The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-24
GAVE ALL AND STARVED.
Miss Gallagher the Victim of Her
Own Benevolence.

New York World: Here is something
made a martyr of herself that sh,
might relieve human shffering-whC
died of starvation.
Helen Day Gallagher was born il
New Orleans 46 years ago. Her father
was merchant who. dying, left hel
mother a fortuse. Miss Helen wa:
Superbly educated and besides was
splendid horsewoman. Amiable, talent
ed, she led in the society of the Ores
cent City. She had many beaux; sew.
eral offered marriage to har. But she
refused, having determined after hel
fathers death, to comfort her mothers
declining years.
One night a murder was committed
in this city. John Ryan, a tailor, was
/ found dead in the street, his skull
broken by some blunt instrument
Joseph A. Fort, a young man, lame
and man named Pool. were charged
with the murder and arrested
Font was Helen Gallagher's first
cousin; their mothers were sisters. Mrs.
Font and her son had removed to New
York, estranged from their family
Young Font fell in with the fast young
men of Greenwich village, and went
from bad to worse
When Mrs. Gallagher learned of the
fearful accusation against her sisters
child, the shock hurried her death.
Possessed, then, of ample means, the
proud and sensitive Helen determined
that the stain of murder should not
rest on her family; determined to prove
her cousins innocence and TO save his
soul First she released her betrothed
from his VOWS. She came to New
York and engag ed the best lawyers to
defend Font, but he was convicted be-
fore Recorder Hackett and sentenced
to be hanged. The devoted woman did
not forsake him, but used in his behalf
all the influence and money she could
command, with the result that a day
before he was to be executed Fonts
sentence was committed to imprison-
ment for life.
From that moment Miss Gallagher
gave up her life to feeding the naked.
clothing the hungry, uplifting the weak
and helpless. She never relaxed her
efforts to secure her cousins freedom:
for she believed in his innocence. After
years, Police Captain Kennedy. in
whose precinct Ryan was murdered,
died. But on his deathbed he made a
statement that cast a doubt on Fonts
guilt and the justice of his conviction.
Again Miss Gallagher used her in
fuence with the former friends of her
FAMILY, and on Jan. l, 1897, Governor
Hill pardOned Font.
For many years Miss Gallagher was
superintendent of the New York Juven-
lie society, which was founded by the
ReV. DR.. Robinson, a PRESBYTERIAN
clergyman, and in which DR.. Egbert
Guernsey was much interested. But
the society languished and DR.. Robin
son died Of broken heart because its
work had failed. In February. 1895. the
New York Family Home Relief society
cd %
Guernsey's house, its object being to
help needy worthy families. An office
was opened and Miss Gallagher was
made superintendent.
Her fortune had been almost spent to
save her cousins life, but this self
sacrificing woman readily, cheerfully
gave what she had left to relieve the
suner1ns that came under her sympa-
thetlc and ever-w atcfful eye Funds
came slowly to the society. and of late
months it was almost bankrupt.
BUT its directors did not know the
extremity to which the superintendent
had willingly arrived. Six weeks ago
Mr.. Dugan, the societys treasurer.
visited Miss Gallagher He had not
heard from her for some days.
He was astonished, shocked, to find
her Ill; almost dead from starvation,
put still accomplishing, ready to give
her very life, as she had given her last
penny, to the needy and hungry. She
had eaten nothing for four days. Mr..
Ougan put her in a carriage and
1astened with her to the Homeopathic
hospital
There she died of inflammation of
mouth superinduced by starvation. the
surgeon said; there she died. 'unwept
lnhonored and unsung."
Font, realizing his loss. that his
moral prop was gone mt bullet ]
through his head in the society's /
'OOmS