The evening times., 1898-10-11
DESTITUTE AND STARVING.
Sad Condition of n Soldiers Famil!
Brought to Light.

Sad Condition of Soldiers Family
Brought to Light.
Mrs. Mary Scott, the wife of James
Scott a member of the Ninth United
States Cavalry. and her four children
are sick and starving at their home NO
1924 Olive Street, Georgetown. Mrs. Scott
is very i'll, and is utterly destitute of
means with which 10 buy the necessaries
of life for her children. one of whom Is
| a babe only three months old. She has
been confined to her bed for the last
week. and the children have subsisted on
the charity of the neighbors. Mrs. Scott
has been unable to buy any medicines
or have a physician to attend her, and
she has been compelled to lie suffering
the tortures incident to a severe attack
of fever without even the bare necesSi-
ties. Her case was brought TO the at
tention of Major Sylvester at a late hour
last night and with his accustomed en-
ergy he Immediately sent a physician to
report the true state of affairs and pro-
| vide the woman with the medicines she
may need.
| James Scott enlisted in the Ninth Cav
airy at the beginning of hostilities be-
tween this country and Spain, and has
| When ne left his home his wife was
! able TO support herself and her children.
/ the eldest of which Is nine years of age.
| by taking in washing. but for the last
| two weeks the poor woman has been un-
| able TO do any work One week ago yes
| terday she sent her Oldest child. a girl.
! to the house of John Lee, a coIored la
| borer. whom she had known before her
| marriage, for assistance. Lee did not
| go to the house, but sent the required re-
| lief by the little messenger in the form
| of small sum of money. Last night he
| called at the house TO collect the loan, as
Mrs. Scott had told him to do. and
! found his debtor in a deplorable condi-
ton. He had not the heart to ask the
sufferer for the money he had deprived
himself TO lend her, but set about doing
| what he could to relieve her from
| further trouble. He went to his employ
| er and stated the facts in the case TO
| her, explaining that he had done all he
| could 10 allay the sufferings of the un-
| happy family. She made an inyestiga-
| ton, and gave her servant a note to a
! prominent worker in the charities of the
| District, in which she explained that the
| object of the letter was the wife OF
! soldier. and'was entitled to relief. The
| latter directed Lee TO the police sta
tion. where he was told he would find
| the needed relief.
The police department have no connec-
| tion with the charities al present. other
| than to provide physicians for the indi-
gent residents of their precincts, and as
the man could not give a good account
| of the condition of the woman, other
than to say that she appeared TO be
| very sick It was decided to investigate
the affair before one of the physicians to
| the poor was sent to the house. a gem
tleman who happened to be In the sta
| Of tkA sf,,,a hat 7 10
his report. volunteered to go TO the house
with the man. and let the police know to-
exact condition Of affairs. The home of
the Scots is a little off from the much
| Travelled streets of Georgetown. and was
| not reached without some difficulty. AS
soon as the investigating committee of
two made known their presence, they
were admitted TO bare, squalid room,
in one corner Of which the bare outlines
of a bed with a figure lying thereon
could be distinguished in the dim light
which was thrown out by a lamp minus
chimney and shade. AS soon as the
voices of the visitors were heard the in
fant which was lying in its mothers
arms commenced to cry. and the whim-
pering of two other children in a room
a little off from the main and what SEEM
ed to be the living room. When the
mother had quieted the young babe she
was able to answer the questions put to
her by her visitors, though in a very
weak voice.
| My husband has been away for about
| three months" she said in answer to
question. "and have been able to make
enough TO buy food for myself and my
children until last week. when 1 was
taken very sick. and have been in bed
ever since. The children have had moth
ing to eat but what was given them by
the neighbors. and have had very little
of anything"
The woman groaned several times dur
ing the conversation, but said she had
no pain other than a constant whirring
| in her head On a chair beside the bed
was an empty bowl and several dirty
| spoons. The woman said she had had
no medicine other than some Of the sim
pie home remedies which she prepared
for herself before she was confined to
her bed and those had been exhausted
| several days. There was not another
piece of furniture in the room except
the bed and chair and the lamp. The
woman and her children had hardly
enough covering for their beds. and she
said that she was attacked with violent
chills frequently. When the Investigators
started to leave the house they told the
woman that her sufferings would be re-
lieved. She said that anything that was
done for her would be repaid as soon
| as she was able to get work. Investiga-
tion proved that the womans husband
! was a hard-working man when he en-
listed in the army, and was respected by
his neighbors.
The gentleman who had volunteered to
see the woman Immediately communicat-
ed with the station house, and let them
know the result of his Investigations. In
order that there could be no delay in
providing the sick woman with the nee
| essary articles of food. and with medi-
cal attention. the matter was also re-
ported TO Major Sylvester, who, as has
been stated. ordered that whatever was
needed be provided for the suffering fam
| lily at once. The attention of the relief
committee appointed to look after the
| families of INDECENT soldiers will also be
| called TO the case, and whatever they
| decide to do will be done II may be
that the woman Is not as sick as it was
at first feared, but is suffering more
from the lack of attention than any,
| thing else. 1t is probable that she has
| broken down under the double strain of
| providing for her three older children
and taking care of the baby. In such an
| event the children will be taken care of
by some outside party and the mother
| given a complete; rest.