The age-herald., 1899-01-15
SUFFERING AMONG
 MILL OPERATIVES Chance for the City'S Charitable Or
 ganizatiOnS. MRS. PEACOCK IS VERY ILL Has Bean Two Weeks Without Medical
 Attention,
MRS. PEACOCK IS VERY ILL
AND PROPER CARE AND FOOD
Bad Sanitary Conditions and the Cold Weather Have Brought Distress ing State of Affairs to the
 Colony of Mill Workers.

A pale, hollow-eyed woman, emaciated from hunger and disease, lying on filthy bed, slowly dying from want of medical at tention and other necessities, is an instance not very pleasant for the well dressed men and women at breakfast in luxurious home who may read this story this morn- ing.
 Nearly every day the people of Birming- ham read of the deplorable conditions exist ing among the working classes in great cities. But few are aware that here under their noses only a short distance from prosperous city noted for it's eharltaple deeds. may be found these unfortunate creatures their gaunt faces peer ng rom squalid surroundings and crying out for the bread put here for every living being
 In house No. "A, situated in the colony ot cotton mill operatives at Ayondale is Mrs Peacock She has been ill for two weeks Pale, emacaIed half starved, she was In sore need Of proper food and medical at tent!on.
 ''Oh,p she walled, q had rather die than suffer this hell on earth.'
 Her daughter supports the family of three on 60 cents per day, the amount of her wages in the cotton mill nearby. One can imagine how much of the needful reme- dies and supplies can be purchased with this pittance of $3.60 per week. Besides house rent and fuel must come out of this This is only one case of several to be found among the cotton mill operatives Low wages and bad sanitary regulations coupled with the cold weather have brought about distressing state of affairs.
 Had Rather Die
 '1'll tell you" said one poor woman, an employe of the mills, i've don't live-we merely exist" and after listening to re- cital of her hardships and glancng around the meagerly furnished room the inward meaning of this assertion could be readily appreciated
 The furniture of the room consisted of cheap pine table, broken down chair and a bed. One the bed was a mattress, evil dently packed with corn shuckings, and covered with a badly torn sheet, and a quilt which had seen long service. One picture adorned the room-a likeness of her husband, a fine looking fellow apparently on the sunny side of thirty.
  referring to It, before my husband died, and I went to work in a cotton factory for 60 cents day.
 She, herself was a study-tall and thin, greatly emaciated from the effects of over- work and insufficient food, she retained but little of the beauty that, it appeared, had formerly been hers.
 Dressed in a thin, soiled calico dress, her lips quivering with suppressed emotion, as she related her pitiful experience, she was \ indeed fit object for pity.
 ''We work steadily from 6:15 Tn the morn- ing until 6:SO at night" she continued after a moments hesitation, land are compelled to be on our feet almost all the time. make 60 cents day. My little girl, who also works at the factory, makes g per week when she works steadily. We have only thirty minutes for dinner and must be back to the factory on time to the minute We occupy half of this house, two rooms for which we pay 50 cents week rent This money the company takes out of our wages
 "Does the company sell you your coal?" "Yes, and the price we pay for 1t is none too low, either. Sometimes We get fairly
 
 ing more than coal dust
 In the next house resides Mrs Peacock Lying on cheap bed and suffering greatly she had but little to say, her daughter telling the pitiful story.
 I'll for Two Weeks
 'Yes," said she my mother has been in that condition for three weeks. We don't know what to do. I only make 60 cents day and that is very little when all are well, and is not near enough with one sick. We need physician badly but haven't the money to pay one, and the company won't do anything for us. My mother is almost dying, partially through lack of medicine. but mainly from want of proper food We have scarcely plain food enough for her. much less those luxuries which people in her condition should have. The company have been notified of her condtion-in fact have seen it, as one of them was here A day or two ago-but have taken no steps to relieve her suffering'
 My husband was a Mason" interrupted d the sick woman on the ebed, do you think. sir, it would do any good to appeal to them"
 Upon being informed that 1t probably would be worth trying. she appeared very much relieved and gratified.