The evening times., 1902-05-19
.HOMGFARD BOUND
HISSIONERS 1t WORK
Ministering to the Needy Who
Visit Their Home.
MANY WRETCHED SHELTERED
General Manager Says Bunks Are Filled
Nightly by the Homeless and Wan
derer-SpiTituaI and Temporal Needs
Supplied.

Supplied.
An institution devoted TO both the ply
steal and spiritual welfare of the home
less and the wanderer is the Homeward
Bound Mission at 119 Pennsylvania Ave-
nue. northwest, and It's branch at Missouri
Avenue and Sixth Street northwest.
Capt J. H. Haslam is the general man
ager, and is ably assisted by Mrs. Haslam,
financial secretary. Captain Haslam said:
There is seldom a night goes by that
we have any spare hunks, especially in
the winter. The poor wretches seem to
come TO this city from all points of the
compass. We take them in, give them
a bath, put them 10 bed, and when they
awaken they are given a good, substantial
breakfast
Il tell you, sir, it does my heart good
! to see some Of our inmates eat their
! breakfast, many Of them not having
tasted good food for months You would
also be surprised to see the different
| classes of people We Fandle. remember
| one young fellow who came to our mis-
ktther, but could not stand the response
bility- He began drinking, and although
married to one of the incest young
women in his town, brought disgrace upon
his family and left.
This young man was highly educated,
and had been accustomed to the refine
| ments of good home He had led
| strange and varied career; had been
/ laborer on a railroad, a street car con-
/ duetor and motorman- Reaching Wash
/ ington in rags, with his health shattered.
/ emaciated from hunger and exposure, it
! was doubtful whether he would recover.
He was sent to the Missions Hospital,
where, with skillful treatment and careful
! nursing, he came around, if not to robust
/ health. TO a condition fitting him for
light work
Picture of His Wife.
dc you know. he pulled small gold
/ Iocket from his breast one night and
+ showed it TO me. That's all ] ever think
1 Of said he. Inside of the little Iocket
was picture of his wife and child
/ Although he had been in starving cir
/ cumstanoes in many cities he had abso-
/ iuteiy refused to part with the little
/ locket. preferring to starve to death /
| don't know what has become Of him He
/ left the missions with transportation TO
! his home, saying he was going to do the
square thing by his family. He also
promised me 10 write upon his arrival,
but l have heard nothing of him since -
It is a remarkable fact that men Of
| birth and education, when once down. are
the hardest to reclaim. The majority,
| once fed substantially and braced up, de-
! part to repeat the game elsewhere. These
are willing to profess anything for food
/ and shelter, but are not willing to work.
/ A strange and somewhat unusual case
! happened at the Pennsylvania Avenue
| branch few months ago. A young wo-
man evidently of refined origin was seen
| in the neighborhood OF the Peace Monu-
| nent in an almost helpless condition from
drink She was carried into the mission
and cared for until she recovered She
said she had been drinking secretly in her
home for some time when her husband
| discovered the fact and took means to
/! prevent her obtaining liquor. She ran
away from home, borrowing money for the
! purpose and came to Washington, and
had spent her last dollar for drink, which
resulted in her election from a cheap
4 lodging house, and she became a vagrant.
( The thought Of her condition made her
/ despair and she sought solace in drink
/ Her husband was communicated with and
came on to this city. The meeting resulted
/ IN a reconciliation and she took the
( pledge and went home. Captain Haslam
/ says:
Letter of Gratitude.
'T had 2 letter from the husband not
! long since and after again expressing his
| gratitude to US he adds that his wife had
so far remained true to her promise
Another case was that of a clergyman
who had fallen from his high estate
{ through the drink habit. He became
vagra1t. and absolutely hopeless, winding
up in a police station, where his story
was told A sympathetic bystander, struck
/ BY the recital Of his life, succeeded in OBJ
! tanning his release and brought him to the
mission. For some days the case appear
! cd hopeless, but persistency won and he
/ was saved. Today he is superint endent
: of two homes for men in a nearby city,
( administering to their temporal and spir-
1 itUal wants.
/ OF the work done by the missions, the
/ following statement for three months may
/ be Of interest.
| Free beds. $50; free meals, 1900; suits
| Of clothing, q; shirts, 64s hose, %; shoes,
| p; hats. II; sent home, Is; cash given,
! S2.55.
In addition to Captain and Mrs. Haslam
there is Capt N E Voorhees,. in charge
of the Missouri Avenue branch, assisted
by Mrs. Kline, and Capt H W. Kline,
who is in charge Of the stereopticon de-
partment, who gives vivid calcium iilustra-
tions Of nocturnal tours through the slum
districts, in addition to verbal lectures.
The cOloTed branch, at 623 d Street
northwest, is growing in usefulness. II
one month 561 men and women were
sheltered: 162 of whom were without
means whatever
The "HomewaTd Bound Missions Her
aid is the organ OF the missions. II Is