The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-29
FREE LUXURY FOR 4 YEAR
ENTIRE FAMILY INDUI6sEs IN TIFF,
FBNERIES OF LIFE WITHOUT
SPENDING A CENT
THEIR BILLS REACH $4,000
fsamentinG Creditors Vow They
Were Never Seem TO Let Go
of a Nickel - Flight
Secure.

- PHILADELPHIA, Penn, April rs
Without dollar in the world, without a
friend on earth and wholly without An
fuence, references of security, Mrs. J.
w. MacCarton lived magnificentIy, dress
ed handsomely and educated her five
children on nothing a year." No such
story has been written since Thackeray
gave the world Becky Sharp" Two
hundred worthy merchants are crying for
a chance to identify Mrs. MacCarton,
and as many more smile sckly smila
and say: eve dc not know the lady"
Scores of costly plants piled in two
rooms in the magnificent house No. LES
South Eighteenth street are the only
valuable mementoes left Philadelphia to
recall the presence of the MacCarton
family, whose history for the last two
years staggers belief. The windows OF
the now unoccupied rooms look out upon
exclusive Rittenhouse square.
Mrs. MacCarton is of the type of a
portly, prosperous matron, the eldest
daughter is in appearance model Of
what is a beautiful twenty-two-year old
heiress to millions should be, the son a
cringfngfy polite boy of eighteen, the
younger girls all pretty and proud.
Backed by a residence in the very best
neighborhood in the city, ''Millicnaires
Square, it is perhaps small wonder that
their flight reveals unpaid bills amount
ing to fully $15,gv0. while. when the full
truth is known, that amount may be
doubled.
For days at time these people sctu-
ally starved Then their wits would pro-
vide banquet costing sometimes SO
and upon the dafnties thus secured en-
promises they would feast for a week.
The children always had a carriage ct
their disposal, Florists fell ever one an
family supplied witn the choicest blcs-
SONS.
This peculiar family has lived In many
parts of the city, but there is a long in :
tervai in their existence about viii III
nothing seems to be known. Within the
last ten days, however, their life ha 5
been one of acute misery. They lave
been watched night and day by trades
people Of the humber sort. The boy has
heen stopped In the street and forced to
give up his overcoat
In taking up their extraordinary his
tory period of only a little more than
a year ago Will he the starting point
AT that time an imposing mansion at No
SUal North Broad street, the very heart
of Dietrich qulck-and-quest dis
triet. was rented by the mother. who
gave her name as Mrs, j. w. Mcbride.
Her appearance and that of her eldest
Caugfter. introduced as Miss Lille, con-
yfnced the agent that their story of hay-
Ing just come from New Orleans was
true, and he waived the question of pre-
payment, especially as Mrs. Mcbride
agreed to sign a lease for two years
Within few days the delivery wagons
OF ali the big department stores began
stopping in front of the house At the
end Of week the residence Of the Nc
Brides was the best furnished in tie
neighborhood. There were rugs worth
fortune from Goldberg & Co, ]. H. RAJ
gatz and Donald, bric-a-brac and bits of
antique furniture worth thousands, and
more art furnishings came from the
fashionable shop of Woodville & Mako.
Mrs Mcbride then visited the business
pace of Craig & Evans. and was gra-
ciously pleased with several fine paint
sngs. costing an aggregate of $4750
Send them up at cnce" she said, and
the men who went to hang the paintings
made such a glowing report of the mag
nificence of the house and furnishings
that when Mrs. Mcbride called again 81
few days later the firm was only too glad
to fill her order for some water colo-s
and etchings worth $1,000 more
While this was going on Miss Lille and
two of her Younger sisters dropped in
at Stern's, Sixteenth and Pine streets,
and secured a few gowns.
I'VE shant get anything elaborate I'M
til father returns they volunteered
Coal dealers, butchers. bakers and gro
GERS poured their merchandise into the
beautiful house of the charming Nc
Brides
At the end of the month the postman
carried heavy mail composed of bills
to the house. Every missive was prompt
iy answered by a CHEEKY little note writ