The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-11-20
YOUNG MOTHER
DIES IN STABLE
Succumbs TO Want and Disease
With Babe on Her Breast.
HORSE BLANKET FOR COVER
Passed fWU While Exhausted Erothsrs
Slept on the Floor Beside Her
Touch.
HORSE BLANKET FOR COVER

New York, Nov 2o.-Holdinx her year
old daughter to her breast. Mrs. Gertha
Silyerman died In an east side stable. al IS
Clinton street. early yesterday morning.
after q long struggle with disease and
destitution, for lack Of proper food, care
and medical attendance.
when she died her two young brothers
were asleep on the floor by her bedside.
worn out by hours of arduous toll and
long vigil. They never knew for hours
that their sisters sufferings had ended at
last.
Mrs slverman was 70 years old. and
when her husband, a truckman, disap-
peared Ave months ago she went to live
with her brothers. Frank and Morris
Mensler, 20 and is years old. respectively,
who receive together IS a week as hostlers
from the Henig brothers. who keep the
Clinton street livery stable.
on the first two floors of the stable
scores OF horses are kept and the two
floors above are given over to the storage
of vehicles, all except one little squalid
room OF the fourth floor. which Is partly
filled by the hy-wheel. the band and
others connections OF a carriage elevator.
In this room. otherwise furnished with
a dIminutive but generally fireless stove.
the woman lay upon a low wooden bed.
equipped with straw mattress and only
horse blankets Of the coarsest texture for
covering For three weeks she lay there
suffering with chronic nephrtis.
Her brothers had the hard wooden moor
for couch. softened only by single
blanket for a mattress. Paper had been
pasted along the edges OF the window
frame and over panes that had been
broken to keep the cold out, for coal was
too high to be bought out of joint earn
ings when two hard working men must
be fed something edible bought for a
baby and provision, however scant, made
for a dying woman. SO closely are ve-
hicles packed upon the upper floor of the
stable that onlya few inches OF space was
left 20 crowd through TO the room.
For time Mrs Siiverman was able to
do a little work and add to the small In
come of the family She cooked on the
little stove and made the best shift pos
sible for the family. but II was a hard
battle with want at the best, and within a
month the suffering woman tottered to
the bed and never left II again. She was
uncomplainins to the last. Her brothers
never realized how Ill and weak she was.
They gave her what attention they
could and were up with her until an early
hour Tuesday morning When at last
they spread their blanket on the floor they
were so weary that they slumbered too
soundly to have heard her voice ~ she
called them AT the end Last night. after
the mothers body had been removed. the
baby. bundled up In the horse blanket,
occupied the bed alone.
Mrs. Lauretta Kidd. of 800 West Thirty
third street. went 10 the Post-Graduat te
hospital yesterday and asked medical aid
for her one-yesr-old daughter Margaret.
when the surgeon looked he found the
child had died while the mother was
carrying II there.
Mrs. Kidd. who is very poor said last
night that her husband, who was n com
positor. died suddenly some time ago, and
her six children followed rapidly. How
ever. she added. the baby was not 10 be
buried In the Potters' field. for an under
taker had promised to give the body a de-
cent burial and walt until she had work
to pay for II.
The child died of acute gastritls.