El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-20

the visit of the reporter to the tenement
where the family lived
He finished. and there was silence
around the table The humor of the
hour was swept out of existence by this
bit of human tragedy. The great city
roared about the settlement. The awful
current of human life was flowing in a
great stream past the settlement house,
and those who had work were hurrylnS
to it in a vast throng, but thousands
were going down in the midst of that
current, clutching at last hopes, dying,
literally in land of plenty, because
the boon of physical toll was denied
them.
There We're various comments on the
part of the residents. One of She new
corners, young man preparing for the
ministry, said: why didn't the man
apply to one of the charity organiza-
tions for help or to the city2 1t certain
ly is not true that, even at its worst,
this city full Of Christian people would
knowingly allow any one to go without
food or fuel
mo: don't believe that it would.
replied Dr. Bruce ''But we don't know
the history of that mans case. He may
have asked for help so often before that
finally, in a moment of desperation, he
determined to help himself. 1 have
known such cases this winter -
THAT is not the terrible fact in this
case" said the bishop. 1.-The awful
thing about it is the fact that the man
had not had any work for six months.
'Why don't such people go out into
the country p asked the divinity stu
dent.
Some one at the table who had made
special study of the opportunities for
work in the country answered the ques-
ton. According to the investigator, the
places that were possible for work In
the country We're exceedingly few for
steady employment, and in almost ev-.
cry case they We're offered only to men
without families. Suppose a man $ wife
and children We're i'll. How could he
move or get into the country? How
could he pay even the meager sum nee
essary to move his few goods? There
were a thousand reasons probably why
this particular man did not go else
where.
Meanwhile there are the wife and
children" said Mrs Bruce. 'How aw-
full Where is the place, did you say2'
The bishop took up the paper
"Why. it's only three blocks from
here. This is the Penrose district. 1 be-
ieve Penrose himself owns half of the
houses in that block. They are among
the worst houses in this part of the
city, and Penrose is a church member.
Eyes; he belongs to the Nazareth Az
enue church" replied DIR. Bruce in a
low voice.
The bishop rose from the table the
very figure of divine wrath He had
opened his lips to say what seldom
came from him in the way of denuncia-
tion when the bell rang and one of the
residents went to the door.
''Tell DR.. Bruce and the bishop i
want to see them. Penrose is the name
Clarence Penrose. DR.. Bruce knows
me-
The family at the breakfast table
heard every word. The bishop exchanged
a significant look with DIR. Bruce, and
the two men instantly left the table
and went ont into the hall
Come in here Penrose, - said DR..
Bruce, and he and the bishop ushered
the visitor into the reception room.
They closed the door and were alone.
Clarence Pe1frose was one of the most
elegant looking men in Chicago. He
came from an aristocratic family of
great wealth and social distinction. He
was exceedingly wealthy and had large
property holdings in different parts OF
the city. He had been member of DR.
Bruce's church all his life.
This man faced the bishop and his
former pastor with a look of agitation
on his countenance that showed plainly
the mark of some unusual experience.
He was very pale, and his lip trembled
as he spoke. When had Clarence Pen
rose ever before yielded to such a strange
emotion of feeling?
''This affair of the shooting-you I'M
derstand. You have read it. The family
lived in one of my houses. 1t is terri
BILE event But that is not the primary
cause of my visit" He stammered and
looked anxiously into the faces of tn
other two men. The bishop still looked
stern. He could not help feeling that
this elegant man of leisure could have
done great deal to alleviate the hor-
rors in his tenements, possibly have pre-
vented this tragedy, if he had sacrificed
some of his personal ease and luxury to
better the condition of the people in his
district.
Penrose turned to DR. Bruce.
Doctor he exclaimed, and there
was almost child's terror in his voice,
81 came to say that l have had an ex-
perience so unusual that nothing but
the supernatural can explain it. You
remember | was one of those who took
the pledge to do as Jesus would do |
thought at the time. poor fool that /
was, that l had all along been doing the
Christian thing L gave literally out of
my abundance to the church and char
ity. l never gave myself to cost me any |