Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-06-20
The Census Man
and His Troubles
n.-.c--.---,>,..-..,.-.-..

The rap of a Boston census taker at
the door of a Blackstone street tenement
on the top floor, was answered by lit
tie girl, with a tear-staiced face, who
said: Are YOU the undertaken
NO" he said. Il am the census man,
and want to see your father"
"Papa's drunk" said tn" child, in
mattersof-fact way, "an4 mes out some
WHERE
where's your motLer?' asked the cen
sus man
Mamma died last night: she's in
there" said the little girl, pointing to an
inner room.
The woman died the night before, and
her husband went out and got drunk,
leaving the little girl alone with the body
The census man notified the police, who
took the little girl to the Children's So
ciety and sent city undertaken to care
for the body.
Chicago census enumerators had many
troubles. Loaded down With portfolio
aud various kinds Of blank books and
record slips, they trudged into many
queer nook in search of the knowledge
the Government wants. In the fashona-
BILE residence districts the work was com
paratively easy, but in those districts
where two-story houses held from three
to four fan lilies and welve to fifteen in
dividuals, a system Of espionage was in
augurated. the enumerator would 20 to
house and make his argument for in
formation. In other rooms and ON back
porches there would be n buzzing of
voices pitched to a whisper Then
small, ragged boy would shin over the
back lot line fence and whisper some
thing into other back doors along the
row. In this way the coming of
nameless scourge was passed along in
advance Of the Government agent.
-
SIN what year were you born, Mrs.
ONeill?" asked a Philadelphia census
man.
"oh, I'm about sizty-fve years old.
Count that up"
Born in Ireland?"
"Who? Mef'
Eyes, you"
"T was" replied Ms. o'NeiIl
How long have yea DSSr married 2"
asked the enumerator,
II wuz married in 1852, to the best Of
me knowledge Counj that up. | sup
pose you're scholar enough 10 do that
Mrs. O'Neill admitted to having a son
named Dan.
us he marriedy' tire census man ask
ed.
Not that / know of II he is have
to keep him, and the dIvil keep her"
ST.
A San Francisco cnumerator came in
Just before noon With ninety names en-
rolled. He was especially pleased, be
cause he had found famijy Of ten living
in hay loft. He said
~ saw q curtain in barn window,
and got a ladder and climbed up to the
hay NOW. There wera living man and
bis wife and eight children, They SEEM
ed to be having good time, and though
the man was away at yrrk the wife gave
me all the names"
Twelve Brooklyn census enumerators
quit last Saturday. When Superintend-
ent Atterbury got To his Office that morn
ing most of the enunera tors who intend
ed to resign were waiting for him. Tie
spokesman for the twelve said;
"Women have threatened us with i'm
prisonment for what they deem the in
suits contained in the queries Of Uncle
Sam. men have said that they would
like 10 tfeab our noses for prying into
their business, while aliens by the score
have abused us IN all the living Ian
guages and some Of the dead ones"
-
Que Chicago woman who vas asked
the number Of her fam : replied -Four
my husband, myself. The eat and the
canary"
We can leave out the cat and the
canary" said the emu nerator.
That's strange" she remarked. You
haven't left out anything else"
A new pest has made It's appearance