
Lieut. Hoilinberger will gladly receive
any contributions of money, food, cloth
ing. bed clothing. fuel or anything that
kindly-disposed citizens may wish to give,
and turn it over to the needy family.