New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-11
LEAKE DOLE OF BREAD.
Hop q Charity Has Persisted for
More Than Century.

An ancient and obscure charity which Is esti-
mated to have fed more than half million in
habitants of this city has again come TO the
front 1t is the 'Leake Dole OF Bread" and
when first established. 112 years ago. it was as
much talked about as the subway is to-day.
There were only thirty thousand dweliers on
Manhattan Island then. and when it was an
nounced that John Leake, the wealthy mer-
chant had left in his will $1,000 to Trinity par
ish to buy bread for the poor from week to week
as the interest accrued. his great philanthropy
was thought by many to have solved the pauper
problem. AS the city grew, however. and Us
poor increased. the Leake Dole was heard OF
less and less. In city of thirty thousand sew
enty-two free loaves each week go a long way
to alleviate misery, but in community one
hundred times as great their influence IS scarce
ly noticed by the outside world
A baker died the other day who had for many
years given to every one who came to his bakery
at midnight loaf of bread So many hungry
men stood waiting in line each night in front
OF his establishment. at Broadway and Tenth
ST. that the spectacle became one Of the sights
of the city, and popularity known as the
bread line" With the death Of this ph--aa-
thropic breadmaker. Louis FleischInaHn, fear
fell upon many of his pensioners that his e-ar-
fty might also come to an end. II IT did, where
were they to go? Some Of them had heard OK
another place where bread was gwen away res
ularly. but only in a vague sort of way
An empty stomach most times causes a brain
to think faster than a full one. More and moro
was heard of this other charity. 1t was not long
before the word went up and down the bread
line that if ''FIeischmanns shut up there re-
manned the Leake bread. which was given away
every Saturday morning at St Johns Chapel
in Varick-st To be sure, only seve1ty-t7Fo
Ioayes once a week were to be had. whereas az
Fleischmanns there were enough every night
to supply all who came; yet even few crumbs
were better than nothing. A few members OF
the line even went down to St Johns Chapel 10
learn how much bread they might get, but be-
fore the whole regiment moved from Broadway
to Varick-st a bit of joyous news came like
countermand 1t was announced that the
Fleischmann charity would continue as before,
and would never be abandoned until the cor
poration of which Mr.. F1eischmann was the
head passed out of existence.
So many more poor however. know Of the
I.eake Dole now than before Mr.. F7eischmann
died that its waiting list of pensioners is longer
than ever. To some families two leaves are
given each week. and others that are more needy
that have more hungry mouths, obtain as
many as half dozen. AS St Johns is situated
in one of the poorest neghbOrhOOds of the city.
those who dispense the bread often discovered
cases that are particularly pathetic
In Beach-st, for instance, there live q hus-
band and -site who for fifteen years have eaten
little more than Leake bread. AS the result OF
dropsy and kidney trouble, the man of tho house
has hardly stirred out of doors all that time,
Continued on eleventh page.