Hutchinson gazette., 1901-06-13
ONLY A CARTER.
TYPICAL CASE OF POVERTY IN
METROPOLIS.
Skinned by tho Doctors, skinned by
Landlords and Skinned by Twentieth
Century CivlllEa tion--A Common Thing
In Division Street.

The following appeared In the news
columns of a recent issue Of one of
New York's leading dailles;
It will be a curious sight to the tene-
ment dwellers about lower Division
street when the Malkins are evicted
on Saturday.
Neighbors will gather to see the mis-
erable household goods Of the unhappy
family put upon the street, Six little
Malkins will stand about the dlngy
bedding and the cracked stove, as sol
diers rally about their tattered colors,
wondering why they are not allowed to
live in houses like other people,
And a pallid man and woman, with
the furrows Of sorrow on their faces,
will look across the bundles comprising
all they own in the world, across the
six tousled heads of their children and
into each others eyes, seeking there
the trust and pity which their fellows
have denied them.
There Is another little Malkin, the
seventh, but he Is comparatively well
Off He Is in Beth Israel hospital with
siXty-slx square inches Of skin burned
from his back. But he has bread and
butter and cake and pie, and he has at
least the pity Of the doctors and kind
words from the nurses.
He is at a careless age, this little
Malkn, and he was the innocent cause
Of the undoing Of his father, Louis II,
Malkin, who lives with the rest Of his
family in three miserable rooms at
1913 Division street, Louis Malkin was
hardworking carter up to the last of
February, He was sober, respectable,
industrious and energetic His wife
and family of seven stair stepping
children were we'll cared for.
On the evening of Feb II the third
child, a boy Of s, went down into the
dark tenement cellar to get bucket
Of coal He took candle, and In Bome
manner his coat was ignited. He ran
shrieking upstairs, where he fell un-
conscious on the floor. His back was
terribly burned from his shoulders to
his hips.
He was taken to Beth Israel hospl-
tai, where for a time 1t was thought
he would die His father was called
upon to supply cutlcle for the boys
back Twenty-Five inches Of skin from
Mr.. Malkin's right leg disabled him
for work
He lost his position, lost his credit,
lost all but hope, He pawned every
thing he could pawn. The heroic fa-
ther, still lame from the awful skin
stripping he had endured, was called
upon by the Beth Israel doctors for a
similar graft from his left leg.
He leaned wearily against table In
his home-a pale apparition of hard
luck-and talked about It, Six child
ren, gaunt starvellngs OF the street,
gazed at him with querulous eyes.
The mother, with the lines Of despair
in her face, heaved and toiled despair
ingly over a washtub, A neighbor
through charity had sent in some
washing which must be finished by
nightfall,
And so she went, scrub scrub, scrub,
while her husband made ready for the
hospital, while her children walled or
slept.
Il cannot work anyway, l am so
lame from the other operation. But II
don't go to the hospital and submit
to another grating this afternoon the
boy will die. l cannot bear that. l
suppose that God will take care of u.s."
Then, lowering his voice: 1--WE will be
put out Saturday, l guess, but they
can't do any more than starve us to
death. The poor mother can't take
care of them all alone"
Scrub, scrub, scrub! The woman's
ears had been open. She was crying
now, and she bent her back to her
burden with the envy Of despair.
After | have recovered from the
operation Of today" Mr. Malkin con-
tlnued, they are going to take another
grating twenty-five inches from my
back. God knows what will become
Of us"
Scrub, scrub, scrub, went the arms
monotonously. Then suddenly, with
white averted face, the woman walked
suddenly past and cast herself face
downward on the bed in the next room.
Poor woman" said the stricken
man wearily. Excuse me, now. She is
broken hearted, and must 60 and
comfort her."
And so 1t has fallen out that the
tenement dwellers of Division street
will be treated to curious but not
unusual sight on Saturday