The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-28
A FAMILY AT DEATHS DOOR.
One Child Dead, and Father, Mother,
Wife and Three Others Starving.

A whole family. husband. mother.
wife and three children i'll and almost
starving, one child lying dead in a
corner of one of two miserably furnish
ed rooms which the family calls home,
within five minutes walk of the center
of the residence section of Savannah is
, almost impossible of belief. Such a
condition of misery and want was
discovered yesterday in the little set
tlement in the Southeastern part of
the city between East Broad street and
Waters Road.
c. w. Anderson, with his family. a
crippled mother. his wife and four
children, the oldest years and the
youngest 2. came to Savannah three
or four months ago from North Geor-
gia. The father secured a place as a
Waterman on the wharves and sup
ported his family until he was taken
sick. His mother. an aged woman,
was taken sick soon after her son and
then one after another the entire
family was stricken Helpless and with
out friends they barely managed to
keep alive on what the colored neigh
bors gave them to eat.
Day before yesterday next to the
oldest child died and yesterday morn
ing the father dragged himself from
his bed and managed to get to the City
Exchange where he secured a burial
permit and an order for the burial of
his little one by the city in the pauper's
lot. On his way home he told his story
of deprivation and want and the added
sorrow of death. and an investigation
by number of charitable people fol-
lowed.
In a two-room house on Thir-
ty-eighth street, east, seven doors wes 4,
of the little church in the colored
settlement east of the Coast Line
tracks, was found the starving family.
ON box in a corner of the front room
lay the body of the dead child covered
with a piece of old lace curtain that
had been given by colored woman.
In miserable bed, the only piece of
furniture in the house, was the aged
and crippled mother. On the floor in
children half clad and almost at
deaths door. The third child was just
able to get up and the wife and mother
of the little ones. weak from her illness
and nearly famished for want of food,
was tottering near the door. There
were no chairs, no table, no stove. no
dishes and no food in the house-only
the starving and dying family.
It was not long after the discovery
before the immediate wants of the
family were relieved; food was pro-
vided and few articles Of
clothing hastily collected were sent in.
Rev. ]. A. Smith, pastor of Epworth
Church, who had known of the family
some weeks ago, but had lost track of
it through removal, hurried to
the house as soon as he heard of the
case. The little one was to have been
buried last night by the city under
taker. but Mr.. Smith had the funeral
postponed until this morning, when ar
rangements will be made for a Chris
tan burial. In the meantime one of
the children was removed to the Park
View Sanitarium and the wife and
mother will be taken to hospital to-
day. The others ofSthe family will be
provided for until the father is able to
work. Any contributions of cash for
the relief of the family< will be received
by the Morning News and contribu-
tons of food and clothing will be TAX
en- care of at the house or by Rev.
Mr.. Smith.